Pikes Peak PlannerIndependent guide
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Crystal Reservoir in the forest below Pikes Peak, seen from the Pikes Peak Highway
Before you goDirections

How to get to Pikes Peak

Photo: AvaStanley, CC BY-SA 4.0, resized

Pikes Peak has three front doors, and your map app may send you to none of them. Pick where you start and how you go up: you get the drive time and when to leave.

By Rainer LangChecked Nov 7, 2026Independent guide

Do not type "Pikes Peak" into your map app. The official Highway site says Google Maps directions for "Pikes Peak" are incorrect. To drive up, navigate to the Gateway, 5089 Pikes Peak Highway, Cascade, CO 80809.

What is the address for Pikes Peak?

It depends how you go up. To drive the Highway, go to the Gateway at 5089 Pikes Peak Highway, Cascade, CO 80809; the official site warns that Google Maps directions for "Pikes Peak" are wrong. The Cog Railway leaves from 515 Ruxton Ave, Manitou Springs, CO 80829, and the Barr Trail starts a short walk above the depot on Ruxton Avenue.

Way upNavigate toParking
Pikes Peak Highway (drive or shuttle)Gateway toll gate, 5089 Pikes Peak Highway, Cascade, CO 80809. The Highway leaves the main road at Cascade; the toll Gateway is about 1.9 miles up it (our OpenStreetMap measurement).You drive on; summit parking is limited to about 2 hours. Shuttle riders park at the mile 7 lot.
Cog Railway515 Ruxton Ave, Manitou Springs, CO 80829Railway lot and street parking $20; no free parking in Manitou Springs; free Route 33 shuttle from the city lots in season.
Barr TrailTrailhead on Ruxton Avenue, just past the Cog depotBarr Lot: 40 spaces, $18.03 a day, Barr Trail only. Not the Cog lot.

Visit Colorado Springs gives the Gateway as 5069; the Highway's own page says 5089. We go with the Highway.

Drive time and when to leave

Choose where you start and how you go up. The drive times are computed from OpenStreetMap road data (no traffic); the leave-by time works back from your timed-entry window, your train or your start on the trail.

How are you going up?
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Plan the day from here

How the leave-by time is worked outOSRM drive times plus our own buffers
  • Drive times and distances: OSRM car profile on routing.openstreetmap.de (FOSSGIS), OpenStreetMap data, fetched 2026-11-07; typical traffic-free driving time. Start and end points geocoded with OpenStreetMap Nominatim, fetched 2026-11-07. Real traffic, roadworks and weather add time; the Garden of the Gods' own directions page warns to allow extra time at rush hour and on weekends for the drive from Denver.
  • Highway: the route ends where the Pikes Peak Highway starts at Cascade. We add 5 minutes for the 1.9 miles up to the toll Gateway and 15 minutes of margin, so you arrive at the start of your window. Timed-entry permits are needed past mile 7 in the summer season, with a one-hour arrival window.
  • Cog Railway: the railway asks you to arrive 30 minutes before departure. We add 10 minutes to park.
  • Barr Trail: 10 minutes to park and walk to the trailhead. Barr Lot has 40 spaces and fills early on summer weekends.
  • The buffers are ours, not the operators'. None of this is a timetable.

Drive times to all three start points

FromHighway (Cascade)Cog depotBarr Trail
Downtown Denver1 h 34 min75.7 mi1 h 30 min71.9 mi1 h 32 min72.1 mi
Denver International Airport (DEN)1 h 49 min94 mi1 h 45 min90.2 mi1 h 46 min90.4 mi
Downtown Colorado Springs20 min11.1 mi16 min7.3 mi17 min7.5 mi
Colorado Springs Airport (COS)35 min21.9 mi31 min18.1 mi33 min18.3 mi
Manitou Springs (town centre)11 min5.3 mi3 min0.8 mi4 min1 mi
Woodland Park16 min9.5 mi24 min13.7 mi25 min13.9 mi

Woodland Park sits on the other side of the Highway junction, so it is closer to the Highway than to Manitou Springs. The Cog depot and the Barr trailhead are a few hundred metres apart on Ruxton Avenue.

How do I get to Pikes Peak from Denver?

By car it is about 1 h 34 min (75.7 mi) from downtown Denver to the Highway in Cascade, or 1 h 30 min to the Cog depot in Manitou Springs, without traffic. Without a car, a day tour from Denver that includes the drive up or a Cog ticket is the simplest option.

Plan a full day. Tours from Denver run 8 to 10 hours. If you drive, add the Highway itself, a 38-mile round trip of at least two hours: a day trip from downtown Denver means about 5 h 08 min at the wheel before any stops.

How do I get to Pikes Peak from Colorado Springs?

From downtown Colorado Springs it is about 20 min (11.1 mi) west to the Pikes Peak Highway in Cascade and 16 min to the Cog Railway depot in Manitou Springs, without traffic.

Staying close cuts the morning drive: from Manitou Springs the Highway is 11 min and the Cog depot 3 min. See where to stay near Pikes Peak for walking times from each hotel.

Can you get to Pikes Peak without a car?

Yes. Ride the Cog Railway from Manitou Springs, which you can reach by bus, or book a tour that includes transport. The Highway shuttle is not car-free: you drive your own car through the Gateway to the mile 7 lot to board it.

  • Denver to Colorado Springs by bus. CDOT's Bustang South Line runs from Denver Union Station and other Denver stops to the Colorado Springs Downtown Terminal (127 E. Kiowa St.) for $12 a single ride, $6 for children 2 to 11. Schedules change on November 8, 2026; check the times on Bustang's site.
  • Denver airport to Colorado Springs. Groome runs a shared shuttle, reservation only, from DEN to its Colorado Springs Park & Ride (3003 Willamette Pl) and three hotels, with 18 departures a day listed and adult fares from $55 online.
  • Colorado Springs to Manitou Springs and the Cog. Mountain Metro serves Manitou Springs: the city lists zero-fare Route 3 to the Duck Stop and the Route 33 shuttle, which runs up to the Cog depot (not all the way in bad weather). Check Mountain Metro for the leg from downtown Colorado Springs.
  • Up the mountain. The Cog Railway is the one way up that needs no car. The Highway shuttle starts at mile 7, which you reach in your own car.

Tours from Denver that include the ride up

Each of these includes transport from Denver and either the drive up the Highway or a Cog Railway ticket, which also takes the timed-entry permit off your hands.

Compare all Pikes Peak tours

Prices, ratings and policies as shown on GetYourGuide on 2026-11-03 and Viator on 2026-11-07; ratings are theirs, not ours, and the booking page is what counts. Partner links: we may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you (disclosure). Viator card photos: Viator and the tour operators, via the Viator Partner API, read on 2026-11-07.

Renting a car

A car gives you all three start points and Garden of the Gods on the way. Colorado Springs Airport is 35 min from the Highway, Denver International 1 h 49 min. Automatics need a low gear ("1" or "L") for the Highway, and trailers are not allowed.

Compare Colorado Springs car rentals on Klook Partner link: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you (disclosure).

Nervous about the mountain road itself? Read is the Pikes Peak drive scary? first.

How far is Pikes Peak from the Denver airport?

About 1 h 49 min and 94 miles by car to the Highway, and 1 h 45 min to the Cog depot, without traffic. From Colorado Springs Airport it is 35 min to the Highway.

Sources (22)· checked 2026-11-07

All sources for this topic: Pikes Peak Highway on the facts page.

Last checked Nov 7, 2026 by Rainer Lang. Rules and prices change; confirm with the operator before you travel.