Best Route To Denver Airport?

[marcopolo]

On the Wednesday morning I'll be riding up to Denver International to pick my wife up and bring her back to Salida. Her flight arrives at 10:09 a.m. I have used Garmin Basecamp to construct a route from Salida (all with no "human" intervention). Seems reasonable to me, but thought I'd describe it briefly and see if anyone has any comments, good, or bad. One way distance is 272 km (169 miles).

 

1) from Salida, head west on US 50 for about 5 miles, then turn north onto US 285.

2) follow 285 for about 21 miles and then keep right onto US 24.

3) follow US 24 for about 12 miles then bear left onto US 285 again and follow it for about 74 miles until reaching Hwy 470.

4) take Hwy 470 north for about 14 miles to I-70 eastbound.

5) take I-70 east (through Denver) for about 18 miles and take the exit to Pena Blvd.

6) follow Pena Blvd to the airport.

 

My return route to Salida is the reverse of the northbound route to Denver.

[beemerboy]

I didn't know 470 had a northbound designation, only east-west. East bound 470 is a toll road where your license plate is recorded and the state sends you an invoice sometime later. West bound 470 is toll free and takes you into the Denver burb foothills in the complete opposite direction you need to go in. It sounds like this is the route you're talking about and if it is you'd be going waaaaaay out of your way.

 

If you want to avoid the toll road why not simply go north on I25 until you get to I70 east?

 

'Splain it to me...

[Caddis]

Randy, I had Google maps to give me directions from Salida to DIA, and it came up with the route that Mark described, except for a minor difference of heading north on 291 out of Salida (which makes sense to me), rather than using route 50.

 

The section of 470 that he is talking about is on the western side of Denver, between where 285 hits it, north toward Golden. that section is not a toll road, and we go that way often when returning from a mountain trip. His route seems fine. Although, I think you are correct that the signs for 470 say east/west, not north/south, so I think that direction on 470 will probably be labeled "west". But I don't recall for sure.

 

[marcopolo]

I didn't know 470 had a northbound designation, only east-west. East bound 470 is a toll road where your license plate is recorded and the state sends you an invoice sometime later. West bound 470 is toll free and takes you into the Denver burb foothills in the complete opposite direction you need to go in. It sounds like this is the route you're talking about and if it is you'd be going waaaaaay out of your way.

 

If you want to avoid the toll road why not simply go north on I25 until you get to I70 east?

 

'Splain it to me...

 

You're right about the 470 being labeled as east/west. I'd be on the 470 W; I simply said "northbound" because where I intersect it, it heads roughly north (as the crow flies) to I-70 west of Denver. I suppose it would be a lot clearer if I knew how to do a screen capture of Basecamp and post an image here. As for I-25, I thought I'd at least avoid traffic around Colorado Springs.

 

Kevin: I see the 291 out of Salida now. Thanks for pointing that out. Saves me 10 km each way.

[Caddis]

Well, actually, I had put in the airport as the starting point, and Salida as the destination, and the route was as described above (in reverse, obviously).

 

Strangely enough, when I switch it to give directions from Salida to DIA, it selects a different route that goes all the way through Denver on Route 285. I don't think I would do that. I would go with what Mark described.

[Caddis]

And Route 285 heading toward Denver has some really nice scenery, and is a very nice ride in itself.

[marcopolo]

Thanks. My wife will like the ride back to Salida then.

 

While I have your attention, so to speak, I have a question about my route into Salida on my day of arrival (Monday). I'll be coming from Hays, Kansas, on the I-70 westbound. My route (as generated in Basecamp) has me leaving the I-70 at Limon, CO, and heading roughly southwest on US 24, into Colorado Springs, then continuing roughly southwest from Colorado Springs on Hwy 115 S. This would take me to US 50 roughly 10 miles east of Canon City and I'd take the 50 west to Salida. Having ridden in the opposite direction through Colorado Springs to Limon a couple of years ago with my wife, I was looking at a better way to go after leaving I-70 at Limon. Just eyeballing the map, I see I could just head due south from Limon on Hwy 71, eventually intersecting Hwy 50 between Swink and Manzanola. Does that sound better, even if a bit longer? It's a relatively short day from Hays, KS, so that's not a big deal. Ever been on Hwy 71? I must admit that I did not enjoy meandering through Colorado Springs last time 'round.

[Paul Mihalka]

With my repulsion of Interstates I'd go from Hays straight south on rt. 183 to rt. 96 west, to Pueblo and rt. 50 to Salida. About the same distance and not much slower. Even the two-lanes are mostly 65, and nobody is watching. If you have the time, in Pueblo just off rt. 50 at the airport is a Air Force museum. It is dedicated mostly to the B24 Liberator bomber, because in WWII that airport was the training center assigned to that plane.

[Caddis]

I defer to Paul's advice as I haven't ridden much in that direction. There aren't any mountains in Kansas!

[Paul Mihalka]

I defer to Paul's advice as I haven't ridden much in that direction. There aren't any mountains in Kansas!

And Colorado East of I25 is just like Kansas....

[marcopolo]

OK, thanks. Maybe I'll give my suggestion a whirl. As for interstates, Paul, I use them in the interests of time. I've done it both ways when going out west and I'm at the point now where I just boot it across the plains and do the more interesting riding once I get there. Once I leave Salida, I'll be spending three weeks riding around the southwest with my wife, with not an interstate in sight.

[Bernie]

On the Wednesday morning I'll be riding up to Denver International to pick my wife up and bring her back to Salida. Her flight arrives at 10:09 a.m. I have used Garmin Basecamp to construct a route from Salida (all with no "human" intervention). Seems reasonable to me, but thought I'd describe it briefly and see if anyone has any comments, good, or bad. One way distance is 272 km (169 miles).

 

1) from Salida, head west on US 50 for about 5 miles, then turn north onto US 285.

2) follow 285 for about 21 miles and then keep right onto US 24.

3) follow US 24 for about 12 miles then bear left onto US 285 again and follow it for about 74 miles until reaching Hwy 470.

4) take Hwy 470 north for about 14 miles to I-70 eastbound.

5) take I-70 east (through Denver) for about 18 miles and take the exit to Pena Blvd.

6) follow Pena Blvd to the airport.

 

My return route to Salida is the reverse of the northbound route to Denver.

 

That is the exact same route I rode, when I picked up my wife in 2008, except we camped in Gunnison.

If you are hungry stop in Fairplay at The Brown Burro Cafe. Great food, but watch the extremely high curbs they have in that town.

I parked in the parking garage that time, this way she could get dressed and I could rearrange the luggage in the shade.

[Bud]

Just rode 285 today. Great road. We took a little detour up over to Georgetown from 285. Wonderful ride. Rough graded rode on the 285 side, brand new road from the top down to Georgetown.

 

Lots of great curves and swtichbacks.

 

We were coming back from the Colorado Sand Dunes to Highlands Ranch.

 

Have fun.

[Missouri Bob]

FYI, there's a forest fire in the vicinity of Colorado Springs. Roads are closed. In terms of fire, this summer is not off to a particularly good start.

 

Bob

[marcopolo]

FYI, there's a forest fire in the vicinity of Colorado Springs. Roads are closed. In terms of fire, this summer is not off to a particularly good start.

 

Bob

 

Just saw that, thanks. Hopefully, all will be well a month from now.