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Pikes Peak (formerly Pike's Peak, see below) is a mountainThis article is about the landform. For other meanings, see Mountain (disambiguation). Mount Cook, a mountain in New Zealand A mountain is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain in a limited area. A mountain is generally much higher and ste in the Front RangeThe Front Range is a mountain range in the United States on the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains, and on the western edge of the Great Plains. The range is mostly within the state of Colorado, and runs roughly north-south, from near the Wyoming-Colorad of the Rocky Mountains, near Colorado Springs, ColoradoColorado Springs is a middle-sized city, located just east of the geographic center of the state of Colorado in the United States. It has a population of 360,890 (according to the 2000 census) and is the second largest city in Colorado. At elevation 6,035. It is named for Zebulon PikeZebulon Montgomery Pike ( January 5, 1779 April 27, 1813) was an American soldier and explorer after whom Pikes Peak in Colorado is named. His Pike expedition, often compared to the Lewis and Clark expedition, mapped much of the southern portion of the Lo, an explorer who led an expedition to the southern Colorado area in 1806Events January 8 Cape Colony becomes a British colony January 10 Dutch in Cape Town surrender to the British January 19 The United Kingdom occupies the Cape of Good Hope March 23 After traveling through the Louisiana Purchase and reaching the Pacific Ocea. It is one of the 54 peaks in Colorado whose summits are taller than 14,000 feet (known as " fourteenerIn mountaineering, a fourteener is a mountain that exceeds 14,000 feet (4,267. 2 m) above mean sea level. In North America, climbing all the fourteeners in their country (or in their state) is a popular pastime among peak baggers. Not all summits over 14,s"). It is not the tallest, however; that distinction falls to Mount ElbertElbert, Mount Elbert, Mount Mount Elbert in Colorado is the highest peak in the Rocky Mountains. Elbert is the second highest mountain in the continental United States after Mount Whitney in California, and is but 65 feet shorter than Whitney's 14,505 fee (14,440 feet (4401 m))

Much of the fame of Pikes Peak is due to its location near the eastern edge of the Rockies. Unlike most other similarly tall mountains in Colorado, it serves as a visible landmark for many miles to the east, far into the Great Plains. Driving south on Interstate 25 from the city of Fort Collins, it comes into view over a hundred and thirty miles away. It is also notable for its imposing view both and .

Gold was discovered in the area in 1858. Pike's Peak or Bust became the slogan of the Colorado Gold Rush; see also Fifty-Niner.

In July 1860, Clark, Gruber & Co. began minting gold coins in Denver bearing the phrase "Pikes Peak Gold" and an artist's rendering of the peak on the obverse. As the artist had never actually seen the peak, it looks nothing like it. In 1864 the US Government purchased the minting equipment to open their own mint.

Pikes Peak is home to an annual hillclimb, made famous worldwide by a short film featuring Ari Vatanen driving his Peugeot up the steep, twisty slopes of the summit road. Tourists may also take a cog railway, the Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway, up to the top of the mountain.

Originally the peak was called "Pike's Peak", but in 1891, the newly-formed US Board on Geographic Names recommended against the use of apostrophes in names, so officially the name of the peak does not include an apostrophe. In addition, in 1978 the Colorado state legislature passed a law mandating the use of "Pikes Peak" only. Even so, the old name is still often seen.

Pikes Peak is made of a characteristic pink granite, called Pikes peak granite . The pink color is due to a large amount of potassium feldspar. The granite was formed by an igneous intrusion in the Pre-Cambrian age, approximately 1.1 billion years ago, during the Granville orogeny .