On Wednesday, June 7, Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain will celebrate 75 years of operation under the City of Colorado Springs. The City began operating Pikes Peak Highway on June 7, 1948 under a Special Use Permit agreement with the United States Forest Service (USFS), implementing a toll for users to cover maintenance and management of the highway.
Many significant events and projects have occurred along the Pikes Peak Highway since 1948 including the addition of the second story observation tower at the Summit Auto House in 1951. In 1970, the world’s highest underground power line was installed under the highway. The 20-mile Pikes Peak Highway was fully paved in 2011. The original Pikes Peak Highway Summit House, which was later rebuilt, was destroyed by a fire in 1953 and a new state-of-the-art, accessible and sustainable Summit Visitor Center was opened in 2021.
“Join us as we celebrate this special day in the history of Pikes Peak and its partnership with the City of Colorado Springs,” said Skyler Rorabaugh, Manager of Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain. “We appreciate the support from the USFS over the past 75 years and look forward to the future of America’s Mountain.”
To commemorate this milestone, unique gifts will be distributed to every 75th vehicle at the gateway and limited 75th anniversary items will be for sale at the visitor centers along the Pikes Peak Highway.
The Pikes Peak Highway gateway opens at 7:30 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. Guests are encouraged to plan ahead and call 719-385-7325 for current highway conditions. Hours of operation and other information about Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain can be found at www.drivepikespeak.com.