Getting To The Trailhead Of Your Colorado Hiking Vacation

We will pick you and your gear up on Sunday (prior to the first day of hiking) at one of the central locations as described below. We will transport the entire group (who signed up for that week) to Sunday nights base camp (trailhead where the hike will begin on Monday).

The driving time in the van from the central meeting location to the first nights base camp (Sunday night) varies from one hour to two and a half hours depending on which section.

You are responsible to arrange your own transportation to and from the central meeting location. Some suggestions are offered below. Please call Jeanne & Chris at 1-888-CME-HIKE if need some directions or the suggestions explained. We will be most happy to answer and clarify some of your concerns.

Everyone must meet at the central meeting location on Sunday at the specified time.

The exact time at which you must arrive on Sundays central location will be sent to you in the mail. (For approximate planning purposes; most of the meeting times have been after 1pm with the exceptions of sections 6 and 7 whereupon the meeting times have been around 11 am.)

No lunch is provided at the Sunday meeting location. Please bring your own lunch (or eat prior) for that day.

An evening meal is provided for Sunday (prior to the hike on Monday).

Sunday's Central Meeting Locations for each week section:

The directions to get to each of the locations in each town (as well as the exact time) will be mailed to you in an informational packet after sign up.

Your vehicle (owned or rented) will remain at this central location for the duration of the week. Vehicles have been left at these locations in the past years and without theft or damage. We hope this trend will continue, but we cannot guarantee ultimate security since these parking locations are not in a totally secure environment. To be on the safe side, it is recommended not to leave valuable items in the vehicle.

You will be brought back to this central location on the day (Saturday, except for section 6 which is Friday) following your last hiking day by 9 or 10 am.

How Do I Get To The Various Meeting Locations?

You can drive your own vehicle, rent a car or take a shuttle (shuttle available for sections 2 and 3 and 6 and 7).

Driving Time to the various meeting locations:

From Denver to:

Leadville: 3.5 hours
Poncha Springs: 3.5 hours (Salida Colorado is just ten minutes away)
South Fork: 4.5 hours (Creede is an additional 30 minutes)
Durango: 6.5 hours

From Colorado Springs to:

Leadville: 2.5 hours
Poncha Springs: 2 hours (Salida is just ten minutes away from Poncha Springs)
South Fork: 3.5 hours (Creede is an additional 30 minutes)
Durango: 5.5 hours

From Durango to:
SouthFork (section 5): 2 hours

From Albuquerque N.M. to:
SouthFork (section 5): 3 to 4 hours

What if I Live Outside the State of Colorado?

You need to arrive at least four days early to get acclimated to the higher altitude.
If you do not arrive four days early, it will be most likely that you will get altitude sickness, which will prohibit you from hiking. See Altitude Sickness

If you fly:

For Sections 2,3,4 and 5 it is recommended that you fly into Denver or Colorado Springs.
(Note: you can also fly into Durango or Albuquerque, N.M. for section 5 and rent a car and drive to SouthFork)

If you fly into Denver (Denver International Airport)…

Stay at the Renaissance Hotel (twenty to thirty minute shuttle from the airport)
They have a free shuttle service to and from the airport.
Call 303-399-7500 for a room rate and a reservation.
Their street address is 3801 Quebec St., Denver, Colorado

Ask them for the best room rate. If they cannot do better than $89 per night please give them Colorado Mountain Expeditions group name and tell them that you are a client of ours. Sometimes you can get a better room rate than 89$

From the Denver Renaissance Hotel you can get a better rate to rent a car than from the Denver Airport (Airports add on extra fees and are not very competitive since they have a captive market):

Budget is located next door to the Renaissance. Direct phone number to Budget is 303-322-3212. Without a Triple AAA membership, Sams Club or AARP you can expect daily car rentals for a compact equal to $23 per day. Make sure you ask for a discount if you are a member of any of these associations.

Hertz is located inside the Renaissance Hotel. Hertz direct phone number is 303-322-3882 Ask them for a discount if you a member of any organization like Triple AAA, Sams Club or AARP.

Please make reservations in advance for a room and a car rental.

Also for sections 2 and 3 you have some private shuttle options:

We would recommend staying in Denver (at the Renaissance) the first night of your arrival. The next day take a shuttle to Frisco, Colorado. This is nice little town with a great walking/bike path.

Your will have to take the Hotel airport shuttle back to the airport to get on the Colorado Mountain Express Shuttle to Frisco.

Take a 2-½ hour shuttle from the Denver Airport to Frisco, Colorado (a nice small Colorado Town) where you can get used to the altitude. It will cost approximately $58 per person one way. This shuttle service is called Colorado Mountain Express. Their phone number is 970-524-1100. You will have to get on the shuttle service at the Denver airport. The shuttle service will drop you off at your choice of Lodging in Frisco.

For more information about Frisco, Colorado, Go to their website at
www.summitnet.com/Frisco

Stay in Frisco at either the Frisco Lodge or the Snowshoe Inn for one to two nights prior to the meeting date. Frisco Lodge will cost $85 per night and the Snowshoe Motel will cost $55 per night. These are clean economical places to stay… nothing elaborate.
Call the Frisco Lodge at 970-668-0195 or the Snowshoe Motel at 970-668-3444

Frisco Lodge website is www.friscolodge.com

On the meeting day (Sunday), take an hour shuttle from Frisco to Leadville to the meeting location (Colorado Mountain College). The shuttle service from Frisco to Leadville is called the Dee Hive. It will cost $35 for a one-way shuttle. To make a reservation call 719-486-2339. The Dee Hive can pick you up directly from your place of lodging in Frisco and take you directly to the meeting place at Colorado Mountain College.

