Where is the best view of Pikes Peak? Colorado Springs residents make their case

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Whether you're in Teller, El Paso, or Pueblo County, the almighty snow-capped tip of Pikes Peak stands overlooking us all. Each neighborhood and hiking route with one breathtaking view after another. But is there one spot that can claim it has the best view of America's Mountain?

We set out to see if there's an answer!

The Peak:

You may know the story. Pike's Peak got its name from an American general and explorer, Zebulon Pike. He first encountered the mountain in 1806, and after multiple failed attempts to climb it with his crew of men, he believed it was impassible.

His efforts and contributions to the exploration of Colorado earned him the honor of having the mountain named after him.

Tourism to the peak became popular, even in the 1800s, ultimately leading to the creation of the Cog Railway and the Pikes Peak highway to allow visitors to get to the top.

Now, Pikes Peak is a central fixture in the city of Colorado Springs, drawing in millions of tourists every year, and luring in families, who can't resist the natural beauty of the Front Range.

For generations, the peak has become a source of memories for so many: through pictures, hiking, or driving to the top-- or through the time spent with loved ones in its almighty shadow.

A map of some of the most esteemed views is below. Click each pin to see what the viewpoint looks like. If you're on mobile, you can zoom in by pinching the screen:

Cristi Walls: A Lifetime of Memories from Lunar Park

As a child, Cristi Walls grew up living just a stone's throw from Lunar Park in east Colorado Springs, along East Uintah Street. She attended every local school near the neighborhood, where she now lives once again today as an adult.

"We've had many a birthday parties and celebrations [here]. Celebrations of life up here," Cristi recalled. "My parents have owned their house over 50 years, and so this was our -- this is still my park -- is what I call it," she added with a chuckle.

Whether it be basketball games, sledding in the snow, or toasting at midnight on New Year's Eve, Cristi's memories were all enhanced by the stunning view of Pikes Peak in the background.

Nothing has changed about the mountain or her memories. If anything, technology that she didn't have growing up helps her continue capturing her love for the peak, pulling her car over every day on the east side of the park to pull out her phone.

"I take a picture at least once a week, at least, if not multiple. And then I share them on Facebook for everybody that I know that doesn't live here and doesn't get to see it," said Cristi.

In recent years, however, she says those photos are missing something.

"It can make my heart flutter sometimes," Cristi said while wiping a tear from her eye. "It makes me think of my brother a lot."

Her brother Aaron died nearly 4 years ago.

"During COVID, my brother and I would meet up [at the park] several times a week and just hang out," she explained.

It's why the peak from Lunar Park remains the best view for Cristi.

"I get, what do you say, like, reflections of him through the clouds."

Park Ranger Pete Peterson: Immersed in the Mountain

You could call Pikes Peak a second home for Park Ranger Pete Peterson, and his family most likely wouldn't disagree with you.

He proposed to his wife at the summit of Pikes Peak, and he has run the Pikes Peak Marathon Ascent a whopping 17 times.

"I love working up here. I actually I could work more hours, but my family loves it when I'm home, with especially, with my grandson, as I'm semi-retired."

Retired from the Air Force, Pete is now a Park Ranger entering his third year with Pikes Peak America's Mountain for the City of Colorado Springs.

As a man who cannot get enough of the outdoors, he's traveled to numerous National Parks, campsites and hiking trips in his Ford Bronco. Of course, the drive he makes more often than any, is the Pikes Peak Highway.

"This drive never gets old. It's always kind of what's around the next corner. What can I see next?" he explains, driving up the winding road. "It's like a living mountain. just changes, constantly, day after day, hour by hour," he added.

He drove us to his favorite view: The Crystal Reservoir.

"I love the reservoir for a lot of reasons. The biggest to me being [that] you get, you get a chance to capture the reflections off of the water of the mountain itself," he says.

