Commuting to Aspen (Colorado Springs, Aurora, Lakewood: extended stay, rental, hotel)

[Shoneezy]

Hello! I'm looking for answers from people who have recently lived in the Aspen area, as I have not spent much time there. I'm currently exploring a career opportunity in Aspen and have a couple of questions, if anyone could answer them for me!

1. What cell phone provider gets the best service up there? The last time I was in Vail, my Sprint service worked okay but I'm not sure about Aspen.

2. Are there any surrounding areas that you can commute to Aspen in during the winter time, once Independence Pass is closed? From my understanding, the bus runs from Snowmass Village to Aspen to Snowmass Village all year long. Does it ever shut down? Is it possible to drive from, for example, Basalt to Aspen during the winter or any other surrounding areas? Is there a bus service from any other surrounding towns, other than Snowmass Village that travels to Aspen in the winter?

Any and all information would be appreciated. Housing is difficult to come by in the region, especially for my maximum budget of $1800/mo with a large dog. It would be nice to widen the search in different areas - however, not if I can't always reach my job.

Thanks again!

[Littlekw]

RFTA - Roaring Fork Transportation Authority

The Roaring Fork Valley has good bus service, better than some cities on the Front Range (looking at you, Colorado Springs and Pueblo). The commute from either Carbondale, El Jebel or Basalt isn't that diffucult, even in winter. Aspen is ultimately a winter destination and they keep the road open and cleared year-round to make sure folks can get in.

$1800 a month for yourself and a large dog is very doable, not in Aspen, but most places in between there and Glenwood Springs. It won't get you much more than a one bedroom place, but it's feasible. There are some really informative posters on this forum that live in that area that will chime in shortly and direct you better than I can, but I think you could do just fine.

In the winter, don't even think about living on the east side of Independence Pass. Honestly, that's not even an option. When it's open your commute over it will be brutal. When it closes, add three hours each way.

[Shoneezy]

Thank you so much for the information Littlekw! It's really important that I know my options before even agreeing to employment, even though the Pitkin County pay grade and benefits are really awesome.

During the summer, late spring, and early fall months when Independence Pass is open I could commute from Vail as I have a free place to live there, but it's definitely not feasible in the winter.

So from what I'm understanding, Carbondale, El Jebel, and Basalt are easily to commute to Aspen even in the winter? Is that through a bus service, or on public roads? I would really hate to accept a position with Pitkin County, rent a house, get plowed with snow, and then be unable to make it into work. I'm not completely against shared living, but my dog is a huge a hole so I'd rather stay away from that if I can.

Thanks for your input, and if you can think of anything else I would really love to hear it. I'm in the beginning stages of the employment opportunity, but I'd rather not waste the city's time and resources if it's not something that I can figure out.

Thanks again Littlekw!

[delta07]

Most people that work in Aspen do not live there. The cost of living is just to high. As Littlekw suggested, the Roaring Fork Valley is where most people live unless they are independently wealthy. There are plenty of commuters along Hwy. 82 & the roads are plowed & well maintained. You definitely do not want to commute over Independence pass on a daily basis, even in summer. That route is slow going!

[Littlekw]

Even with a free place to stay, I would never try to commute from the Vail Valley to Aspen. I wouldn't even consider it. Not in the summer, much less the winter.

It sounds like you have a job opportunity lined up through Pitkin County? Then I would have to say you need to live in Pitkin County or in the nearby areas of Garfield County, i.e. Glenwood Springs. A commute over Independence Pass is absolutely out of the question. It's a narrow, windy, sometimes one-lane road that is NOT an option to commute over. Period. No matter what time of year, it's not a route you want to take unless you have a few hours to kill to look at the scenery and get behind someone that drives 10mph for 25 miles.

If you plan to work in Aspen, plan to live as close to Aspen as you can, within your budget. Independence Pass just isn't a viable commute option.

[Shoneezy]

Right on delta07. One of my friends made it seem that if I didn't live in Aspen I wasn't going anywhere. His experience was commuting from Eagle to Vail and I guess he wasn't able to make the trip once bad weather set in. I'm really not picky on the commute as recently I was commuting from Lakewood to Aurora which was 45-60 minutes, and had once done that on a bus which would end up being three hours. As long as I can 100% make it into Aspen I'm good.

