Pikes Peak

Also known as Pike's Peak

mountain in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado, United States

Key facts

Elevation: 14,107 feet (4,299.83 m) , NAPGD2022
Prominence: 5,530 feet (1,690 m)
Isolation: 60.6 mi (97.6 km)
Listing: North America highest peaks 53rd US highest major peaks 39th US most prominent peaks 89th US most isolated peaks 115th Colorado highest major peaks 20th Colorado fourteeners 30th Colorado county high points 17th
Etymology: Zebulon Pike
Native name: Heey-otoyoo' ( Arapaho ) Tavakiev ( Ute-Southern Paiute )
Location: High point of El Paso County , Colorado , United States
Parent range: Front Range , Highest summit , of the Pikes Peak Massif
Topo map s: USGS 7.5' topographic map , Pikes Peak, Colorado
Rock age: ~1.05 Gyr
Mountain type: granite

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Article

Pikes Peak or America's Mountain is an ultra-prominent fourteener of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. Pikes Peak's summit has an elevation of 14,115 ft (4,302 m) above sea level. Pikes Peak is in Pike National Forest, Colorado, with the base located in the town of Manitou Springs, 10 miles (16 km) west of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado, in El Paso County, United States.

Zebulon Pike, a commissioned officer serving for the United States Army, received an order in 1806 by Thomas Jefferson to explore the Louisiana Purchase. Later that winter he attempted to climb the mountain, but the climb was abandoned, possibly due to the mountain's cold weather. The first successful documented hike was by the geologist and botanist Edwin James during his expedition on July 15, 1820. During the Pikes Peak gold rush, the mountain was named in honor of Zebulon Pike in several newspapers, creating widespread popularity.