Pikes Peak is one of Colorado's most famous fourteeners at 14,115 feet, and unlike most of them, you do not have to be a mountaineer to reach the top. The Pikes Peak Highway winds 19 miles up the mountain through changing vegetation zones — from pine forest through alpine tundra to bare rock — and the views from the summit stretch endlessly across the plains to the east and the Rockies to the west. This is the view that inspired Katharine Lee Bates to write "America the Beautiful" in 1893.
You can also take the Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway, the highest cog railroad in the world, or hike the 13-mile Barr Trail from Manitou Springs. The summit has a visitor centre and the famous high-altitude doughnuts. Dress warmly — it is always cold and windy at the top, even in summer.