Manitou Incline

Tucked on the side of Pikes Peak, “The Incline” as it’s known is not a casual hike. Starting at 6,530 feet just outside of Manitou Springs, the mile-long staircase ascends to 8,550 feet over the course of 2,768 stairs. And to bring home the point of this extreme trek, the average grade is 41% and at one point pitches at 65%. The way down is a bit easier on a 3-mile trail, but all told it takes the average person about 3 hours to complete the roundtrip. Reservations are required, and you might have reservations about trying it once you take those first few steps.