Pikes Peak Toll Road · USA
Pikes Peak Highway
A toll road up one of Colorado's famous fourteeners, from the forest above Cascade to the summit at 14,115 ft. The top part is the course of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the Race to the Clouds.
Counts are from Turini’s pace-note engine on this route. Heights come from terrain data and can differ from signposted figures by a few tens of metres.
Where is the Pikes Peak Highway?
The Pikes Peak Highway is in the USA. Also known as Pikes Peak Toll Road or Pikes Peak Hill Climb course. The route on this page: near the toll gate to the summit, most of the 19-mile toll road, 17.1 miles.
Why the Pikes Peak Highway is famous
The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb has been run up this road since 1916, making it one of the oldest motor races in America. The race covers the upper 12.42 miles with 156 turns, and the road was fully paved in 2011. Above the tree line it climbs in bare switchbacks with long drops and no barriers.
Pikes Peak Highway hairpins
Over 27.5 km Turini calls 23 hairpins and 123 corners graded 1 to 6, plus 4 crests and 3 dips. That is 155 calls in all, one every 177 metres on average. Grade 1 is the tightest, 6 is nearly straight (how to read pace notes). On Turini’s ranking of the twistiest famous roads it comes 34th of 61.
Pikes Peak Highway elevation profile
From 2,552 m at the start to 4,299 m at the finish, with a highest point of about 4,300 m. Red marks are the hairpins.
Pikes Peak Highway pace notes, first few miles
The first 25 calls, exactly as Turini reads them, with the distance from the start.
Left 3Right 2Hairpin leftTarmacRight 6Left 4 longRight 6Left 6Left 6Right 5Left 6Right 3 very long tightensLeft 4 longLeft 2Right 5Right 5Left 4 long opensLeft 4Right 6Right 6Left 3 opensRight 5Right 5Left 4Right 2 very long over crestThat takes you to 4.85 km. 130 more calls follow over the remaining 22.7 km.
Before you drive the Pikes Peak Highway
Open all year, weather permitting, but the upper part often closes for snow, ice or wind, even in summer. Check the conditions and any reservation rules on the highway's own site before you go.
It is a toll road run by the City of Colorado Springs. The summit is above 14,000 ft, so the air is thin, the weather changes fast and it can be freezing in July. Use low gears on the way down to save your brakes; rangers may check brake temperatures.
How to drive the Pikes Peak Highway with Turini
Set the route before you leave and Turini saves its notes on the phone, so it works with the screen off and no signal. On the road it reads each call about 4.5 seconds before the corner, timed to your speed, and you never touch the phone. It plays through the phone or the car speakers. If pace notes are new to you, start in Simple mode (Easy, Medium, Hard) and switch to the 1–6 scale once it feels natural.
Always drive within the law, the conditions and what you can see. Turini tells you what the map says; the road is what counts.
The Pikes Peak Highway: questions
Is the Pikes Peak Highway open all year?
Open all year, weather permitting, but the upper part often closes for snow, ice or wind, even in summer. Check the conditions and any reservation rules on the highway's own site before you go.
Where is the Pikes Peak Highway?
The Pikes Peak Highway is in the USA. Also known as Pikes Peak Toll Road or Pikes Peak Hill Climb course. The route on this page: near the toll gate to the summit, most of the 19-mile toll road, 17.1 miles.
How long is the Pikes Peak Highway?
The route on this page, near the toll gate to the summit, most of the 19-mile toll road, is 17.1 miles (27.5 km) long, with about 5,870 ft (1,790 m) of climbing.
How many hairpins does the Pikes Peak Highway have?
On this route Turini calls 23 hairpins and 123 corners graded 1 to 6: 155 pace-note calls in all, about 8.5 corners a mile. Signposted counts can differ, since Turini only calls a hairpin where the road really doubles back.
Is the Pikes Peak Highway a toll road?
It is a toll road run by the City of Colorado Springs. A toll road up one of Colorado's famous fourteeners, from the forest above Cascade to the summit at 14,115 ft.
More roads like the Pikes Peak Highway
Best driving roads in the USA · The twistiest famous roads, ranked · All famous roads · How to read pace notes · Best driving apps for twisty roads
Sources: Wikipedia: Pikes Peak Highway, Wikipedia: Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
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