Earlier this month, Matt and I went to Colorado Springs for about four days — one of our friends was having her wedding there, so it was the perfect excuse to squeeze in some domestic travel as we wrap up our time in the U.S. this fall. And when we told friends we were going to Colorado Springs, they had two questions: “Are you going to feed the giraffes at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo?” and “Are you going to take the Cog Train to Pikes Peak?
While I had been to Pikes Peak on my two prior visits to Colorado Springs, both times I’d driven up to the summit by car. But we’re all about unique experiences, so we decided to check out the cog train to Pikes Peak.
Booking Your Cog Train Pikes Peak Experience
On Sunday morning of our trip, over hotel breakfast, I decided to check out the cog train tickets and schedule. Everything was sold out for Sunday, so Monday morning was the only timeframe that could potentially work for us, before we needed to head out of Colorado Springs and back to Denver to catch our flight. At the top of the screen, I noticed a message: “We will offer four sunrise trains in the 2024 season: July 21, August 1, September 11 and October 14.”
It was October 13, and the sunrise train for the next morning sounded pretty cool, but it was sold out. I asked Matt, “What about the 9 a.m.?” He said, “I’ll look at it when we get back to the room.”
Back in the hotel room 15 minutes later, Matt tells me: “There are two tickets left for the sunrise cog train tomorrow morning.” And I said, LET’S BOOK IT!
So, while cog train rides to Pikes Peak have been offered to visitors since 1891, the sunrise trips are new as of summer 2023. The fact that there were only four this year, and we just so happened to snag last minute tickets to the last one of the year felt like extraordinarily good luck. I hate waking up early (everyone who knows me knows that) but I can’t resist a sunrise travel experience, like when we saw the sunrise by hot air balloon over Teotihuacan a few years ago.
When you’re ready to book your tickets, I recommend doing it further in advance than we did, just to be sure you get the day and time you want. The only way to book is directly through the Pikes Peak Cog Railway website, and there are several departures per day. As of October 2024, tickets cost $59 per adult and $49 for children 12 and under — unless you do the sunrise train, which costs $99 per person. The whole visit should take about three hours from start to end.
Once you’ve completed your purchase, you’ll receive an email with your tickets, which include a barcode for each passenger. There’s no need to print your ticket as they can be easily scanned from your phone.
Our Experience: Sunrise Cog Train to Pikes Peak
Here’s what our morning looked like taking the sunrise cog train to Pikes Peak. Keep in mind that the general timeframe for each activity should be similar if you do the regular cog train rather than the sunrise one. Also, if you happen to do the sunrise train, the times will also vary — I read that the first sunrise train in July departed at 4:30 a.m. to catch the 5:50 a.m. sunrise from the top of Pikes Peak! Meanwhile, ours left the Manitou Cog Depot at 5:45 a.m. for the 7:08 a.m. sunrise. (Not sure I would have made the July one 😂)
5:30am: Arrival at Manitou Cog Depot
Matt and I woke up at 4:45 a.m. to get ready and make the 20-minute drive from our hotel in southeast Colorado Springs to the Manitou Cog Depot. The email instructions that we received the night before stated that the parking lot would open at 5:15 a.m. with departure at 5:45 a.m. sharp. I got ready quickly so I could ambush Matt with my request to stop for coffee on the way.
We arrived around 5:30 a.m., where a team was helping direct cars to parking spaces like you’d see for a concert or sporting event. Normally, train passengers need to pay for parking, which is $20, but sunrise train passengers get free parking, so that helped offset the extra cost of the trip. Once you’re at the platform, there’s a small waiting room where people were standing to stay warm, as well as a men’s and women’s restroom. Naturally, the line for the women’s was ridiculously long, but finally someone mentioned that there’s another bathroom with way more stalls and way fewer people at the far end of the platform.
I finished my coffee, as food and drinks aren’t allowed on the train, and we found our seats and settled in for the one-hour trip up the mountain.
