Today, Pikes Peak is one of the most visited landmarks in America. Thousands of people visit the summit every summer by car, train or on foot. The Pikes Peak Toll Highway starts in Cascade, Colorado and winds 19 miles to the top. The upper half of the road is used as the course for the annual Pikes Peak Hill Climb, America’s second oldest automobile race after the Indianapolis 500. The road began as the Pikes Peak Carriage Road in 1888. Another annual event on the mountain is the Pikes Peak Marathon. Competitors run from Manitou Springs to the summit and back along the Barr Trail. On New Year’s Eve the AdAmAN Club climbs to the summit of Pikes Peak to ignite fireworks which can be seen in the city of Colorado Springs far below. This tradition was started by Fred Barr and a group of his mountaineering friends in the 1920’s.