There used to be a funicular nearly adjacent to the starting point of the Cog Railway that would have given the Swiss one a run for its money, as the Manitou In

There used to be a funicular nearly adjacent to the starting point of the Cog Railway that would have given the Swiss one a run for its money, as the Manitou Incline hit 68° in some points. The Manitou Incline shuttered in the 90s after a rockfall damaged the tracks. It's a popular endurance trail now, with people 'running' up the old incline track to the top of Mount Manitou. I'd like to second your post though. I took the Cog Railway up to the summit of Pikes Peak right before Christmas a few years ago and we were blessed with having to stop as a herd of Rocky Mountain big-horn sheep moved across the path. There is a protected lambing area on the backside of the mountain which of course I've never visited but to see these animals up close at 11,000 feet was spectacular. Plus you can buy fresh donuts and coffee up at the summit. A nice way to visit 14,000 feet if you're not inclined to the wonderful but strenuous Barr Trail.