Pike's Peak Photos - near Colorado Springs, Colorado

“X Shot” Information

Camera - Canon EOS Mark III

ISO - 400

Lens - Canon 70 -200 zoom

F/stop - 7.1

Shutter - 1/1000 sec.

  Pike’s Peak is known as “America’s Mountain” and has over half a million visitors a year, making it the most visited mountain in North America. The song “America the Beautiful”, by Katharine Lee Bates was inspired in part by this mountain. To get to the top take either Pike’s Peak Cog Railway or drive the 19 miles on Pike’s Peak Hwy. I drove. It was cold and rainy when I reached the summit. Looking down, you could see the storms moving into the area from the 14,110 foot peak. Visitors arriving on the cog railroad spent a very limited time shopping and visiting the area before having to leave. It was a beautiful place but what I found most interesting were the crazy poses people took for pictures. I used my 70 -200 zoom to take  pictures of the very strange behavior of these visitors. After spending most of the afternoon shooting, in the poor weather, I began my drive down looking for a good location to get an overall shot of the  mountain. I finally found it on my way home, looking southeast from Woodland Park. The sky began to clear giving me a clean shot the of the Peak

“X Shot” Location Information

1. Drive time from Denver to top of Pike’s Peak- 3 hrs.

2. Exit form I-25 at the State Route 24, in Colorado

    Springs. Go west on 24 to Cascade, look for Pikes

    Peak sign.

3. Bring warm clothing.

Ken Papaleo
Colorado Photographer