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Pikes Peak

Pikes Peak is probably one of the most famous parks here in Colorado. It is clearly visible from Denver, Colorado where I live now as it stands out from the rest of the "Fourteeners" as the 14,000' peaks are called. The views from Pikes Peak are undeniably spectacular. It inspired Katherine Lee Bates to pen the poem "America The Beautiful", which is now cast in bronze atop the mountain near the visitor center.

If you plan to go, I would highly recommend you bring a warm coat as the weather can be very cold and windy.



There are many beautiful sights like this one on the way up the twisting mountain road. This one was taken below the timber line, where trees stop growing. A lot of the mountain sides here are covered with tall pines such as the ones you see here.



This is one of the many views from the peak. Since Pikes Peak sits out a little ways from the rest of the "Fourteeners" it gives some beatiful views of the surrounding areas. You can even see Denver from here on a clear day.



This picture shows a distant mountain lake. I believe you actually drive past that lake on the way to the summit.

It's hard to imagine a view like this being typical of anywhere, yet here it is.



For some reason I had several shots of this angle. Who knows, it may have been the thin air effecting my memory. Some people actually require oxygen up here, which can be found at the summit visitor center. It can be quite disorienting and fatiguing.

Just the same it is still a beautiful and dramatic sight - one of many that can be found atop Pikes Peak.