The Manitou Incline | Pike National Forest
Manitou Springs, CO | 01/09/21 | 4.46 miles | 2,087′ gain
After being on our bucket lists for years, Allie and I finally got around to climbing The Manitou Incline (aka The Incline). The Incline is a steep – and I do mean steep – hike that follows an old funicular railroad grade up the side of Pikes Peak. It ascends over 2,000′ in just under a mile on 2,744 steps. While this would normally sound like torture to me, I was super excited to experience such an iconic Colorado hike.
We booked our free reservations and parked at the Iron Springs Chateau ($10). The Incline workers checked that we had our reservations and our parking permit before we could begin. Just 2,744 steps to go!
My body isn’t built for stairs so I was slow, slow, slow. We took our time, chatting and trying to enjoy ourselves so it didn’t feel like a chore. We certainly weren’t setting any time records (except for maybe the slowest) but we had all day and it just didn’t matter.
One great thing about doing The Incline in January is that it was nice and cool outside. It can get insanely hot here in the summer and I was glad to avoid that! There was snow on the steps but it wasn’t too slippery, though we did have our microspikes just in case.
The visibility wasn’t great. Normally you can see nearly all the way to the top (and the bottom) but we were in a cloud and it was lightly snowing. Maybe it was a good thing we couldn’t see how far we had left to go.
There were markers every hundred or few hundred steps saying how many steps we’d climbed so far. At the beginning, we could easily climb a few hundred steps before needing a break, but towards the top we had to force ourselves to go 100 steps before stopping. Some of the steps were much taller than the others and I struggled on these a bit. My noodly legs didn’t want to cooperate.
Eventually we hit step #2,700 and we knew we were almost there. In a last burst of energy, we sped up the last steps, taking the 2,744th step together. This is the most steps I have ever (or will likely ever again) climb in a day.
Under normal conditions (pre-Covid) many would go right back down the steps but this was discouraged so we took the long route down the Barr Trail. (A few people were descending the steps anyways, but most followed the rules.)
The Barr Trail makes a slow, switchbacking descent back to the parking lot. It was beautiful but we were so tired that the 3.5 miles felt like it took forever. I spent this time reflecting on accomplishing a bucket list item, and used that excitement to propel myself down the trail.
I will likely never climb The Incline again, but I’m so glad that I was able to complete it. Bucket list item – check!
Chelsea
Colorado Chelsea 
That descent looks interesting! This hike is on my bucket list.
LikeLike
It’s not a bad descent! Always fun to see something new on the way down. I can’t imagine how my knees would feel having to descend the steps, so I was glad to have a normal trail.
LikeLike
Very nice post and how lovely to see the photo with the Mule deer!
LikeLike
Thank you! They are pretty common but always fun to see 🙂
LikeLike
Lucky you. Here in Greece is very rare if not almost impossible to see such a deer. 🙂
Thanks again
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good for you, I hate staris too so I’ll probably only ever see this one through your eyes 🙂 Maggie
LikeLike
This is a great one to skip if you don’t like stairs! It was worth doing but I really don’t think I’ll ever do it again. Some people (local athletes) run it regularly. I can’t imagine!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow that’s quite the set of stairs! I can only imagine how hot it would be in the summer. I kind of think the snow adds to the magic of it 🙂
LikeLike
I loved it with the snow! I can’t hike (or really do anything) in extreme heat so I make sure I plan to do hotter hikes in the winter time 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s a lot of stairs!! I’m sure your calves were burning by the end of it. But it’s like you said, better to do it in the winter when it’s cold than during the heat of summer.
LikeLike
My entire body was sore for a couple days after this LOL!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such a unique hike. That is so many stairs! I am definitely putting it on a hiking bucket list. Great job in getting it done!
LikeLike
It’s very different! A lot of people (from all over, not just CO) see it and want to do it just because it’s a challenge and so different from other hikes. I think there’s also a draw to be able to say you climbed 2700 stairs in a day 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
I typically like challenging hikes but this one might be over the top for this hiker! I admire your commitment on the incline and enjoyed the read!
LikeLike
Thanks Steven! It was definitely a challenge, one I will probably never repeat LOL!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Like you, I do not like steps up a hillside. Those rarely fit my stride and just feel awkward. I much prefer an incline; but even here such a steep incline would not be pleasant for me to do. Congratulations on your success at making this arduous hike.
LikeLike
Thanks Ken! It definitely wasn’t pleasant but it was a fun experience 🙂
LikeLike
Another one on my bucket list! I planned on doing this when I was there in the spring but did the painted rocks instead. So many hikes and so little time!!!
LikeLike
I always tell people that I could hike every day for the rest of my life and still never see everything in Colorado. The Incline is worth a stop but HARD lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree! I have been furiously using my elliptical hoping it will help if I go up August, if not it’s still a good prep for hiking Colorado!
LikeLike
That will totally help! Regardless of what you decide to hike, the cardio will make a huge difference!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good for you, Chelsea. I know people who climb the Incline daily, or even multiple times daily. Crazy, isn’t it? I used to hike it regularly, but haven’t done so for years. Really should try to get back in shape and get up there again! 🙂
LikeLike
I can’t imagine doing back to back climbs….I was tired enough after the first lap!
LikeLiked by 1 person
There are some very serious (obsessive) athletes out there!
LikeLiked by 1 person
How fun to do it in winter. I did it two or three summers ago. My husband was hiking Cheyenne mountain and I did the incline. Well I don’t do a lot of hiking I do run a lot so it was pretty easy for me.
LikeLiked by 1 person