The Pike National Forest is located in the Front Range of Colorado, United States, west of Colorado Springs including Pikes Peak. The forest encompasses 1,106,604 acres (4,478 km) within Clear Creek, Teller, Park, Jefferson, Douglas and El Paso counties. The major rivers draining the forest are the South Platte and Fountain Creek. Rampart Reservoir is a large artificial body of water located within the forest.
The forest is named after American explorer Zebulon Pike.
Pikes Peak or America's Mountain is a ultra-prominent fourteener of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. Pikes Peak's summit with an elevation of 14,115 ft (4,302m) above sea level is the highest fourteener east of its longitude in the contiguous United States. Pikes Peak is located in Pike National Forest, Colorado, with the base located in the town of Manitou Springs which is about 10 miles (16 km) west of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado, in El Paso County, United States.
Zebulon Pike, a commissioned officer serving for the United States Army, received an order in 1806 by Thomas Jefferson to explore the Louisiana Purchase. He later in the winter would attempt to climb the mountain but would later discontinue. The climb was abandoned, possibly due to the mountain's cold weather. The first successful documented hike was by the geologist and botanist Edwin James during his expedition on July 15, 1820. During the Pikes Peak Gold Rush, the mountain was referred in honor of Zebulon Pike, in several newspapers, creating widespread popularity.
Woodland Park is a home rule municipality in Teller County, Colorado, United States. Woodland Park is part of the Colorado Springs, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. Many residents in this bedroom community commute to Colorado Springs. Woodland Park is surrounded by the 1,000,000-acre (400,000 ha) Pike National Forest. The population was 7,920 as of the 2020 Census.