Arriving
By Plane
Boulder doesn’t have a commercial airport. Air travelers must fly into Denver International Airport and then make ground connections to Boulder, a trip of about an hour.
Getting to & from the Airport--The SuperShuttle Boulder (tel. 303/227-0000; www.supershuttle.com) makes regular trips between Boulder and Denver International Airport. The one-way fare is about $30 per person; round-trips run around $50.
Boulder Yellow Cab (tel. 303/777-7777; www.boulderyellowcab.com) charges $84 one-way to the airport for up to five passengers.
Buses operated by the Regional Transportation District, known locally as RTD (tel. 800/366-7433 or 303/299-6000; www.rtd-denver.com), charge $12 for a one-way trip to the airport (exact change required); those 15 and under ride free. Buses leave from, and return to, the main terminal at 14th and Walnut streets daily every hour from before 4am to after midnight.
Boulder Limousine Service (tel. 303/449-5466) charges $85 and up for a ride from DIA to Boulder (or vice versa) in a limousine.
By Car
The Boulder Turnpike (U.S. 36) branches off I-25 north of Denver and passes through the suburbs of Westminster, Broomfield, and Louisville before reaching Boulder. The trip takes about 30 minutes. If you are coming from Denver International Airport, take E-470 west, which becomes the Northwest Parkway (both are no-stop toll roads; owners are automatically billed by mail, but renters should check with their agent for their specific policy) to U.S. 36. If you’re arriving from the north, take the Longmont exit from I-25 and follow Colo. 119 all the way. Longmont is 7 miles due west of the freeway; Boulder is another 15 miles southwest on the Longmont Diagonal Highway.
Visitor Information
The Boulder Convention and Visitors Bureau, 2440 Pearl St. (at Folsom St.), Boulder, CO 80302 (tel. 800/444-0447 or 303/442-2911; www.bouldercoloradousa.com), is open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 5pm, and can provide excellent maps, brochures, and general information on the city. There are also visitor information kiosks on Pearl Street Mall and at the Davidson Mesa overlook, several miles southeast of Boulder on U.S. 36. Brochures are available at both sites year-round.
City Layout
The north-south streets increase in number going from west to east, beginning with 3rd Street. (The eastern city limit is at 61st St., although the numbers continue to the Boulder County line at 124th St. in Broomfield.) Where U.S. 36 enters Boulder (and does a 45-degree turn to the north), it becomes 28th Street, a major commercial artery. The Longmont Diagonal Highway (Colo. 119) enters Boulder from the northeast and intersects 28th Street at the north end of the city.
To reach downtown Boulder from U.S. 36, turn west on Canyon Boulevard (Colo. 119 west) and north on Broadway, which would be 12th Street if it had a number. It’s 2 blocks to the Pearl Street Mall, a 4-block, east-west pedestrian-only strip from 11th to 15th streets that constitutes the historic downtown district. Boulder’s few one-way streets circle the mall: 13th and 15th streets are one-way north, 11th and 14th one-way south, Walnut Street (a block south of the mall) one-way east, and Spruce Street (a block north) one-way west.
Broadway continues across the mall, eventually joining U.S. 36 north of the city. South of Arapahoe Avenue, Broadway turns southeast, skirting the University of Colorado campus and becoming Colo. 93 (the Foothills Hwy. to Golden) after crossing Baseline Road. Baseline follows a straight line from east Boulder, across U.S. 36 and Broadway, past Chautauqua Park and up the mountain slopes. To the south, Table Mesa Drive takes a similar course.
The Foothills Parkway (not to be confused with the Foothills Hwy.) is the principal north-south route on the east side of Boulder, extending from U.S. 36 at Table Mesa Drive to the Longmont Diagonal; Arapahoe Avenue, a block south of Canyon Boulevard, continues east across 28th Street as Arapahoe Road.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
