Address: | 515 Ruxton Ave, Manitou Springs, CO 80829, USA |
Phone: | +1 719-685-5401 |
Site: | cograilway.com |
Rating: | 4.5 |
Working: | 9AM–4PM 9AM–4PM 9AM–4PM 9AM–4PM 9AM–4PM 8:15AM–4PM 8:15AM–4PM |
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Frank Shannon
The Pikes Peak Cog railway is a good ride if its your first time going up to the peak or if youre not keen on making the drive up yourself. It is a fairly typical tourist-trap type of attraction with somewhat hefty prices. The tickets as of August 2017 are $40 per adult. And since youre not supposed to bring outside food or drink with you, they do have a little food stand at the depot which you can buy some food and drink at but its pricey. My girlfriend and I each bought a 6" hoagie and a souvenir bottled water, and all that came to $36. Our bags werent really checked upon entry to the train though. The views on the way up are nice, but more so if youre on the right side of the train. We were positioned on the 2-seat side of the train and it was difficult seeing the views looking down the mountain on the ride...youre not allowed to roam about the cars for obvious safety reasons and as a result, its not easy to see the really good views from the other side of the train. There are some points of interest that are pointed out by the conductor (cheesy jokes and all) along the way. The seats on the train are a bit cramped and are hard, thus making things a little uncomfortable. Once at the peak, youre given half an hour to look around the summit, use the restroom, browse the gift shop, and get something to eat if you want. If youre trying to do *all* of that during popular times, youre going to be pretty pressed for time since that 30 minutes goes by fast. The lines for the restroom and food concession get pretty long and those can eat up a good chunk of time alone. And there are some amazing views to take in at the summit so you dont want to miss those. If, for some reason, you dont get to the train when called, you will be left behind. Be sure to dress warm! The ride down on the train is just the opposite of going up...youre looking at the same side of the mountain as you did when you came up. A lot less input from the conductor as well, but ours did walk the train answering any questions we may have had. The round trip for us was 3 hours and 10 minutes...so its about an hour and 15 minutes up, 30 minutes on the summit, 10 minutes to re-board, and another hour and 15 minutes down. If I could change anything, Id allow for more time at the summit...maybe another 15 minutes. Would also have better seating on the train. Also somehow adjust pricey to be a little more affordable all around...both the train and the concessions. As stated previously, its good for a first time up to Pikes Peak and/or if youre not willing to do the drive up yourself. If I have the chance to do it again, Ill save the money and make the drive up myself.
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Anthony Alvior
I was looking forward to taking the Cog Train up to Pikes Peak and the view on the way up is amazing, as long as youre sitting on the correct side of the train. In my case it was on the three seat side. The two seat side isnt bad, but the other side will have the most views of the open areas, especially with the possibility of seeing some of the wildlife. Unfortunately I was only able to see a marmot and a chipmunk. The train ride is slow and steady but perfect for those who cant take all the twist and turns up the mountain in a car. Also I feel like the slow climb of the train helps to better acclimate you to the increasing altitude. They recommend purchasing water and if necessary oxygen before boarding the train, but I was just fine without either. Of course your mileage may vary. Its worth mentioning that they dont allow you to bring your own food and drink on the train, but you can bring anything purchased at the shop in the station. On the way up it was nice to experience the changing temperatures. We went from sunny, to chilly windy, to chilly rain, to snow at the very top. Once at the top and you leave the train youre treated to a beautiful site from the summit. I did think it was strange that a majority of the people riding up on the train went straight into the building for food and warmth. To be honest, it wasnt windy and there was some steady snowfall, but otherwise beautiful and not overly cold. Being from Texas I only had light layers on and I was just fine. There are several overlooks to take scenic views of the city below from all around the summit (dont forget to check out the view on the other side of the store). On the other side of the shops you can see a portion of the Pikes Peak road that you would normally drive to get to the summit. It was an overall great experience, but I DO wish theyd let you stay up there for longer than 30-35 minutes before having to re-board the train and descend back down the mountain. You practically spend more time on the train than you do on the summit. Their reasoning is that after 30 min is when the altitude symptoms start to kick in. Again I feel like that depends from person to person. I felt a little rushed from enjoying my summit visit, and for $40 I wish I had more time. The next time I return, im definitely driving up the mountain. I think that would be a truly unique experience in itself. I recommend doing it both ways if you have the opportunity!
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A Private User
We were a party of 6, and almost didnt take the cog rail trip due to a couple of reviews. We had a great trip and want to offer our observations of various complaints: Train didnt leave on time due to standbys: Our train left right on time and they need to more than you want them to; trains have to pass each other going in the opposite direction at two points on the route; if they arent on time the whole operation suffers. Some seats are bad: Seating is 3 on one side and 2 on the other; half face forward have aft; the windows are huge and openable so the view is good from almost all seats. You could swap seats with others too if they agreed. You cant move around during the trip: It is a 1:10 trip each way; you must remain seated because of the emergency stop mechanism that would throw you around if you were not seated. There are no facilities on the train: So what, if there were you could not get up to use them; go before and after; no problem. People on ground were rude: Everyone can have a bad day, but on our trip we were pleased with every employee that we came in contact with. They move about 3000 customers a day, and having been in the airline business for 30 years I look for good customer service. They do it right in spades! Not enough time at the top: We had 30 minutes which allowed us to use the facilities, get a cup of joe and some of their cake donuts. If you want to hang out a 14k for any longer then drive up in your car. We found the time to be just about right for the altitude. Our ONLY suggestion is that the bench seats could be padded for a bony butt like mine. So next time we will bring some stadium cushions.... You are in for a real treat!! Enjoy! We sure did!