BBQ near Pikes Peak. Where to eat after the cog.
You came for the summit. The Cog Railway out of Manitou Springs runs three hours round trip and drops you back in the village. The Pikes Peak Highway descends 19 miles to US-24 and dumps you east toward Colorado Springs. Either way, the question is the same — where do you eat real wood-smoked BBQ on the way back? Here’s the chef-written map, written by someone who works two of the three pits inside twenty-five minutes of the Cog Railway depot.
Two routes down. Two pits. One chef.
If you rode the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, you’re back at the depot at 515 Ruxton Ave., Manitou Springs CO 80829— the Stage Stop BBQ Old Colorado City cart is the closest real wood-smoked BBQ, about a 7-to-10-minute drive east, Thursday through Sunday, 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. If you descended via the Pikes Peak Highway and rolled east on US-24, The Cantina flagship at 6620 Old Stage Rd. is the sit-down dinner option, roughly 25 to 28 minutes south. Same chef, same smoke, same sauce-on-the-side default.
We’ve been a Colorado Springs family ranch since 1993. Chef Eve Natasha writes every recipe at every location. No gas assist, no liquid smoke, fourteen hours on the brisket, six on the ribs. The smoke does the work.
The Cog, or the Highway.
Pikes Peak gets visitors two ways. They are different days and they end in different places — which is why the BBQ recommendation depends on which one you took.
Option A — The Pikes Peak Cog Railway from Manitou.
The cog depot sits at 515 Ruxton Ave., Manitou Springs CO 80829, tucked up Ruxton Avenue on the south side of Manitou. The round trip is about three hours: 50 minutes up, 30 to 40 at the summit, 50 minutes back. When the train pulls in, you walk back to your car in the depot lot and you are in Manitou village — the gateway out is east on Manitou Avenue, which becomes Colorado Avenue once you duck under I-25. That straight east shot lands you in the Old Colorado City historic strip in roughly seven minutes. Our cart is parked there. This is the lunch route — with one caveat: the OCC cart is open Thursday through Sunday, 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. If you rode the Cog Monday through Wednesday, The Cantina (open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., about 25 minutes south) is the open Stage Stop pit instead.
Option B — The Pikes Peak Highway from Cascade.
The Pikes Peak Highway south entrance sits in Cascade, off US-24 about 6 miles west of Manitou. It’s a 19-mile toll road that climbs to the summit, and the descent is the long part — switchbacks, brake- check stations, and a weather window that can close the upper sections on short notice. When you roll out of the toll gate at the bottom, you are back on US-24 east. The most natural play from there is to keep driving east through Manitou, jump on I-25 south, and end the day with a real dinner at The Cantina on Old Stage Road. This is the dinner route.
Stage Stop OCC cart. Lunch after the Cog Railway.
Our Old Colorado City cart is a wood-fired trailer parked in the historic district on the westside — about 3 miles east of the Cog Railway depot. The drive is the easy part: from 515 Ruxton Ave., Manitou Springs CO 80829, head down Ruxton Ave., turn east on Manitou Ave., and keep going. Manitou Ave. becomes Colorado Avenue once you cross under I-25, and Colorado Avenue runs straight into the OCC historic strip. Most days that’s a seven-minute drive. On a packed summer Saturday with cog-train and tourist traffic on Manitou Avenue, call it ten.
The menu is the same one we serve at every Stage Stop: the 14-Hour Brisket on post oak, St. Louis Ribs on pecan, Pulled Pork, the Burnt-End Mac Bowl, and the $4 sauce flight so you can taste Carolina Gold and Alabama White side by side. Sauce on the side by default. Always. If you just rode the cog up to 14,115 feet and back, the brisket plate with smoked beans is the move — it eats heavy on purpose, which is what you want after four hours at altitude.
The cart is a walk-up window. There’s outdoor seating and a covered patio. It’s dog-friendly — useful if you took the Highway up instead of the Cog and brought the dog along. Family-friendly during the day. Karaoke runs Friday nights after 8 p.m. and the crowd skews older then; lunch is the family window.
Old Colorado City itself is worth the stop. The historic district is six blocks of brick storefronts — bookshop, coffee, a couple of cocktail bars, an ice cream window. The cart sits inside that walkable loop. Eat, then walk the avenue. If the kids are tired of Manitou crowds after the cog, OCC is the lower-key version of the same walkable-village format.
The Cantina. The post-Highway dinner.
If you took the Pikes Peak Highway up and down, you roll out of the toll gate onto US-24 east and the natural play is dinner south of town. The Cantina at 6620 Old Stage Rd. is our flagship — the mothership where the recipes are written and the sauces are batched. Full bar. Indoor seating. Live music Saturday nights. Open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
From the bottom of the Pikes Peak Highway, take US-24 east through Cascade and Manitou, jump on I-25 south, exit toward Cheyenne Boulevard, then climb Old Stage Road up into the foothills. Most days that’s about a 25-to-28-minute drive. The drive is scenic — you’re looking at the same range you just descended. We recommend the Cantina for a 6 p.m. dinner after a long summit day, when you want a real meal and a chair you don’t want to leave.
The Cantina menu includes the full Stage Stop line plus three Cantina-only specials Eve rotates monthly. Eve hosts a Pit Master Tasting the first Tuesday of every month — ticketed, limited seats, and the only night the Cantina opens on a Tuesday.
