Could someone please help pick a place to stay betwwen central city and frisco on our way to apen. We get in around 5pm and it was suggested that we drive through denver and then continue on in the morning.

I am driving in from Omaha and will be staying at the Days Inn in Golden that Tripadvisor says is OK. There are other chain motels along I-70 in this area. I have also stayed in Silverthorne, but that may be too far for you.

First of all, are you going through Central City on your way to Aspen. It is really out of the way. I would take I-70 from the airport through Denver and into the mountains. My husband and I just drove from Denver to Breckenridge yesterday and there are hotels/motels in Idaho Springs, Georgetown on the east side of the Eisenhower tunnel and in Dillon and Frisco on the west side. Idaho Springs has some mom and pop motels http://tinyurl.com/3clfrc Gerogetown has a Super 8 http://tinyurl.com/2vv76d and the Georgetown Mountain Inn http://www.georgetownmountaininn.com/ Dillon has a Best Western http://www.ptarmiganlodge.com/ and Comfort Suites http://tinyurl.com/336lyo among others. Frisco has a Ramada Inn Limited, Holiday Inn and Best Western among others.

Silverthorne is only and hour and a half from Denver. Vail 2 hours.
I think the toll road from the airport connects you with I70 outside Denver--someone confirm? It cuts off going through Denver to get to the mountains.

The tollroad (E470) connects with I-25 way north or way south. One would then have to drive either south or north on I-25 to I-70--which would be out of the way, IMO. The most direct route to the mountains is just to take I-70 west from Pena Blvd (the road from the airport.)

As Gretchen says, the mountain towns you are looking at are not that far from Denver. The drive yesterday from downtown Denver to Breckenridge took us 1 hour and 20 minutes on I-70. Vail is about 2 hours. You might want to consider staying there--nice hotels, great restaurants.

Why stay in either place. It is only about 2-2.5 hours to vail from the airport and not a terribly difficult drive on I-70. For your one night Vail would be far more interesting than staying in some dump along the way. You have a choice of dozens of hotels in or very near the Village, such as in Lionshead. In the Village you can eat at a nice restaurant and stroll around.

I decided to stay in Golden and start out fresh in the morning so I could take my time on scenic I-70, so beautiful. I wanted to avoid the p.m. rush hour west out of Denver.