Story of PIKES PEAK, America's Mountain inspiring the historic poem, AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL

Health Coach Tanveer: Story of PIKES PEAK, America's Mountain inspiring the historic poem, AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL

In 1893, Katherine Lee Bates, an American professor visited a place so beautiful that inspired her to write the historic poem, America the Beautiful. This poem later became the Unofficial National Anthem of the United States of America. Describing the magnificent beauty of this place, Katherine writes in her poem:

O beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited Plain!

This anthem is sung thousands of times every year at many occasions throughout America. Can you guess what place Katherine visited in 1893 that moved her to write the historic Unofficial National Anthem of America?

It was Pikes Peak also called America's Mountain. This majestic mountain peak is located in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, USA. In fact, Pikes Peak is the highest summit of the southern part of the Rocky Mountains. Its height is 14,115 feet or 4302.31 meters.

You can get to Pikes Peak by car, rail, or by hiking. On car, you take Pikes Peak Highway, which is one of the most scenic drives in the world. Pikes Peak Highway is 19 miles or 31 km long. Pikes Peak Highway has spectacular views. There are many stops on the way where you can get out of your car and take memorable pictures while enjoying the breathtaking scenery. Pikes Peak Highway is also scary because at many places it has huge drops on the sides of the road with no railings. So, you have to drive very carefully.

You can also hike or bike to Pikes Peak by taking the Barr Trail, which is 13 miles or 21 km long.  People from all over America and all over the world come to see this natural wonder.

There is also a car race held on Pikes peak highway every year. The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC), brought to you by Gran Turismo, also known as The Race to the Clouds, is an invitational automobile hill climb to the summit of Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain in Colorado, USA held every year on the last Sunday of June.

You can also see wild life on the beautiful Pikes Peak journey. Most common wild animals are Bighorn Sheep, Mountain goats, Rocky mountain elk, Bears, Deer, and mountain lions. It's very unlikely that you will see a bear or a mountain lion because there is a lot of human traffic on Pikes Peak, which these animals do not like.

Imagine how majestically beautiful and scenic Pikes Peak must be that it inspired the unofficial anthem of the United States of America. So, if you are able to visit Pikes Peak, you should most definitely do it. Otherwise, you will be missing out on one of the best tourist spots not just in America, but in the world.