Pikes Peak Road Rest Stop - Cascade

Food only gets 3 stars cause they didn't have much. Not their fault since they were hit with a natural disaster. The Buffalo chicken wrap we ended up eating was tasteless without the ranch.

First the good news….the view was great. Frigid on top, but visitors center was comfortable with great views from inside. The rides up and back were very uncomfortable…..way too crowded. About masks…we were told mask use was required and there was stern warnings to use masks at the beginning. After we left the station, lots of people took off their masks and staff said nothing. The biggest problem was getting to the station. We counted on the shuttle from Hiawatha Gardens. We got there and paid for our parking and got on the bus and after a very long delay was told that the bus couldn’t get up Ruxton because of construction and there most likely no parking up there. We got back in our car and drove up Ruxton (saw maybe 4 traffic cones and no construction) and got the last parking space. Very frustrating and added a lot of tension to our day. The Achilles heel of the whole PP Cog Railway is getting to the station and park your car. I’m not at all sure I can recommend this experience.

We took this 1 hour railway to Pikes Peak. Is a lovely train ride up. I am note giving this a better rating but it was TOO CROWDED and the row facing us had 4 people for 2 seats (children on the laps of parents). There is not enough room for this and they should not be allowed to do this. The views were fantastic. Even with mandated masks there were too many people too close together (given covid). Saw arctic gull and mule deer during the ride. Conductor gave us details about the area, train history and the views.

Our party of ten had planned a wonderful day with friends and family. We were very excited to ride the cog railway and to see Pike’s Peak. As soon as we stepped foot on the train the female conductor was extremely rude, arrogant, and extremely unprofessional. One of our party didn’t have his mask pulled up as high as the conductor wanted it to be. Being berated and being threatened more than once was a terrible experience. She threatened to throw us off the train because she didn’t like the way she was looked at. Unbelievable. There is no excuse for her actions. One of our party was so upset that she stepped off the train to compose herself. My 9 year old granddaughter was extremely upset. Having this experience ruined our day.

This was an amazing experience- worth every cent. Parking in the area is limited. Park in the town (such as Hawthorne Park and a shuttle (route 33 city bus will pick you up and drop you off at the cog. The pickup/drop offs are clearly marked. When you arrive at the depot there are restroom and a gift shop where you can get food and drink and can be consumed while on the trip up/down. Take water!! The seats are small but does not distract from the experience. There are views from both the 2 and 3 seat sides (I was on the 2 and if I were to go again, I would chose the 3 seat side as you get to look out . The ride up is about an hour- the train moves at approx. 8 mph. History and fun facts are provided along the way. Once reaching the top there is a small café, restrooms, gift shop and exhibit inside. There are 360 degree breath taking views. After about 40 mins, the train loads up (same seats and it takes about 45 mins- approx 10 mph. to reach the bottom. Take a coat, gloves and hat. It was about 50F degrees in Manitou Springs however the summit was 19F degrees with a wind-chill of 11 and windy.