5:45-6:45am: Ride up to Pikes Peak Summit
While it was a chilly morning (and we hadn’t really packed for this experience), the interior of the train was nice and warm — as well as clean and comfortable. The “conductor,” who served as our tour guide, was very funny and shared plenty of interesting information about the cog railway as well as the history and exploration of Pikes Peak.
The lights on the train interior were on for the first few minutes, but shortly after our departure they turned the lights off, making it a bit easier to see out the window. However, it was pretty much pitch black until about 30 minutes into the journey. I appreciated that everyone stayed pretty quiet and kept their phone screens off for the most part. There also didn’t seem to be any children on the sunrise train, so the trip was very peaceful.
6:50-7:40am: Free Time at Pikes Peak Summit
As we arrived at the summit, the sun was about 15 minutes from making its full appearance over the horizon — though the reds, oranges, and purples of the sunrise were already on display. Our conductor told us to be back at the train on time for a 7:45 a.m. sharp departure, and we were set loose at the top of the mountain.
We spent a few minutes watching the sun rise over Colorado Springs and the peaks in front of us, as a special sunrise blessing ceremony led by Tribal Nation Elders took place — it was Indigenous Peoples’ Day. But it was difficult to stay outside for too long, considering the cold, the wind, and our lack of preparation from a clothing perspective. When we couldn’t take the cold any longer, we went inside to the visitors’ center, where the famous Pikes Peak donuts and coffee were waiting to warm us up.
One thing to note: Climbing stairs and walking for too long without stopping did give us some symptoms of altitude sickness — mostly lightheadedness and dizziness. Be sure to bring water with you and rest frequently, even if you aren’t doing anything strenuous. You just climbed about 8,000 feet (about 2400 meters) from Manitou Springs in an hour, so your body is probably like wtf? In the visitor’s center at Pikes Peak, there’s an interesting exhibit about the impact of altitude on your body’s oxygen levels.
7:45-8:50am: Ride back down the mountain
We made sure to board the train by 7:40 a.m. due to the stern warnings of the conductor about latecomers being left behind, but for some reason we didn’t end up departing until about 7:55, which made me wonder whether it was an empty threat. Anyway, better not to find out.
The train doesn’t turn around, so while we had been facing forward on the ride up, we were now facing backwards. Now that the sun was fully up, it was a lot more interesting to look out the window — the conductor said that there are usually lots of wildlife sightings during the sunrise train ride, since animals are typically more active in the mornings, but we didn’t see anything which was a little bit sad. I was having a hard time staying awake, but I was wearing my contact lenses and hate falling asleep with them in, so somehow I managed while Matt snoozed in the seat next to me.
8:50am: Arrival at Cog Depot
At about 8:50 a.m., almost exactly three hours after our departure, we arrived back at Manitou Cog Depot. The platform was bursting with people and families getting ready for the 9 a.m. cog train departure, and we took a few minutes to look around the station in the daylight. There’s also a gift shop there with really cute train memorabilia — we got a magnet and a Christmas ornament, as is our custom. 🙂
And then we went back to our hotel to take a nap before setting off on our next adventure for the day.
Sunrise Cog Train to Pikes Peak Dates 2025
While the sunrise cog train to Pikes Peak dates haven’t been officially released for 2025 yet, I’m willing to bet these will be something similar to these based on 2023 and 2024’s dates. I’ll try to remember to update when it’s officially posted.
Sunrise Cog Train to Pikes Peak 2025:
- July 21: National Parks & Recreation Day
- August 1: Colorado Appreciation Day
- September 11: Remembrance Day
- October 13: Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Find more things to do in Colorado Springs.
Overall, I’m really happy we were able to have the unique experience of taking the sunrise cog train to Pikes Peak! I feel so lucky that it all worked out the way it did, and I’d highly recommend it to people planning a visit to Colorado Springs.
Have you ever thought about visiting Pikes Peak via cog train? Would you wake up for the sunrise or just go during the day? Let me know in the comments!
-Cathy
This site contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you.
Leave a Reply