Explorer Zebulon Pike never made it to the top of the 14,115-ft peak near Colorado Springs that bears his name. Had he not aborted his lone attempt in November 1806 due to bad weather and lack of proper gear, Pike would have gazed upon a speculator vista that inspired the poem, “America the Beautiful,” and now attracts more than 600,000 visitors a year.
Last year, the city of Colorado Springs opened the new Pikes Peak Summit Visitors Center to replace the deteriorating, outmoded 1960s-era Summit House, providing a more modern and visually appropriate complement to those famous views.