We saw a marmot and a lot of ravens on the ride up the mountain at the summit we saw a few smaller birds and a pika. Make sure to try the doughnuts from the bakery at the summit. We had plenty of time to stroll around the summit, enjoy the vistas and still looked through the gift shop and use the facilities. That was a bonus, so we had a little longer to enjoy the views from the summit (generally you have about 45 minutes at the top we had about an hour). The trip up the mountain is about an hour and 15 minutes, but we must have made good time up the mountain, as we arrived in an hour. One of the really nice things about taking the train to the summit, in addition to not having to drive, is that the conductor provides some narration about the history and scenery along the way (plus some really bad jokes!). You should make reservations well in advance for the Cog Railroad, as it is a popular attraction and sells out rather quickly. Note that the seating assignments are computer generated, so you cannot request specific seats.
But you still get great, unobstructed views from the summit, so no worries. To get the good shots, you need to be on the left-side or three-seat side (seat A is the prime window seat in each row). You can still see the views, but photography is out, at least to get any quality shots. We did get an unlucky draw for seating as we were on the right side of the train (pilot’s right, or the two-seat side, seats D and E), so we were on the opposite side of the great views near the top of the mountain. I made this mistake on my first trip to the summit several years ago, and had to buy a sweatshirt at the gift shop (but I got a nice souvenir). However, keep in mind that the summit is at over 14,000 feet, so the temperature is significantly lower (20 to 30 degrees F is not uncommon), so plan accordingly and bring a jacket/hoodie, hat and perhaps gloves (if you are a true freeze-baby). It was a sunny, pleasant day in Manitou Springs visibility on the summit was predicted to be very nice as well. There were a couple hummingbird feeders at the station, so we got a decent show from those little guys. Check-in was at 10:10 at the station outside of Manitou Springs. We took our ride in late August on the 10:30 train.
Taking the railroad route allows you to enjoy the sights without the worries of driving up the mountain, which could be a concern for folks who are not used to driving in the mountains. In July 1968, three passengers traveled the last regularly scheduled train service to the Grand Canyon after the Interstate Highway road route - and cars - became increasingly popular, and the next year, the Grand Canyon Train Depot completely shut.No visit to Colorado Springs is complete without a trip to the summit of Pikes Peak, and a great way to get to the summit is the Pikes Peak Cog Railroad. By the 1950s, after the advent of diesel, the last of the steam travels traveled along the railway, pushed out by their more economic-friendly diesel counterparts. The railway was the easiest and most comfortable way to travel until a proper road into the Grand Canyon was built in 1920, and it also transported all the water for the Grand Canyon until 1926, as well as livestock. The railroad was initially built from Chicago to Los Angeles, passing through Williams, Arizona, to transport ore in the Wild West. Built following the Grand Canyon’s establishment as a forest preserve by presidential proclamation in 1893, the first passengers climbed aboard on September 17, four years later. Almost as old, but not quite, is the Grand Canyon Railway, a steam chugging train that has been transporting passengers to the Historic Village at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon since 1901.
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