A ride on this cog railway makes for a great excursion. From its picturesque depot, the train climbs a height difference of 2 000m in a series of steep grades with constantly changing views. Marmots and bighorn sheep cavort among the rocks. At the summit, the train meets Pikes Peak Highway, a toll road that winds over 19mi to the start of Cascade; after 6.8mi, at the Crystal Reservoir & Visitor Center, you drive on loose chippings.