Pikes Peak - Quiz
Pikes Peak
  • 1. What is the partial pressure of oxygen at the peak compared to sea level?
A) 40%
B) 60%
C) 50%
D) 75%
  • 2. At an elevation of 14,000 feet, at what temperature does water boil?
A) 195 °F
B) 186 °F
C) 170 °F
D) 212 °F
  • 3. What physical condition may develop in those sensitive to the altitude or who over-exert themselves?
A) Heat stroke
B) Altitude sickness
C) Hypothermia
D) Dehydration
  • 4. What is the climate classification of the Pikes Peak summit?
A) Tropical monsoon
B) Continental semiarid
C) Polar climate (ET)
D) Hemiboreal
  • 5. During which time of year is snow possible at the summit?
A) Only in winter
B) Only in the summer months
C) Only from November to March
D) Any time year-round
  • 6. What wind speeds can thunderstorms at the summit reach?
A) 200 mph
B) 50 mph or less
C) 100 mph or more
D) 75 mph exactly
  • 7. When are thunderstorms most common at Pikes Peak?
A) In the mornings
B) In the afternoons
C) During the night
D) At dawn
  • 8. What is the climate classification for much of the area near Pikes Peak?
A) Continental semiarid
B) Hemiboreal
C) Mediterranean
D) Polar
  • 9. What is required for humans and animals not acclimated to the high altitude of Pikes Peak?
A) Supplemental oxygen
B) Lower physical activity
C) A faster rate of respiration
D) Specialized clothing
  • 10. Besides continental semiarid, what other classification is mentioned for surrounding areas?
A) Tropical
B) Hemiboreal
C) Arid
D) Tundra
  • 11. How many fourteeners are there in Colorado, including Pikes Peak?
A) 54
B) 42
C) 60
D) 38
  • 12. What is the approximate height of Pikes Peak above downtown Colorado Springs?
A) Over 5,000 feet
B) Over 8,000 feet
C) Over 14,000 feet
D) Over 10,000 feet
  • 13. What gives Pikes Peak granite its characteristic pink color?
A) Magnesium deposits
B) Quartz crystals
C) Iron oxide
D) Potassium feldspar
  • 14. During which geological era was the Pikes Peak granite formed?
A) Precambrian
B) Paleozoic
C) Mesozoic
D) Cenozoic
  • 15. Approximately how many years ago was the Pikes Peak granite formed?
A) 2 billion years
B) 100 million years
C) 500 million years
D) 1.05 billion years
  • 16. What is the elevation threshold for timberline on Pikes Peak?
A) 14,000 feet
B) 10,000 feet
C) 12,000 feet
D) 8,000 feet
  • 17. What is the classification of the soil found above the timberline on Pikes Peak?
A) Cirque land
B) Clay silt
C) Ivywild loam
D) Catamount loam
  • 18. Where is the Devils Playground located in relation to Pikes Peak?
A) Southwest side
B) Northeast side
C) Southeast side
D) Northwest side
  • 19. What is the approximate elevation of the Devils Playground?
A) 12,000 feet
B) 13,075 feet
C) 11,500 feet
D) 14,110 feet
  • 20. Why is the Devils Playground named as it is?
A) It is home to many mountain goats
B) It was used for ancient rituals
C) Lightning dances around the prominence
D) The rocky terrain is difficult to climb
  • 21. In which county is the Devils Playground the highest point?
A) El Paso County
B) Pueblo County
C) Douglas County
D) Teller County
  • 22. What is the official designation of Pikes Peak?
A) National Historic Landmark
B) National Monument
C) National Park
D) State Wilderness Area
  • 23. What is the elevation of the summit of Pikes Peak?
A) 13,990 ft
B) 14,115 ft
C) 14,500 ft
D) 14,000 ft
  • 24. Which town is located at the base of Pikes Peak?
A) Boulder
B) Denver
C) Colorado Springs
D) Manitou Springs
  • 25. Who ordered Zebulon Pike to explore the Louisiana Purchase in 1806?
A) George Washington
B) Thomas Jefferson
C) James Madison
D) Andrew Jackson
  • 26. Who completed the first successful documented climb of Pikes Peak?
A) Zebulon Pike
B) Edwin James
C) Katharine Lee Bates
D) Stephen Harriman Long
  • 27. In what year did Edwin James climb Pikes Peak?
A) 1820
B) 1806
C) 1893
D) 1850
  • 28. Which poet was inspired to write 'America the Beautiful' after visiting Pikes Peak?
A) Emily Dickinson
B) Walt Whitman
C) Katharine Lee Bates
D) Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
  • 29. What did the Tabeguache Ute people call Pikes Peak?
A) El Capitán
B) Tava
C) Heey-otoyoo'
D) Tûs Pêh
  • 30. What does the Ute name 'Tava' mean?
A) Heaven
B) Sun
C) Leader
D) Mountain
  • 31. What name did the Arapaho people use for Pikes Peak?
