odie1

My husband, 4 year old and I are going to Aspen in March. We are trying to decide between flying into Denver or Co Springs. The difference is we would arrive Denver at 8:15 PM on a Sat and have to stay the night and leave at 8 AM on the following Sat and have to spend the night on Fri.

If we fly into Co Springs we would land at 1 PM and we would travel half way and stay the night somewhere more interseting than a hotel at the airport. The same for the return as our flight goes out at 2 PM.

Which would be better and where would you stay going and coming. Our daughter is a great traveler so we wouldn't have a problem staying in a smaller inn type place.

Last question, I know Independence Pass is closed in the winter but could we drive the 24 all the way to the 70 and would you do that instead of driving through Denver?

Thanks

Catbert

Yes, I think I would drive 24 if I flew to Colorado Springs. Did you check on flights to Aspen?

odie1

Yes I did check on flights to Aspen but two of us can fly to Denver or Co Springs for less than one ticket to Aspen. I also checked Montrose, Eagle County, Gunnison, and Grand Junction.

tekwriter

If you have good weather, then traveling Rte. 24 from Colo. Spgs. is a wonderful trip, incredibly scenic. I'd just worry about bad weather and road conditions which are very possible that time of year. You'd probably want to be comfortable with winter driving in case you encounter it. The mileage is almost the same to Aspen from either city and I'd say the drive is a lot easier from Denver in the winter, almost all interstate. It would be a disadvantage having to stay over on both ends of your trip, but if you plan to do something in Denver and make it part of your itinerary, it might work.

Hazelmn

Do Colorado Springs only if you can avoid Denver on your drive. Traffic here can be brutal.

It will all depend on the weather, and March is still in the questionable period. I'm afraid I would advise Denver, even though I'm not a fan of DIA.

Gretchen

Do the CO Springs of course, even if you had to go up to Denver to get to 70..
Why wouldn't you go ahead and go to Aspen if you land at 1PM however.

odie1

Thank you for the replies. We are from CT and are used to snow driving although we might be a little out of practice this year if our "winter" continues as it has up until this point.

My husband is coming in for a conference so we would not be able to do much on either end of our trip if we stay in Denver. That's why we were interested in flying in and out of CO Springs since the flight times are much better.

I think I might just take our chances and fly into CO Springs. If the weather is bad we will just drive through Denver on the interstate and if the weather and road conditions are good then we will go the 24.

We might travel all the way through to Aspen on that Sat but we were also thinking we would take our time and see some more of CO as we have never been there before.

If you were to drive from CO Springs to Aspen where would you stop along the way for overnight accomodations both on the 24, and on I-70 in case we ended up going through Denver due to weather?

Catbert

I'd say Breckenridge or Frisco would be a good halfway point. If the weather is good, I'd press on through to Aspen, at least on the way. Have a great trip!

Catbert

Actually, will you be going through Leadville and then come out on I-70 at Copper? If so, and you want to pick somewhere not too pricey maybe Edwards or Avon. Of course you could stop in Vail if that's of interest to you.

Gretchen

You don't drive "through" Denver from COSprings--you skirt along the very southern part on I470 or whatever the belt road is. It could be a better way to go anyway, rather than through the mountains.

odie1

Thanks for all your help.

I was considering going through Leadville to have a more scenic drive. If the road conditions are fine and the weather is good how long of a drive is that to Aspen going that way?

I realize we don't drive "through" Denver, but that we would skirt it however I am sure it will still be congested as any major city area is. I was thinking if I figure in traffic time it might be just the same as going over the mtns.

1JAR

My DH just booked Delta for 218.00 RT thru Salt Lake City to Aspen..with no delays...sounds like you are using UNited tho

odie1

I just checked Delta and it was over $1,000 to go from Hartford. I would sure love to know where your husband got that deal from!

That's why we are flying in on Northwest to Denver or Co Springs.

