In the winter, snow and winds can close Pikes Peak Highway in places and limit how far we can go up.  There are a few places they will close the highway, and some of those places aren't worth going to.  However, there are two places we feel still offer great views and a fun time. 

Glen Cove and Devil's Playground.  If we don't feel we can make it to either of these, we will generally recommend cancelling the tour, but we will still go if that's what you want.  If we feel we can make it to Glen Cove or the Devil's Playground, we will leave the choice to you.  This blog is to help you make that decision.

The road crew is always diligently working to open the highway as far as they can.  They are looking out for people's safety and don't open the highway until they feel good it is safe.

The Devils Playground

Sometimes the Devil's Playground is as far as we can go. Getting here is still a fantastic journey with views that defy language.  You can see 90%

of what you can see from the summit here.  The other 10% is largely just the plains...and they're fairly plain.

It is 16 of the total 19 miles of the highway, and an elevation of right at 13,000 ft.  It is on top of the mountain, just not the summit.  It is above

treeline. Of course, you still get all the fantastic views up to this point, which is most of the stops we make anyways.

For the best views, there is a little bit of hike up some rocks.  It's not hard, but not necessarily easy as we are at 13,000 ft.  Most people have opted

to take the hike, but some declined.  And that's okay.  They were still pleased with the experience. 

There are great views of not only Pikes Peak, but the Sangre de Cristo, Sawatch, and Front Range mountains.  The Sawatch and Front Range mountains are also part of the Continental Divide.

Some picture we've taken at the Devil's Playground

Glen Cove

Sometimes Glen Cove, or a little further at a place called Cove Creek, is as far as we can go.  We used to feel bad this was as far we could go as it

is not above treeline and at the base of the mountain as opposed on the top.  But we realized that people still love it, especially if they've

never been to Colorado, and are thankful they decided to go.  There is not a place within 2 hours drive to get the views you get from here,

especially in the winter.

Glen Cove is still uniquely Colorado.  Snow, snow capped mountains, and spruce trees.  There is also a gift shop, restrooms, and concessions,

as well as several areas to walk around and get interesting pictures. 

While Glen Cove is not above treeline, it is still 11,450 ft.  It is 13 of the total 19 miles on the highway.  There are some places on the way that

 you can see the Sawatch and Front Range mountains.   You can still see for miles and miles and are higher than the closest mountains.

Some pictures we've taken at Glen Cove

On the way to either

Of course, we make the normal stops along the way up and down from either Glen Cove or the Devil's Playground.   We even add a little more

 since we know we can only make to Glen Cove....and usually add either a quick tour of Garden of the Gods or Manitou Springs when we get

back down when we can only make it to Glen Cove and if time permits (sometimes we still spend a good amount of time on the mountain).   

There are plenty of views still to be had, even when we can't make it to the summit. 

We go out of our way to give you the best experience, even if we can't make it the summit. 

We know when we say we can't make it to the summit people question if it's worth it.  We hope this helps you decide if the experience is right

for you when the mountain doesn't cooperate with us.  There is still much to see even when we are limited. 

We think it is important to note, none of these people made it to the summit, yet there's still smiles for miles.  That's what we do.