Getting Here and Around

Air

Denver International Airport (DEN) is the gateway to the attractions and ski resorts in Summit County. The airport is an hour's drive from the Continental Divide along I–70.

Transfers

To and from Summit County (Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Dillon, Frisco, and Keystone), use Colorado Mountain Express and 453 Taxi, which have regular service to and from the Denver airport.

Airport Contacts

Denver International Airport (DEN). 8500 Pena Blvd., Denver, Colorado, 80249. 800/247–2336; www.flydenver.com.

Airport Transfer Contacts

Epic Mountain Express. Colorado. 970/754–7433; 800/525–6363; www.epicmountainexpress.com.

453-Taxi. Colorado. 970/453–8294; 453taxi.com.

Bus and Shuttle

All the resorts run free or inexpensive shuttles between the ski villages and the slopes. Summit Stage provides free public transportation to town and ski areas, in and between ski areas in Summit County.

Contacts

Summit Stage. This free bus service throughout Summit County operates year-round. Colorado. 970/668–0999; www.summitcountyco.gov/586/Transit-Summit-Stage.

Car

The hardest part about driving in the High Rockies is keeping your eyes on the road. A glacier-carved canyon off to your left, a soaring mountain ridge to your right, and there, standing on the shoulder, a bull elk. Some of the most scenic routes aren't necessarily the most direct. The Eisenhower Tunnel sweeps thousands of cars daily beneath the mantle of the Continental Divide, whereas only several hundred drivers choose the slower, but more spectacular, Loveland Pass. Some of the most beautiful byways, like the Mount Evans Scenic and Historic Drive, are one-way roads.

Although it is severely overcrowded, I–70 is still the quickest and most direct route from Denver to Summit County. The interstate slices through the state, separating it into northern and southern halves. Breckenridge is south of I–70 on Highway 9; Leadville and Ski Cooper are south of I–70 along U.S. 24 and Highway 91.

Gasoline is readily available along I–70 and its arteries, but when venturing into more remote areas be sure that you have enough fuel to get there and back. Blinding snowstorms can appear out of nowhere on the high passes at any time of the year. Chains aren't normally required for passenger vehicles on highways, but it's a good idea to carry them. A shovel isn't a bad idea, either.