Pikes Peak

The famous Colorado landmark Pikes Peak is one of the best-known mountain peaks in the Rocky Mountains. The mountains and mountain peaks have had several names over the years. The Ute people first arrived in Colorado about 500 AD. The Ute who lived near Pikes Peak had a special name for their area: "Tabeguache" (tab-uh-wash), which means “People of the Sun Mountain.” And for the mountain peak itself, they called it "Tava," which means “sun.”

In the 1800s, the Arapaho people arrived in Colorado. They knew the mountain as “Heey-otoyoo,” which means “Long Mountain." The first American sighting in 1806 is credited to explorer Zebulon Pike. The 14,110-foot peak was named Pikes Peak, after Zebulon Pike’s first sighting.