Denver to Pikes Peak drive: Best stops, distance & time
The distance from Denver to Pikes Peak by car is 100 miles, with a 2h21m driving time. The best road trip stops on the Denver to Pikes Peak drive are Castle Rock, the Spruce Mountain Open Space and the Western Museum of Mining and Industry.
Planning a Denver to Pikes Peak road trip itinerary
The Denver to Pikes Peak drive connects the biggest city in Colorado to one of the state’s tourist highlights.
Top Denver experiences include Rocky Mountain National Park day tours, downtown Denver food tours and chilling guided ghost walks around the Cheeseman Park cemetery.
Also worth considering are whiskey and history tours, guided mountain hikes and craft beer tours.
Memorable Denver accommodation options include the charming Queen Anne Bed and Breakfast and the strikingly stylish Ramble.
At 14,114ft, Pikes Peak is one of the most impressive mountains in the Rockies. You can take a Jeep tour to the top, or go via the cog railway.
It’s near Colorado Springs, where the other natural highlight is the Garden of the Gods, a park with giant red sandstone formations jutting out towards the sky. Ways of exploring include Jeep tours, ebike adventures and Segway tours.
Other interesting Colorado Springs experiences include falconry classes, food tours, hot air balloon flights and ziplining.
For memorable Colorado Springs accommodation with character, go for the Great Wolf Lodge or the Mining Exchange.
Denver to Pikes Peak distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Denver to Pikes Peak is 100 miles. That makes for a driving time of around two hours and 20 minutes. The quickest route is largely down the I-25. The best stops to add to a Denver to Pikes Peak road trip itinerary are Castle Rock, the Spruce Mountain Open Space and the Western Museum of Mining and Industry.
Best stops between Denver and Pikes Peak: Castle Rock
The town of Castle Rock CO has a handful of breweries and even the Honnibrook Craft Meadery. But it’s really about the great outdoors. The rock that gives the town its name is in Rock Park – it’s a short but steep walk to the top. The Gateway Mesa Open Space is another good option for walking and taking in the views.
Perhaps the most fun, however, is the Edge – a massive aerial obstacle course. You can also do a zipline tour here.
Track down the best Castle Rock accommodation deals here.
Denver to Pikes Peak road trip attraction: Spruce Mountain Open Space
The Spruce Mountain Open Space just south of Larkspur is a forested mesa with lovely views from the flat top. The looping 5.5-mile Spruce Mountain Trail is the way to get there for hikers, bikers and horseback riders. Most people with a reasonable degree of fitness should be fine, although the descent down the eastern side of the circuit is steep.
Denver to Pikes Peak drive: Western Museum of Mining and Industry
On the northern outskirts of Colorado Springs, the Western Museum of Mining and Industry looks at Colorado’s gold mining past. Historic buildings and working machinery are key parts of the 27 acre campus, but there’s also the opportunity to go panning for gold. There’s also a room full of fluorescent minerals.
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