Pikes Peak Cog Railway Peak Station — Local services in Four Corners States

Firstly, my positive experience with the railway started before the trip even began! I purchased tickets on the 2-seat side for myself and my mom several weeks in advance but in doing research after the fact, I learned the 3-seat side offered much better views. I sent an email to the contact info on my confirmation and supervisor Aubrey was able to get the changes in promptly and with no additional actions from me.

Secondly, I would like to give a big thank you to the staff who worked between 10am - 1pm+ and passengers who rode in the back on Car 2 on Monday June 16th. My mom and I came from Texas and greatly enjoyed the ride and the views on the way up. However, we'd only been in Denver since Sunday (the day before) and sadly we both felt poorly at the top due to altitude sickness, with me passing out on the train after we were on the way down. Fellow passengers (total strangers to us!) helped me and my mom while I was unconscious and staff called the paramedics who arrived right as we pulled back into the station. Once I was stable enough to walk, staff member Katie stayed with me and my mom in the gift shop area to cool down and she and another staff member (I forgot her name I'm very sorry but she was super sweet!) brought us plenty of water, electrolytes, snacks for carb/sugar boost, and even accompanied us to the restroom and escorted us back to the parking lot once we felt safe enough to leave.

Thirdly, in terms of the comfortability of the seats-- If you are tall (I'm 5'11") and/or plus sized (I'm 250lbs), your mileage may vary on how comfortable you are next to your fellow neighbors. Please expect to bump knees, legs, thighs, elbows, and otherwise have a smaller than usual amount of personal space for the hour ride up and the hour ride down. Allow yourself and your fellow neighbor some grace and get acquainted with your temporary seat buddies! Regardless, a temporary bit of discomfort is worth the amazing views and experience of riding up the mountain (and that's coming from someone who passed out in the middle of the descent!).

Fourthly, the parking lot across the street from the railway depot is very convenient if you don't want to park in the city proper and reasonably priced ($20 for 4.5hrs at the time I went). Make sure you plan your arrival time accordingly because it will only be open to you 30min prior to your train departure time, and buses / RVs / trailers are not allowed there. If you use Google Maps I would also recommend downloading offline map of the area in case you lose signal on the way in, an offline map will continue to give you directions until your signal is restored.

And lastly, temperatures at the top of Pikes Peak are significantly colder than the bottom. But in my personal opinion, if you're someone who runs hot you only need to worry about layering up if you plan to spend the majority of your 40min outside taking pictures and enjoying the view (or if you plan to hike down, which kudos to you!). If you make a beeline from the train to the visitor center, it is quite warm in there and you won't need layers inside. I would suggest a fleece / hoodie as your layering piece that's easily removable so that you're not sweltering in the center or on your way back down the mountain (the train itself has no AC or heating but if the windows are closed it does feel quite stuffy as...

The Cog Railway to Pikes Peak was wonderful!!! While going up, the conductor shares lots of interesting facts, information about history, where to look for waterfalls, and other beautiful sites. The conductor also puts in some corny jokes, which makes everyone laugh. Now, the best part is when you get to the top. You will get to see AMAZING views, and it even feels like you are in the clouds sometimes. It is pretty chilly there, so I suggest bringing a jacket or going inside the visitor center to warm up or get something from the gift shop. Other things you should know are that the three seat side offers way better views, prepare for the chilly weather, and for the altitude sickness. Overall, the experience was wonderful, and I definitely suggest going to Pikes Peal with the...

Major disappointment. I waited 3 years to do this, so I was thrilled when we purchased our tickets through their website and we planned our day for our trip. And then 1hr and 15 minutes before our departure time, we got a text from them explaining that we could only take a "partial" ride on the train because the weather was bad at the peak!? There was no wind, sun was out, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky! We could see the peak so clearly. We were offered a 30% discount if we still wanted to take this "partial" ride. WTH, just 30% off?! It should've been at least 50%. How far is "partial??" And we got so little time for our group to decide if we all still wanted to go or not, and get our refund before departure. That is poor customer service. I will never...