A) Tûs Pêh
B) Grand Peak
C) Tava
D) Heey-otoyoo'
  • 32. What did the Pawnee call Pikes Peak?
A) Tûs Pêh
B) El Capitán
C) Tava-Kaavi
D) James Peak
  • 33. Which US government body simplified the spelling of 'Pikes Peak' in 1890?
A) United States Board on Geographic Names
B) National Park Service
C) Department of the Interior
D) United States Geological Survey
  • 34. What did early Spanish explorers call Pikes Peak?
A) Great Peak
B) El Capitán
C) Long Mountain
D) Sun Mountain
  • 35. Who named the mountain 'James Peak' in 1820?
A) Stephen Harriman Long
B) Edwin James
C) Zebulon Pike
D) Thomas Jefferson
  • 36. What does the name 'El Capitán' mean?
A) The Mountain
B) The Sun
C) The Highest
D) The Leader
  • 37. Who led the expedition that first sighted Pikes Peak by Americans?
A) Stephen Harriman Long
B) Edwin James
C) George Peck
D) Zebulon Pike
  • 38. In what month and year did Zebulon Pike attempt to climb the peak?
A) August 1858
B) July 1820
C) November 1806
D) July 1860
  • 39. What was the temperature at the foot of the mountain during Pike's 1806 attempt?
A) 4° below 0
B) 9° below 0
C) 9° above 0
D) 4° above 0
  • 40. What state flower did Edwin James first describe during his ascent?
A) Blue columbine
B) Sunflower
C) Poppy
D) Rose
  • 41. What year was gold discovered in the area of present-day Denver?
A) 1820
B) 1893
C) 1858
D) 1863
  • 42. Which mining district discovered in 1893 led to a major gold rush near Pikes Peak?
A) Pike's Peak Mining District
B) Denver Gold Fields
C) Cripple Creek Mining District
D) South Platte District
  • 43. Which company began minting coins in Denver in 1860?
A) Pikes Peak Gold Corp
B) Clark, Gruber and Company
C) Denver Mint Company
D) U.S. Treasury
  • 44. Who was the first European-American woman to climb Pikes Peak?
A) Julia Archibald Holmes
B) Mary Pike
C) Katharine Lee Bates
D) Elizabeth James
  • 45. When did Julia Archibald Holmes reach the summit of Pikes Peak?
A) July 17, 1913
B) July 4, 1895
C) November 1806
D) August 5, 1858
  • 46. In what year did William Wayne Brown drive his car to the summit?
A) 1913
B) 1984
C) 1961
D) 1893
  • 47. How long did it take William Wayne Brown to drive to the summit?
A) 8 hours and 22 minutes
B) 5 hours and 28 minutes
C) 2 hours and 58 minutes
D) 5 hours and 0 minutes
  • 48. During which years did Pikes Peak house a ski resort?
A) 1893-1913
B) 1913-1961
C) 1939-1984
D) 1858-1893
  • 49. How many visitor centers are located on Pikes Peak according to the text?
A) Five
B) Four
C) Two
D) Three
  • 50. In what year did the cog railway resume service after its closure?
A) 2021
B) 2020
C) 2019
D) 2018
  • 51. What is the total length of the Pikes Peak Highway?
A) 12 miles
B) 19 miles
C) 25 miles
D) 31 miles
  • 52. What are the switchbacks on the northwest side of the mountain called?
A) The W's
B) The Z's
C) The Zig-Zag Path
D) The Serpent's Coil
  • 53. Which organization sued to force the paving of the road due to gravel runoff?
A) Colorado Springs City Council
B) Sierra Club
C) The AdAmAn Club
D) National Park Service
  • 54. What is the most popular hiking route to the summit of Pikes Peak?
A) Barr Trail
B) Manitou Incline
C) Ute Pass Trail
D) Crags Campground Route
  • 55. What type of facility is the United States Army Pikes Peak Research Laboratory?
A) Geological survey center
B) Weather station
C) Medical research laboratory
D) Communications hub
  • 56. What is the estimated cost of the new Summit Complex project?
A) $100 million
B) $15 million
C) $50 million
D) $38 million
  • 57. What is the ground condition that makes excavation difficult on Pikes Peak?
A) Wet clay
B) Volcanic ash
C) Alpine permafrost
D) Loose sand
  • 58. Which certification is the new Summit Complex aiming to achieve?
A) National Historic Landmark status
B) LEED Platinum Certification
C) Green Summit Award
D) Gold Standard Construction
  • 59. What natural disaster occurred on Pikes Peak on July 20, 2023?
A) Landslide
B) Severe blizzard
C) Wildfire
D) EF1 tornado
  • 60. What speed did the wind reach during the 2023 tornado on Pikes Peak?
A) 150 miles per hour
B) 108 miles per hour
C) 75 miles per hour
D) 50 miles per hour
  • 61. Which company was the general contractor for the new Summit Complex?
A) G.E. Johnson Construction Co.
B) Alpine Engineering Firm
C) Sierra Construction Group
D) Pikes Peak Builders
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