Between the glistening water, which you can fish in, and the wildlife that you can catch glimpses of if you're lucky, Pete says it's one of the best areas to soak in the Peak before you head up dizzying switchbacks.

"As a ranger, where we are the first ones up [in the morning] and we get a chance to a lot of times capture wildlife and sunrises," he explains.

Pete, a very active social media poster, loves to share his photos while working on the mountain.

"[There's] probably thousands of photos that I've taken over the years, and with Pikes Peak, you can't really take a bad photo."

It's a view he wants everybody to see, and one that he'll certainly never get tired of.

"I would say there's not been a single bad day that I've ever had on the mountain working up here."

Jae Jarratt: Finding the Best View through a Viewfinder

Jae Jarratt was born and raised in Colorado. Naturally, exploring and appreciating the outdoors has been paramount in his life.

It's why, when the world came to a halt in 2020 during the global pandemic, he decided to take up landscape photography, to get out of the house and capture the natural beauty of Colorado Springs.

"I hope [my photos] resonate with people. And, you know, maybe it'll bring you to a memory that you've had somewhere or a place that you've enjoyed in the 'Springs," Jae said.

He now does photography full-time. You may even come across some of his stunning photos that he posts to Facebook.

"I frequently wake up and I'm just grateful that I'm here and, you know, being able to look at that mountain everyday, really does help me feel [grateful]," he explains.

As someone who has snapped his shutters on America's Mountain from so many places, and so many angles, he admits that picking a favorite spot poses a challenge.

"If I had the perfect shot [of the Peak], I probably wouldn't be shooting it as much either," Jae said with a smile.

However, the Mesa Overlook in Colorado Springs, he says, makes quite the case for having all the elements of a breathtaking view.

"When you've got fresh snow on it like this, and then you have the red rocks, you know, a lot of contrasting colors going on right there, and a lot of separation that makes it look a lot more interesting in my opinion," Jae said while framing up the Garden of the Gods with the towering snow-capped peak behind it.

He says it's a spectacular view at all times of the day. Whether it's the daytime, sunrise, or sunset.

"It's hard to beat. There's not many mountains that you'll see that'll get that much glow because we have nothing behind us on the horizon," Jae said about the pink shades that sunrises bring to the peak.

Paul Cook: "It's been a real gem."

After 45 years of living in Colorado Springs, it can be easy to take Pikes Peak for granted.

Paul Cook bought his home adjacent to Palmer Park in 1980, as an engineer looking to come west after growing up on Long Island in New York. He worked for a company that helped put the original computers into the Cheyenne Mountain Complex.

Back then, the neighborhood was less developed and tucked away from the rest of the city. The cherry on top: He could see Pikes Peak from his living room.

"The peak is, I mean, it's the essence of living in Colorado Springs," he said while sitting on his couch.

All that has changed is new homes, new neighbors, and trees that have grown taller, somewhat encroaching on the view of the Peak, almost making for a frame it at certain angles.

"It's still the centerpiece of what you think of as Colorado Springs," he says about the peak.

Carol Cook, whom Paul connected with at a high school reunion almost two decades ago, has now been his wife of 15 years. She's loved every second of the view from the house.

"To watch the sunset behind that mountain. It never gets old." Carol says.

"When you're on Austin Bluffs driving towards it, I mean, it's you know, you really have to pay attention to keep driving and not just look at it. It's just, it's magnificent," she later added.

So, where is the best view?

We polled viewers on where they believed the best view was among four choices.

The vantage point from Garden of the Gods came out on top, which is probably unsurprising for many of us who live here.

However, the personal view from one's own home or window came a close second. Sometimes, nothing beats the vantage point from your own backyard.

But while gathering information for this story, a common theme arose from viewers. It wasn't just the snowcaps or the vantage point. It was the view taken in when a loved one was still around. It was the view behind a marriage proposal. It was the view for one last girls' trip.

Maybe it's not where you see the peak from, but who you're lucky enough to be taking it all in with.