Barr Trail

Barr Trail is the 13-mile footpath from Manitou Springs to the summit of Pikes Peak, the longest standard route on any Colorado fourteener at 26 miles round trip with 7,400 feet of gain, starting at the lowest fourteener trailhead in the state at 6,720 feet. Barr Camp at the halfway point sells meals and bunks, and most people who climb it either sleep there or ride the cog railway or a shuttle down.

From the Barr Trail lot at the top of Ruxton Avenue, the trail switchbacks up the front of Rocky Mountain through scrub oak and pine, a steep and relentless first 3 miles that gain 2,500 feet, with the Incline's summit connector joining from the right. Above that the grade eases through ponderosa and aspen to Barr Camp at 10,200 feet, 6.5 miles in, with its cabin, water, and bunkhouses.

Above Barr Camp the trail climbs through spruce to treeline near 12,000 feet and the A-frame shelter, then switchbacks up the open east face, the Sixteen Golden Stairs, to the summit at 14,115 feet, where the road, the cog railway, and the summit house wait. The descent by trail is 13 miles and hard on legs; many climbers arrange a ride down.

The Barr Trail lot at the top of Ruxton Avenue in Manitou Springs is paid, small, and full before dawn; the Hiawatha Gardens lot on Manitou Avenue has paid parking and a free shuttle up Ruxton in season. Ruxton Avenue and Winter Street are residential-permit streets, and the city tickets everyone else. Do not park in the neighborhood. No fee or permit for the trail. Barr Camp bunks, lean-tos, and meals are reserved ahead on its site. Riding the cog railway down requires a ticket bought in advance, and the summit shuttles run only in season; check both before counting on a ride.

Dogs are allowed on leash, and 26 miles is more than most dogs should do. Not a kid hike, though the walk to Barr Camp and back, 13 miles, is a long day that fit teenagers manage. Carry three liters above Barr Camp; the camp is the last water. Headlamp, layers for the summit, and poles for the descent. The Pikes Peak Barr Trail guide covers the camp, the descent options, and the timing in detail, and the Manitou Incline shares the bottom of the mountain.