When you get done with your hiking vacation … you will just reverse the transportation arrangements above. Leadville to Frisco… then from Frisco to Denver Airport.

Should I use the shuttle services or should I rent a car for sections 2 and 3?

The answer to that question depends on if you want to drive yourself or which makes more sense economically. If you do not want to drive yourself… the cost of a shuttle service all the way to Denver to Leadville and back will be approximately $190 for a round trip.

If you do not mind driving and want the freedom of having your own transportation to explore Colorado before your hiking trip begins… you should consider renting a car.
If you pick up your rental car on Friday and return it back ten days later @ a daily rental rate of $23, the total cost will be $230. This is $40 more than a shuttle service.
The total cost could be less if you have memberships to Triple AAA, Sams Club or AARP.

If more than one person is traveling in your party… it definitely makes sense to rent a car.

For sections 4 and 5:

There is not a private shuttle service for these two sections. You will need to rent a car.
If you fly into Denver…stay in Denver at the Renaissance Hotel the first night… then pick up a rental car from Budget or Hertz at the Renaissance Hotel in Denver.

Stay at the Renaissance Hotel (twenty to thirty minute shuttle from the Denver airport)
They have a free shuttle service to and from the airport.
Call 303-399-7500 for a room rate and a reservation.
Their street address is 3801 Quebec St., Denver, Colorado

Ask them for the best room rate. If they cannot do better than $89 per night please give them Colorado Mountain Expeditions group name and tell them that you are a client of ours. Sometimes you can get a better room rate than $89.

Budget is located next door to the Renaissance. Direct phone number to Budget is 303-322-3212. Without a Triple AAA membership, Sam’s Club or AARP you can expect daily car rentals for a compact equal to $23 per day. Make sure you ask for a discount if you are a member of any of these associations.

Hertz is located inside the Renaissance Hotel. Hertz direct phone number is 303-322-3882 Ask them for a discount if you a member of any organization like Triple AAA, Sam’s Club or AARP.

Please make reservations in advance for a room and a car rental.

Flying into Colorado Springs- Check to see if the airfares are less expensive than Denver.
.

Section 4- The meeting place is Poncha Springs. However, we recommend that you stay in Salida the evening prior to the meeting day. Salida is only a ten-minute drive to Poncha Springs.

As a matter of fact, Salida is a good place to hang out for a couple of days before your hiking trip begins. For more information about Salida, Go to their website at
www.salidachamber.org

If you like Rafting, Salida is the central headquarters for rafting.

Section 5 - You can fly into Denver CO, Durango, CO, or Albuquerque N.M. and rent a car and drive to SouthFork, CO. The meeting place is in South Fork, Colorado at the Visitors Center. You could stay in South Fork at The Wolf Creek Ski Lodge wclodge@southforkco.com or the Comfort Inn of South Fork. You can call the Comfort Inn at 719-837-5600.

For more information on South Fork, Colorado visit www.SouthForkco.com

South Fork is a very, very small town with limited attractions.

If you plan an early arrival to Colorado and want more attractions and activities… you could stay a day or two in Salida, Colorado. The drive time from Salida to South Fork is just two and a half hours of easy driving. The meeting time in South Fork is around 1pm, thus, you would have plenty of time to drive from Salida to South Fork on the day of meeting.

Salida is a bigger Colorado Town than South Fork.

For more information on Salida, Colorado go to www.salidachamber.org

Another site seeing option for Section 5… Creede, Colorado is a small historic mining town just about a thirty-minute drive from South Fork. It has a great repertory Theatre.
You could stay in Creede on the evening prior to the meeting day and then drive to South Fork to meet at the Visitors Center. For more information on Creede, Colorado
Visit the website: www.creede.com Try staying at the Old Fire House Inn, Blessings or The Amethyst Inn.

Flying into Durango for sections 6 and 7:

Both United Airlines and America West fly into Durango.

There is a shuttle service called Durango Transportation that can take you from the airport to your place of lodging in Durango. Their phone number is 970-259-4818.
The cost is approximately $20 per person. Please call them in advance to make a reservation.

For Lodging, the most economical place is The Durango Lodge. The room rate will be approximately $95 per night. This Motel is located right downtown Durango which allows you to walk to the many restaurants and shops in Durango. The Durango Lodge phone number is 1-888-440-4489 or 970-247-0955. This motel is not elaborate… just a clean room. Their website is www.durangolodge.com

For other lodging choices and other information about Durango visit the following websites: www.durango.org or www.durangodowntown.com

On the meeting day… Colorado Mountain Expeditions will pick you up in our van from your place of Lodging in Durango.

Car Rentals are also available in Durango and the Durango Airport. There are lots to do and see while visiting Durango as you get acclimated to the altitude. So plan on coming early!! Visit the following websites: www.durango.org or www.durangodowntown.com

Another fly in option for sections 6 and 7:

Southwest Airlines and Delta flies into Albuquerque, New Mexico. This could provide for some less expensive airfares. However, you would have to rent a car and drive to Durango. (There is no shuttle service between Albuquerque and Durango).

Drive Time between Albuquerque, New Mexico and Durango Colorado:

3.5 hours

Plan your next Colorado Hiking Vacation with Colorado Mountain Expeditions

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Got Questions? E-Mail us @ info@coloradotrailhiking.com or
call us 1-888-CME-HIKE

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