Barr Trail, National Recreation Trail in Colorado, United States

Barr Trail is a hiking path in Colorado that climbs from Manitou Springs to the summit of Pikes Peak. The route winds through mountain terrain with many switchbacks and passes through different forest and alpine zones.

Fred Barr built the burro trail from 1914 with a maximum 12% grade, and in 1917 he supervised ten U.S. Forest Service men who built the section from the top of the Manitou Incline down to Manitou Springs. He reached the Pikes Peak summit on Christmas Eve 1918. Barr Camp, built between 1922 and 1924, housed his burro train customers overnight; the Forest Service rebuilt the trail on the original route in 1948.

The trail carries the name of Fred Barr, who built it for his burro train business and ran overnight stays at Barr Camp, built between 1922 and 1924. Burro trains carried people along the route until the 1960s. Today the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon start in front of Manitou Springs City Hall and climb to the 14,115-foot summit.

Start your hike early in the morning and bring plenty of water for the entire journey. Conditions at the summit are significantly colder and windier than at the base.

Fred Barr hiked the full route to the Pikes Peak summit on Christmas Eve 1918, completing the burro trail he had begun building in 1914. Burro trains carried paying customers up the path until the 1960s, and Barr Camp, built between 1922 and 1924, still offers overnight stays with year-round caretakers.