Pike’s Peak is the easternmost of the 14,000 foot peaks in the United States. That was my destination for the day! Grayline of Denver offered a 10 hour tour to this National Historic landmark, so thus I joined them for the day! The Peak is located just 10 miles west of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The itinerary started with a hotel pickup in Denver from where we made our way across the front range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

Our first stop was the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. This massive facility encompassed a campus with a visitor’s centers, classrooms, dormitories, chapel, sports field, and several large gyms. Visitors first watch a film in the Visitor’s Center regarding the student life and acceptance criteria to attend classes there.

I then visited the chapel interior. The campus wishes to maintain an environment of religious tolerance and acceptance of all its international student’s backgrounds, so several different faiths are represented there. I saw the chapel for Catholics, non-denominational Christians, Buddhists, and Jewish faiths.

A couple of airforce planes were on display on the grounds, including one that hailed from the Vietnam period.

We had the opportunity to walk about the gigantic fitness centers, swimming pool rooms, weight lifting gyms, boxing rings, ice hockey rinks, and more.

After our tour, we got back on the bus and headed towards “Garden Of The Gods”. The Garden Of The Gods Park is a natural national landmark located in Colorado Springs. The landscape is comprised of many enormous formations of red rock in various shapes and sizes. It is absolutely breath-taking and a must for tourists!

The Park’s gift shop sells many memorable souvenirs of the region. In the back is the restaurant where my tour group ate our lunch. Grayline does call in advance to order meals for the group. They gave my vegan meal request to the restaurant ahead of our arrival time. Though they do not offer any vegan meals per say, they were able to provide me with a rather large and tasty salad of greens, mushrooms, and veggies in a raspberry vinegrette. For a dessert, they offered me a bowl of fresh fruit, including oranges, melon, pineapples, grapefruit, and grapes.

After lunch, the bus ride took us to Manitou Springs. This small town is at the base of Pike’s Pike. We made a stop to shop for souvenirs and browse the main road vendors.

Upon arrival at Pike’s Peak Cog Railway, we got into the train that would slowly makes it journey to the top of the mountain.

Along the uphill journey, we saw various rock formations, wooded fields, and even a couple of small mammals such as marmots. They ran too quickly for the cameras however. The view also included the local white bark trees and a beautiful large lake.

Alas, we arrived at the summit! The Pike’s Peak sign displayed the fact that we had reached an elevation of 14.110 feet!

The view was gorgeous! I saw rock formations, mountains, valleys, wooded forests, and lakes from each side of the summit.

You need to get on the return train heading back as soon as the alarm rings, lest being left freezing at the summit. On the ride downward, we had another opportunity to view the incredibly beautiful landscape once again.

Before going back to Denver, our guide stopped at a few natural springs around Manitou Springs. We drank from these healthy spouts at each location. According to the signs, the minerals in those waters could help many physical and psychological illnesses! The weather got quite warmer as we drove further away from the higher elevation. The skies were clear, the air was warm, and the green landscapes greeted us during our return drive!

I really enjoyed my visit to Pike’s Peak and the Colorado Springs area. The breath-taking views, wildlife, and history make it worth spending an entire day there!