Best time to visit Pikes Peak

Short answer: the Highway permit season (late May to September) has the warmest summit temperatures, but the afternoon storm season overlaps it. Go early in the day.

Month by month

Valley figures are NOAA 1991 to 2020 monthly normals for Colorado Springs (station elevation 6,181 ft). Summit figures are our estimates: the valley normal adjusted by the standard lapse rate of 3.57 °F per 1,000 ft up to 14,115 ft. Real summit weather varies a lot day to day.

Month	Valley high	Valley low	Valley precipitation	Est. summit high	Est. summit low
Jan	45 °F	19 °F	0.29 in	17 °F	-10 °F
Feb	47 °F	20 °F	0.32 in	18 °F	-8 °F
Mar	55 °F	27 °F	0.79 in	27 °F	-1 °F
Apr	61 °F	34 °F	1.45 in	33 °F	6 °F
May	71 °F	44 °F	1.99 in	42 °F	15 °F
Jun	82 °F	53 °F	2.27 in	53 °F	24 °F
Jul	87 °F	58 °F	3.12 in	58 °F	30 °F
Aug	84 °F	57 °F	2.96 in	55 °F	28 °F
Sep	77 °F	49 °F	1.35 in	49 °F	21 °F
Oct	65 °F	37 °F	0.77 in	36 °F	8 °F
Nov	53 °F	26 °F	0.37 in	25 °F	-2 °F
Dec	45 °F	19 °F	0.23 in	16 °F	-10 °F

The wettest month in the valley normals is Jul (3.12 in). Published Barr Trail guidance says to be off the summit by around midday in summer because of lightning, so the hot, wet months need the earliest starts.

What suits which visit

First-time drive or train ride: late spring or early autumn; book the permit or ticket ahead. The 2026 Highway permit window is May 22 to September 30.
Hiking the Barr Trail: plan a pre-dawn start; use the hike time calculator.
Winter: summit lows in the estimates fall below zero °F in several months; check what the operators are running before you plan a trip.

See tickets and timed entry and the live summit forecast.

Sources (5)· checked 2026-11-03

Every figure with its exact source: Barr Trail and Barr Camp on the facts page.