Catbert

Odie, I think you'll enjoy seeing a little more of Colorado. If the weather is good, take 24 and enjoy it. Determine your stopping point by what you think your tolerance for driving after the flight is. There are some pretty cheap hotels in/near Leadville. And some reportedly great restaurants. Another little stopping place might be Fairplay. There's a little restaurant on Main St. that was surprisingly good.

When you drive through Fairplay, be warned. There is often a speed trap there!

1JAR

Odie, we get weekly emails from airfarewatchdog.com and smartravel.com
Then use Kayak.com to double check rates.
Wish I could have been more helpful...I know airfare is expensive

brushfire

May I suggest www.cheapair.com also. It includes budget airlines such as JetBlue and Southwest as well. They do charge a processing fee, but I mainly use the site for research before directly to the airline's site to book tickets.

fmpden

From the lack of accuracy in most of these responses, I am thinking that the posters are NOT Denver natives. I am. First, CS will add at least an hour if not more to your trip. DIA would be far more convenient. In good weather it is exact four hours to Aspen from the south side of Denver -- done it many times. Probably 5.5 from CS. Use 24 via Leadville will add around 2 hours because of road conditions. HOWEVER, a big issue in March is your travel days. Sunday morning into the mountain via the I-70 corridor can be bumper to bumper.

Accomendations along the way are spotty. Without advance reservations little would be available Frisco, Dillon, Avon, etc. in March. Not familar with lodging along 24. Glenwood Spring and the hot spring outdoor pool would made a great stopping point except that you are only 40 miles from Aspen. But that is only about 5 hours from CS. And you will never swim in a bigger hot tub.

Good luck, Frank

patandhank

After living in Denver for almost my entire life, I agree completely with Frank's (fmpden)remarks. March is a really iffy month for travel due to the Spring snow storms that can occur - you must remember that Leadville is almost 10,000 ft in elevation. As a friend of mine who used to live in Leadville said, "It has two seasons - August and Winter." So I think if the weather looks at all like snow, use the I70 route. And reservations are a must due to the Spring sking

odie1

Thanks again,

1JAR- I also get e-mails from airfare watchdog and the buzz from kayak. It must be because we are flying from Hartford.

fmpden- I understand that DIA is closer but due to the flight times we were thinking CO Springs might be better because it will have been an already long day with a very eary AM flight out of CT so I was thinking we could stop if we wanted to or if we were feeling up to it we could travel all the way through to Aspen if we so chose. Also, after reading other posts, it seems that if we spent the night in Denver and then got up in the AM to drive to Aspen we will most likely sit in hours of traffic which certainly doesn't appeal to us. So again, thinking the alternative of CO Springs would be better.

patandhank- If we choose to fly into COS and arrive when the weather is no good then we will definitely skip the 24 and travel around Denver. I have spent much of my life in the 9,000 foot elevations of AZ and understand about Spring snow storms and I certainly wouldn't want to get stuck in a bad situation. You mention reservations as a must, is that for the hotels along 24? Since we won't know for sure until we land, do you not think we would be able to grab a motel along the way if we wanted?

Thanks for your help.

wtm003

Hi odie,

If you decide to fly into Denver, try to leave your hotel early Sunday morning (around 6:30 a.m.) or late morning to avoid traffic congestion. The congestion won't be in the city, but most likely between Floyd Hill and Idaho Springs on I-70 into the mountains. If you leave around 8 a.m. you will hit heavy skier traffic.

If you fly into the Springs and decide to take I-70 via C-470 I wouldn't be concerned about heavy traffic on a Saturday afternoon. By that time the ski traffic will be in the opposite direction from the way you are traveling.

I liked the suggestion for spending the night in Breckenridge and I would definitely make advance reservations.

If the weather is bad, I-70 can be slow, but still better than 24. Hotel rooms will quickly fill during bad weather, so once again it is important to have an advance reservation.

If the weather is great and you decide to visit Leadville you may want to check out the historic Hotel Delaware. I have never stayed there so check out the reviews and do your research, but it may be interesting for an overnight visit.