Pikes Peak, also called America's Mountain, is a fourteener with a summit of 14,115 feet (4,302 m). It is the easternmost fourteener in the United States. The base is in Manitou Springs, 10 miles west of downtown Colorado Springs.
Zebulon Pike was ordered by Thomas Jefferson in 1806 to explore the Louisiana Purchase. He tried to climb the mountain that winter but gave up, possibly because of the cold. The first documented hike to the top was by Edwin James on July 15, 1820. The mountain was later named for Pike by newspapers during the gold rush.
In 1893, visiting professor and poet Katharine Lee Bates climbed to the summit and was inspired to write 'America the Beautiful'. Its first title was 'Pikes Peak'. The Ute people called the mountain Tava, meaning sun.