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Moonlight Hike

© Virginia O'Connor

Introduction

The Moonlight Hike is a lunar-driven event and occurs each Friday night of the lunar month closest to the full moon. The hike starts up Barr Camp Trail, which has been described in this series before, but it begins around five in the evening.

Trail Rating

• Boots: two boots for most of this trail
• Kids: well, yes, but see the Trail Notes for specifics
• Dogs: yes, on a leash
• Facilities: at the start of the trailhead and at Barr Camp

What to Bring

Water and jackets and in most cases, bring a light pair of gloves for cold fingers. The temperature will dip the further into the mountains you get and cold fingers are no fun. Bring food too. We had bagel sandwiches, cookies, and apples and we ate it all. Bring a little something to celebrate at Barr camp too, no reason not to celebrate.

How to Get There

From Colorado Springs, take Colorado Avenue west into Manitou Springs. Turn left at Ruxton Avenue and follow the signs to the cog railway. Travel just past the railway station and turn right into a small, marked parking lot. If the lot is full, you will have to turn around and park on the side of the street below the railway station.

Trail Specifics

The Moonlight hike is a tradition where people meet at the parking lot at the trailhead of Barr Camp and hike through the dusk to Barr Camp. At that point, some folks return fairly quickly, and others camp overnight. If you are considering camping overnight, try tagging the peak in the morning before you return to vehicle car in the lot. You won't be alone either, lots of people tackle Pikes Peak in this manner.

This is a well-marked, well-defined trail, but everyone I know hates the switchbacks that make up the first part. This is the worst part of the trail, so chug through it as fast as you can. The switchbacks have rails along the side of the trail. The first and hardest part of the trail climbs up and through the woods for about three miles. The picture below is our starting out just before dusk

Unfortunately, our children had been to a slumber party the weekend before and watched scary movies, so the hiking in the dark just didn't appeal to them at all. At the top of the incline, a wild and windy storm blew in, making the children even more certain that they were doomed, so we ate our dinner, and then started back.

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