Road Trip to the Summit of Pikes Peak, Colorado's First In-N-Out, a Mountain Zoo, and More

The superlatives for this 19-mile (34 km) toll road that leads directly to the summit of Pikes Peak roll off the tongue with ease. One of the highest elevation roads in the Rockies, it's undeniably one of the state's most beautiful, too, climbing through pristine alpine forest until you crest the timberline, at which point the panoramas that make Pikes Peak so famous begin to come into view.
Suddenly, you're higher than all the surrounding mountains, higher than any low-lying clouds, and the vast plains of the Great American West look as if they stretch towards infinity.
Note that advance reservations are required to drive to Pikes Peak. The road and visitor's center are open year-round, pending inclement weather. (Call the information line for up-to-date information.) The road is fully paved.

While the views are clearly the main attraction — famously, Katharine Lee Bates penned a poem inspired by a visit here in 1893 that would become the lyrics to "America the Beautiful" — the new Pikes Peak Summit Visitor Center (which opened June 2021) is something of a marvel in and of itself.
Located at 14,115 feet above sea level, it's the the highest-altitude LEED-certified sustainable structure in the US and on a short list of such projects around the world. The center features all new overlooks, indoor and outdoor interpretive exhibits, as well as a brand new full-service cafe serving all meals daily.
It is recommended to call there before the visit to specify the opening hours, since they may change due to the weather conditions.
Don't consider starting your descent without trying one of the longtime specialties of Pikes Peak, freshly-made donuts. A specially-calibrated machine can turn out 700 donuts per hour (a feat of science when it comes to extreme high-altitude baking).