West of Denver and Colorado Springs, the 14,110-foot summit of Pikes Peak is visible from a long distance on the Great Plains. The view from the peak inspired poet Katharine Lee Bates in 1893 to write “America the Beautiful.” The sentinel of the Front Range is the prime attraction of 1,105,704-acre Pike National Forest. The summit can be reached by highway; hikers can climb the 11.7-mile Barr National Recreation Trail. Learn More...