READERS COMMENTS

PS: Roger ----- I have seen a lot of 70 y.o. on the trail. Don't underestimate the difficulty of this hike. I wouldn't recommend doing it in one day unless you are in marathon like shape and you have a car waiting at the top.

One other thing, this is a very busy trail. You will see bikes, runners, dogs, easy strollers and people on a mission. You won't be alone by any stretch of the imagination.
Posted: Dec 06, 2011 Joe

I have hiked this trail and I would suggest you keep 2 things in mind. First, do everything early. Start at the trailhead early. The lot fills up early and you won't have anywhere to park. The first section of the hike is in a sun field and it gets hot, real hot, early. So start 1-2 hours before light. Really.....that early, especially if you plan to summit. And then, like the article says, leave the summit early. And, if you can't make it back down via the trail, hitch a ride back. There are plenty of people that will help.

Second, don't hike it up and back in one day. Hike up to Barr Camp and over night. It is a lot of fun and the residents will fix you dinner and breakfast. Then get up "early" and light hike (water only) to the summit, have a donut and hike back to Barr Camp. You can do this by 10:00AM. Break camp and hike down from Barr will take you 1.5 hours and you are back in your car by 2:00PM. Take a look at Barr Camp. It's really worth an overnight there. The people are great!
Posted: Dec 06, 2011 Joe

How many 70 y.o. do this route? I've done the grand canyon and some hikes in Yosemite to 7-10,000' and 8 mi/day. Will I need flashing tail lights to warn all that will be passing?
Posted: Nov 27, 2011 Roger

I have been to the top of Pikes peak and it seemed scary when i was a kid.Now as An adult and living in Wisconsin I look forward to my hike in the summer but I have always had bad luck,my whole life going on hikes and camping I always had the good company of rain,snow,tornado's,etc.I would have to say as a beginner rapeller if you don't need a rope and harness it can't be that hard.But I do agree with the writer.As A man of science I know that Colorado has the highest amount of deaths related to lightning.Also there are many proven facts about death from electrical current in Colorado being that there is no clouds or storms and a person can be struck up to 12km away with not a cloud in the sky.But I was wondering can a person obtain snake-bite anti-venom if I plan to stay out in the woods a while.Just curious
Posted: Oct 24, 2011 Nick

Could someone with extensive knowledge & experience on the trail comment on the difficulty, dangers of the trail apart from the lightning. What about the trail itself?! Are there stores at the top for runners to go into before heading back down. And how steep is the decent? Can it be run fast without crowds of lazy hikers in the way?
Posted: Oct 13, 2011 ADHD

Errm, Not really. You just need to try to start the ascent by 4am, so that you reach the peak by 12 Noon before the afternoon Summer storms/lightening begins.
Posted: Aug 18, 2011 Jeanine

Barr Trail, a bit more balanced reporting:

http://summitcountyvoice.com/2011/08/03/colorado-explore-pikes-peak-with-kim-fenske/
Posted: Aug 14, 2011 Mountain Man

Barr trail makes this list? Really? No way! This magazine discredits itself with this article. I have hiked this trail to the top as well as over 40 other 14ers in the state and Barr trail doesn't hold a candle in the danger zone to many, many others. This must have the been the author's 1st hike. Kelly Bastone should doa little more research into Longs, Little Bear, Crestones, Capitol, Maroon Bells, and many, many other 14ers in the state. If we move onto non-14er hikes, this writer would be TERRIFIED if they think that Barr is a top-10 danger. Wow. This magazine's credibility is shot. Bang. Dead.
Posted: Aug 11, 2011 Ed H

I intend to hike pikes in a week. I did it 2 yes ago
But took the Cog to MountainView snd hike from
There. If I start at the bottom w/o taking the
Cog what tons should I leave io get there in
Time to catch a train back?







Posted: Jun 30, 2011 Robb

I have to agree that the Barr Trail is not dangerous, unless of course you are talking about dealing with the tourists and the incliners. I generally walk my dog on it for 4-5 miles everday and seriously, summitting it has to be one of the most dissapointing experiences in the mountaineering world.A highway to the top says it all.
Posted: Jun 14, 2011 Steven Manitou Springs, CO

Barr Trail makes the most dangerous top ten - I don't think so. off the top of my head the keyhole on Longs Peak and the Knife Edge on Capitol easily eclipses Barr trail. Four of us did a night ascent of Pikes Peak last summer during a full moon. Great trip, only needed lights while searching our packs for food.

Although I will admit that coming down one climb after a fast moving storm, the hairs on the back of my neck were standing up.

jw
Posted: Apr 29, 2011 J Wakefield

I climbed Pikes Peak back in 1983 with other boy scouts of Troop 465 out of Castle Rock, CO. I was 15 then and that hike was by far the hardest hike I ever did. We did start the hike early in the morning to beat the heat and reached Barr Camp early afternoon. We set up camp then started looking for snipes, of course we never found one, but it was fun pulling the prank on the younger boys. We camped overnight then continued the rest of the hike to the top. What really made me mad was when I found out that there was a road that we could have used to drive to the top. All in all, it was a great experience that I can tell my kids about.
Posted: Mar 02, 2011 Tim Gelvin

I think your "fried" comment when referring to someone's, at that time, 18 year old son who was killed was incredibly insensitive.
Posted: Dec 30, 2010 Jim- Boulder CO

I think your "fried" comment when referring to someone's, at that time, 18 year old son who was killed was incredibly insensitive.
Posted: Dec 30, 2010 Jim- Boulder CO

So...No rain, No thunder, No lightning and all the sudden the guy gets fried?! Sounds like it was the guys time to go and pay his Creator a visit. That's just my piece of mind.
Posted: Sep 06, 2010 Ed

I worked at HP in Colorado Springs for 18 years. We took groups of vendors to HP up the peak in groups of 75 many times. My wife and I hiked our llamas many times from our front door to the peak. The Pikes Peak Marathon raced from HP to the top and back. Not one time did I hear any one call the Pikes Peak hike dangerous. Who ever wrote the article should stay on flat sidewalks.
Posted: Sep 05, 2010 Cliff

I worked at HP in Colorado Springs for 18 years. We took groups of vendors to HP up the peak in groups of 75 many times. My wife and I hiked our llamas many times from our front door to the peak. The Pikes Peak Marathon raced from HP to the top and back. Not one time did I hear any one call the Pikes Peak hike dangerous. Who ever wrote the article should stay on flat sidewalks.
Posted: Sep 04, 2010 Cliff

I worked at HP in Colorado Springs for 18 years. We took groups of vendors to HP up the peak in groups of 75 many times. My wife and I hiked our llamas many times from our front door to the peak. The Pikes Peak Marathon raced from HP to the top and back. Not one time did I hear any one call the Pikes Peak hike dangerous. Who ever wrote the article should stay on flat sidewalks.
Posted: Sep 04, 2010 Cliff

Sheri,
Read all the stuff below--you will not need two days to go up and back, and there is no place to stay at the summit anyway, but you need to start NLT 0530 so you can be back below timberline before 1300. Storms can start earlier than that, but that's a good time to shoot for. If you think you cannot do 26 miles in one day, then have someone drive up to haul you back down, or take the cog railroad down. When we did Barr, one of our wives picked us up at the top, but the road was closed TWICE that day due to wind on the back side of the mountain, even though the wx was perfect on the trail side (East). Good luck!
Posted: Aug 03, 2010 Jeff

So, if we want to hike up and back in two days, what's the best plan about where to stay and how to go about it? Also, what's the weather like right now?
Posted: May 28, 2010 Sheri

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