Pike's Peak Highway

After a great breakfast on the patio at Mountain Shadows Restaurant, we decided to take a ride up the Pike's Peak Highway.  I was surprised when we arrived at the gate to learn that the road was open to the top as the day before the mountain had received a fresh blanket of snow.  We set out for the 20 mile trip and about half way up noticed it was getting cloudy and snow flurries began falling.  By the time we reached mile marker 15 the snow was coming down pretty fast and the road was beginning to get what appeared to be a thin layer of ice and snow on it.  My young cousin from Columbus was excited about the adventure and I hated to squelch it but I must admit I was getting a bit more nervous as we passed each new mile marker and the weather seemed to be only getting worse.  I came close to turning back but proceeded cautiously up the mostly guardrail-free mountain road.  We arrived safely at the top and made our way to the edge of the mountain to enjoy the view.  There was about a foot of snow.  We both experienced a bit of high altitude light-headedness.  After a brief stop at the Summit House we decided we better head back down as there was quite a storm cloud beginning to make it's way over the mountain. ​  We traveled down in low gear, occasionally stopping at a few turnoffs to capture some pics and enjoy the views.  As we made our way back to the gate we noticed they were closing the road due to the weather conditions on the mountain.  Once we got back down the mountain the sun was again shining and the temps warmed back up into the low 70's.  The Pike's Peak Highway entrance is off Highway 24 west of Manitou Springs.  

For current road conditions call: (719) 385-7325 ​or visit pikespeak.us.com for more information. Enjoy your adventure and BE SAFE!