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