Commute Boulder - Golden (Arvada, Grand Junction: how much, home, transfer to)

[lacesout]

Good morning,

Does anyone know if what cities/counties/living areas lie between Boulder and Golden - off the 93. I have never been there but am considering relocation to accomodate by two collage age kids. One wants to go to Mines, the other to transfer to UC, Boulder. It is actually more economical for me to consider a move to the area than to board each kid out. But I would need housing with acreage that would be in a location to offer a reasonable communte to both schools. Any ideas?

Thank you very much for any input ...

Lacesout in Grand Junction, CO

[2bindenver]

Acreage? The mountains outside of Golden may offer acreage. Or the western part of Arvada...depends on how much you are willing to spend.

The highway is 93, and could be closed due to winds. If you lived in Arvada, both kids could commute - if the highway is closed the Boulder kid could take 36 to Wadsworth home & the Golden kid could get to school via Colfax/6th Ave.

[qfrost]

On the 93, what's the drive like? In winter? Traffic normally?

THanks

[keylay]

Originally Posted by qfrost

On the 93, what's the drive like? In winter? Traffic normally?

THanks

It's fine most of the time. When it snows, it gets wet and slippery. But it also gets plowed and salted. It is sometimes windy too. When it snows, leave extra early or way late to get to where you're going. I have a 2x4 Toyota Tacoma, and with winter style off-road tires, extra weight in my bed and slow driving, I never missed a beat. I once couldn't get up 19th Street in Golden because it was to icey.

[livecontent]

Hwy. 93 is closed many times when there are high winds. This area from Golden to Boulder is very open and is noted for these winds and with blowing snow, it is not safe.

Livecontent

[POhdNcrzy]

Hey Q,

93 is pretty heavily trafficked from 7:00 - 11:00 am and 3:00 - 7:00 pm. That can be good in winter in the sense that during less heavy snowfall or other precipitation, all the traffic helps keep the road clear. 93 runs close to the foothills (Dakota Hogback formation) and therefore can quickly get a lot of snowfall during wintry conditions. It is known as a somewhat dangerous road in winter due to relatively heavy traffic volume, constant heavy cross winds (W-E), and potential for black ice and other wintry treacherous conditions.

I would say in bad traffic it's a 45 minute drive, most times 30 minutes, and 20-25 minutes with little to no traffic (i.e. 2:00 am or at dawn).

Beautiful scenery, including views of mountains and rock formations, choo-choo trains, horses and livestock, and even the world famous "Rocky Flats Lounge". (I bet that's still there, right?)

Keep in mind, in that part of Colorado, the "scary driving winter conditions" only exist from Thanksgiving to April 1st at the latest, and really taper off as early as March 1st. Occasionally you might get a bad blizzard or two sometime between Sept 1 and Thanksgiving as well. If you are a smart Colorado driver in an AWD vehicle, there really isn't too much to worry about at all, IMHO.

[Micktooth]

I love driving 93. Sure there can be some traffic but the views are spectacular. Snow and wind can make the drive difficult and the hwy is closed during severe weather. One thing I must say, it is dangerous to drive late at night, it is not well lit at all.

[qfrost]

Wow. Great info, all! Thanks. I suspected it had to be heavily traveled, since I see no other direct route between the two.