How long to each pit.
All times measured from the Pikes Peak Cog Railway Depot at 515 Ruxton Ave., Manitou Springs CO 80829. Add a few minutes on summer weekends when Manitou Avenue backs up between the depot and the arcade.
| Spot | Drive | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Stage Stop OCC cart Old Colorado City · historic district | ~7–10 min | Wood-fired trailer. Post oak + pecan. Thu–Sun, 12p–9p. The closest real-smoke pit and the post-cog lunch pick. |
| Dickey’s Barbecue Pit Garden of the Gods Rd. | ~12 min | National chain on Garden of the Gods Rd. Listed for completeness — not a wood-smoked pit, but it is BBQ-shaped and it is in the radius. |
| The Cantina 6620 Old Stage Rd. | ~25 min | Stage Stop flagship. Full bar, indoor seating, the sit-down dinner pick after the Highway descent. |
Times are typical-day estimates and depend on traffic. We won’t pretend a wood-smoked pit exists at the depot when one doesn’t — the closest one is a short drive east.
Altitude, logistics, weather.
Altitude is a real thing.
The Pikes Peak summit sits at 14,115feet. The Cog depot is at 6,571 ft and downtown Colorado Springs is at 6,035. If you came from sea level this morning, you will feel it — headaches, slower digestion, alcohol hitting harder than it should. We salt brisket heavily on purpose; the salt works in your favor at altitude. Drink water with the meal, not after. Save the brewery beer for the Cantina that night, not the Manitou afternoon.
Cog Railway logistics.
Reserve tickets in advance — the Cog sells out weeks ahead in summer and on weekends year-round. The full round trip is about three hours and returns to the depot in Manitou Springs, not the summit. Plan lunch in Old Colorado City for after you get back; don’t count on summit-house food as a meal.
Pikes Peak Highway logistics.
The Pikes Peak Highway is a 19-mile toll road from Cascade up to the summit. Weather closes the upper sections often — afternoon thunderstorms in summer, ice and wind any other season. Call the road conditions line at 719-385-7325 the morning of, before you commit to the drive. Build in extra time for the brake-check stations on the descent. The Highway makes more sense if you brought a dog along, because dogs aren’t allowed on the Cog.
Pair the route with the pit.
The shortcut: Cog Railway → OCC cart for lunch. Pikes Peak Highway → Cantina for dinner. We’ve picked these because of geography, not preference. If you took the Highway and just want lunch, the OCC cart still works — just plan an extra ten minutes threading back through Manitou.
FAQ.
What is the closest BBQ restaurant to Pikes Peak?
If you came down on the Cog Railway, the closest real wood-smoked BBQ is Stage Stop BBQ's Old Colorado City cart — about a 7-to-10-minute drive east of the Cog Railway Depot at 515 Ruxton Ave. in Manitou Springs. If you descended via the Pikes Peak Highway and Highway 24, The Cantina flagship at 6620 Old Stage Rd. is roughly a 25-minute drive south and the sit-down dinner pick.
How long is the drive from the Cog Railway Depot to BBQ?
From 515 Ruxton Ave. in Manitou Springs (the Cog depot), the Stage Stop OCC cart is about 7 to 10 minutes east on Manitou Ave. and Colorado Avenue. The Cantina is about 25 minutes south via I-25 and Old Stage Road. Dickey's Barbecue Pit on Garden of the Gods Rd. is roughly 12 minutes east on US-24; we list it for completeness, but it's a chain — not a wood-smoked pit.
Is the BBQ near Pikes Peak kid-friendly?
Yes. The Stage Stop OCC cart works for families during the day — outdoor seating, walk-up window, dog-friendly patio. Karaoke runs Friday nights after 8 p.m. and the crowd skews older then. For an evening with kids, The Cantina has indoor seating, a kids' menu, and a full bar for the grown-ups.
Can I bring my dog on the Cog Railway and then to BBQ?
Dogs are not allowed on the Pikes Peak Cog Railway except for documented service animals. If you're traveling with a dog, the Pikes Peak Highway is the better choice — dogs are welcome in the car. The Stage Stop OCC patio is dog-friendly when you get back down, so the dog doesn't have to wait in a hot car while you eat.
Does altitude affect how the food tastes or sits?
It does. The Pikes Peak summit is 14,115 ft and even Manitou Springs sits above 6,300 ft. Visitors from sea level dehydrate faster than they expect, digest more slowly, and feel alcohol harder. We season our brisket heavily on purpose — the salt works in your favor at altitude. Drink water with the meal, not after. Save the brewery beer for the Cantina that night, not the Cog Railway afternoon.
Where do I park to eat after Pikes Peak?
If you took the Cog Railway, you parked in Manitou and you're already in town — drive 3 miles east to Old Colorado City. Street parking runs the length of Colorado Avenue between 24th and 27th, and there are public lots one block north on West Cucharras Street (off 24th, 25th, and 26th) — metered on weekdays, free on Sundays and holidays. If you came down the Pikes Peak Highway, follow US-24 east to I-25 south and park free at The Cantina on Old Stage Rd.
See you when you’re back down.
Order online and skip the line, or just walk up. Brisket gets pulled at 11 a.m. The good cuts go first.