April will not be a very busy time for either the Cog or the Highway. It is quite common to see animals (marmot, deer, big horn sheep, etc) on both routes. They are both enjoyable but quite different. On the highway, you can stop at numerous spots on the way up and down to enjoy the scenery, take pictures, climb on the rocks and hike if you want to do so. If you are comfortable driving up the 100% paved Pikes Peak Highway (see their web page for prices and details), it is a totally different route than the Cog Railway. The Cog Railway trip is a very pretty ride up thru numerous eco systems on the mountain. This is the first time that they have closed down in Winter (for maintenance work) so they do not have a historical opening day in the Spring.
Just be sure to dress warmly, bring your own water, and drink lots of it to stay hydrated.Īshley, you can always call the Cog Railway (see their web page for their number) in March to see what their plans are for opening in the Spring. This isn't something that you do everyday in every place, so I recommend the 3 hour activity. Visiting the peak is pricey, but with a new train and visitors center and transporting food and workers up there, the expense is justified. As others stated, there was no time to look at the exhibit and we didn't spend much time in the gift shop either due to the limited time allowed up at the viewing platform. As mentioned, I have been to the Swiss Alps multiple times, but I was really feeling the altitude change, so I was glad I had a small can of Oxygen to use while outside on the viewing platform.
We went in May, and even though it was in the 70s at the depot, it was 32 degrees on top where there was still snow. I would recommend getting seats across from each other in front of the window, with the 3 seat side having a little better sites from mid-way up the mountain. We loved the experience of taking the train up the mountain. We had taken cog wheel trains up to 2 different peaks in Switzerland and enjoy train travel there, so when I read that Pikes Peak had a train manufactured in Switzerland with the big viewing windows, we had to give it a try to have a similar experience in the US when visiting the Broadmoor. Suggestion: How about this business actually ensure you can reach the summit before selling tickets? Just how any other business in CO would ensure they have a product before they sell it? What makes you different? What makes you special? It is ignorant of them to keep selling tickets on a hope to reach the summit. Sure, you will be able to get a refund, or be able to ride the train for a few miles before heading back down without getting off, but you will not be able to get your time back. If anyone is reading this, call ahead of time and make sure they have actually been able to summit recently, because they will sell tickets regardless and waste your time, as they did ours. So that poses one question: why are you still selling 100's of tickets before knowing that you can summit? Do you enjoy wasting people's time? After doing some digging by asking around, they haven't been able to reach the summit using this train for around 2 weeks. We were supposed to depart at 9:20 AM, the train then got delayed till 10:00 AM (that is fine, I have no issues with waiting longer), then the whole ride got canceled. We arrived for our ride on to reach the summit. If I could give zero stars I would (although I have no issues with the boarding staff).
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