Why is it called Pikes Peak? The history behind the name COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Every year locals and tourists flock to Pikes Peak to enjoy the mountain air and climb (or drive) up one of the more difficult 14ers in Colorado. But do you know the full story behind why it's called Pikes Peak? It's believed that Pikes Peak is named after 19th-century explorer Zebulon Montgomery Pike, however, he wasn't the first one to name the mountain. He might've been the first white American explorer in the area to document his journey, but long before he ever set foot on the mountain, the Ute People called it Tavakiev or "Sun Mountain."