Ride Multiple old Railroad lines around Pikes Peak on your Dual Sport or Adventure Motorcycle.
You can ride outstanding Adventure loops off-road that include some of these old Railroad lines around Pikes Peak on these four Rides:
- The ADV Ride on the Divide is a 4 Day 750 mile Adventure Ride over 11+ Mountain Passes
- This ride goes around Pikes Peak and you have the option to ride up Pikes Peak on Day 4
- July 6-10 2023
- ADV Ride on the Divide
- The Great Sand Dunes Hot Springs Adventure is a 3 Day 400 or 500 mile Adventure Ride
- To the Great Sand Dunes and the Arkansas River
- Ride around Pikes Peak with the Option to ride up Pikes Peak on Day 3
- July 21-23 2023
- Great Sand Dunes Hot Springs Adventure
- The Hartsel Lodge Adventure Rendezvous is a 4 ride from the very center of Colorado
- Stay and play in the Heart of the Rocky Mountains and ride multiple Loops of your choice
- Ride up or around Pikes Peak and explore Cripple Creek & Victor
- When the Trees are changing colors October 50-8 2023
- Hartsel Lodge Adventure Rendezvous.
- X-Roads Buena Vista is a 6 Day Ride with Multiple Loops from the very Heart of the Rocky Mountains.
- Stage & camp on the Arkansas River
- Ride a 2 Day loop around & up Pikes Peak and stay in Old Colorado City
- August 9-15 2023
- From X-Roads BV you can ride a loop to, up and around Pikes Peak.
Better transportation than wagons was urgently needed to access the newly formed Cripple Creek & Victor Gold mining district in the late 1800s.
By the early 1900’s the Gold Mines of Cripple Creek & Victor had 4 railroads providing access for passengers and products to and from the Gold mines.
In 1894 a 3 ft narrow-gauge line, known as the Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad was built up narrow Phantom Canyon from the South.
- The Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad extended forty miles and reached the district from the Arkansas River and the south.
- This route in Phantom Canyon today still has it’s curved old Railroad bridges.
Phantom Canyon was quickly followed by the standard gauge Midland Terminal Railway.
- The connection with the Colorado Midland Railway came from Divide in the north to Cripple Creek.
- This Route was 30 miles long and came across the West side of Pikes Peak from the town of Divide .
The two railroads, competitive at first, joined forces, forming a monopoly.
Mine owners with mills in Colorado City adjacent to Colorado Springs then organized.
- The Mine & Mill owners then built the Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek & Victor Railroad
- Or “Short Line” traversing the southeastern slope of Pikes Peak.
- They had reasoned that it was less expensive to ship ore from Cripple Creek than it was to ship coal to Cripple Creek to power a mill in the mining district.
- Constructed in 1900, the route began as the Colorado Springs & Cripple Creek District Railway.
- The CS&CC&V District railroad was able to force freight rates downward, accelerating mine production.
At peak capacity, the Midland Terminal Railway operated ten trains a day.
- One train carried parlor cars and sleepers and offered champagne dinners on overnight excursions from Denver.
- Freight cars hauled coal, lumber, explosives, machinery, fruit, and other luxuries.
- Outbound, the same cars carried ore for delivery to reduction mills, such as the Golden Cycle, Standard, Telluride, and Portland mills at the western edge of Colorado Springs.
- Only one Smokestack from the Golden Cycle Mill still stands today.
- The Tailings pile has been turned into a housing development.
W.D. Corley, a Colorado Springs coal mine owner, and cattle breeder, bought the bankrupt COS&CC&V RR in 1920.
It was renamed the Corley Mountain Highway at that time.
- Corley removed all the tracks and installed toll booths at both ends.
- He opened the Corley Mountain highway in 1926.
- This breathtaking mountain highway became a popular tourist attraction.
- Corley made $400 per day from the $1 per car toll that he charged.
- Corley operated his toll road on a Special use permit from the Pike national forest.
- When this permit expired in 1939, the road was turned over to the federal government.
- That year the Federal Government changed the name to the Gold Camp Road.
- This same old railroad that was converted to the Corley Mountain Highway has been called Gold Camp Road ever since 1939.
- Gold Camp Road is a extremely scenic route that extends from El Paso County into Teller County.
- The historic origins of the rail line and the toll road are evident along the route, and it continues to be a popular attraction for local residents and tourists.
You can ride portions or all of these old RR lines on four Great Divide Adventure and Dual Sport rides in the summer and Autumn.
See this map below for further insight.
