![]() What you won’t want to do is try to go back down in the dark, especially if you didn’t pack a flashlight, cold weather gear or camping gear. ![]() After hours will cost you as well and you may even have to resort to asking strangers for a ride. Keep in mind that the summit also closes earlier in winter. That means you’ll have to pay for the train to take you back to the base of Pikes Peak or try to arrange a ride to meet you at the top-if you make it up before the summit closes. In the time it takes to hike up, you could also find that a storm has set in, making it impossible to head back down. There are no instructions for hiking Pikes Peak in the winter because it’s not a great plan.Įven if you make it to the top in time, you’ll may need a ride down if it’s getting late because you don’t want to force your tired body to pick its way down the mountain at high altitude in the dark (for all the reasons listed above and more). What do they recommend in the winter? Nothing. In the summer, the experienced folks at Barr Camp, which marks the middle of the hike, recommend you get to Barr Camp as early in the day as possible and try get to the top and be back below the tree line by 1 p.m. On a good day, the average hiker can make it up in about 6-8 hours. Website designates the trail as “hard,” and that rating is not based on winter hiking, which is much more difficult. The hike itself varies in technicality as you climb. You may find yourself taking frequent breaks. The last three miles to the summit will have you sucking wind if you don’t take your time and your body will be pretty bummed about the low oxygen in the air. The air is thin, and you will have a more difficult time catching your breath the higher you climb. That’s a challenging hike even without the extra burden of winter.Īs you ascend, you will gain 7,800 feet in elevation which is tough on even the most altitude-acclimated body. If you decide to hike back down (which we will address in a moment), you’ve just completed the equivalent of a full marathon. ![]() That’s just shy of the length of a half-marathon. Barr Trail, the trail to the summit of Pikes Peak, is almost 13 miles long. Let’s take a quick look at what it takes to hike Pikes Peak on a good day. ![]()
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