My dad insisted on all of us taking the trip up to the top of Pikes Peak and because the roads were closed, that left the cog railway. When we picked up our tickets they let us know that the track was frozen near the top, so we would be stopping short. However, the price was discounted to $25 as a result and we only stopped about a quarter mile from the top, so we still saw some spectacular scenery.
Here is a view of Colorado Springs as the train started up.
There were trees for quite a while, but once we passed the timberline, it became barren and everything was frozen over.
Well, everything except the yellow-bellied marmots!
These guys were not here on the way up, I think they came out specifically to check us out when they heard the train go by.
We stopped around 10,000 feet on the way down for some photo opportunities and to let the 12:20pm train pass us. I started to feel the altitude once we started back down but it was past in about 20 minutes—not nearly as bad as the Grand Canyon.
The whole ride took just about three hours. The seats weren’t overly comfortable (molded wood) and there was a lot of chattering on the crowded cars (I like my nature without a lot of other people around), but the wide-open vistas made up for it.