Little ke that's good to know. I would only use Vail as a last resort if I started before I found housing. It would suck, but id have to push through lol.

[Littlekw]

^ Lakewood to Aurora isn't a fun commute, to be sure. It's a lot of traffic and gridlock. Vail to Aspen is an entirely different situation. Have you driven that route? First off you have to get out of the Vail Valley. In the winter that's a challenge all of its own. The traffic from Vail to Gypsum will make you want to tear your hair out.

But wait! It gets better. After Gypsum you have to navigate the narrow confines of Glenwood Canyon. Beautiful as it is, it's an interstate with a speed limit of 50mph. For a good hour. Then you're in Glenwood Springs and you still have to get off on CH 82 that will take you through more traffic and a 45 mile drive that can take up to two hours to drive to get into Aspen.

Please, if you have a good job opportunity in Aspen, live as close to the town as you can afford.

[Dogmama50]

Thousands of people commute the Eagle to Vail route every day in the winter, it's a major interstate and accidents do happen but it is a normal daily route so your friend is wrong.

If you are going to live in Aspen look at living in Basalt (Willits), Carbondale or Glenwood, take RFTA. As long as you don't rent something way up by Reudi Reservoir or Redstone you won't have a problem getting into work on a daily basis. I lived in Basalt for 6 years and never had a commuting problem, 82 is a well kept road as long as you drive smart.

Even if you decided to stay at your free place in Vail for the summer you still wouldn't take Independence Pass to get to Aspen, it's a longer route, usually clogged with tourists. Taking I 70 to hwy 82 will take almost 2 hours, not an ideal commute if you want to have a life and walk your dog now and again.

[delta07]

Originally Posted by Dogmama50

Thousands of people commute the Eagle to Vail route every day in the winter, it's a major interstate and accidents do happen but it is a normal daily route so your friend is wrong.

If you are going to live in Aspen look at living in Basalt (Willits), Carbondale or Glenwood, take RFTA. As long as you don't rent something way up by Reudi Reservoir or Redstone you won't have a problem getting into work on a daily basis. I lived in Basalt for 6 years and never had a commuting problem, 82 is a well kept road as long as you drive smart.

Even if you decided to stay at your free place in Vail for the summer you still wouldn't take Independence Pass to get to Aspen, it's a longer route, usually clogged with tourists. Taking I 70 to hwy 82 will take almost 2 hours, not an ideal commute if you want to have a life and walk your dog now and again.

Everything Dogmama50 & Littlekw stated is spot on. I don't know anyone that would ever consider commuting via Independence Pass. It's just not a viable alternative. I-70 would be the only reasonable option if you consider that route reasonable. You'd be better off renting a vacation rental place or an extended stay hotel vs. that commute. You'd save money in gas alone.

[sunsprit]

Vail to Aspen?

having a home in Vail and driving to visit skiing buddies in Aspen has typically taken me 3 hours in the wintertime, and that's in off-peak traffic times on I-70. I've picked up friends at the Eagle County airport terminal and driven them to Snowmass and had it take 2 hours. A commute from anywhere further out than Glenwood Springs will take a huge chunk out of your life.

While 82 is one of the better maintained roads of the area, keep in mind that it's got a lot of traffic which includes tourists who aren't necessarily very capable winter drivers. I've seen a lot of minor accidents on this road through the years which cause substantial traffic back-ups going stop-and-go, especially during those rush hours when the skiers are heading to the area.

Best, if you can, to be as close to Aspen as your budget will allow and to use the public transport system. "Large dog" will add substantially to your rental costs and limit your choices.

At least for me, as a landlord in Vail ... I won't even consider a "large dog" anymore. I've been burned too many times through the years even with extra damage deposits in advance. Once had a dog claw it's way through the door panels of a $800 solid core wood exterior door (IIRC, it was a Bernese Mountain Dog ... not even all that big, it was a year-old puppy) in 6 months. If it was left alone inside the house while the tenants were at work, it clawed it's way outbound. If it was left outside, it clawed it's way inbound. The tenants took to chaining it to a 4"x4" post outside supporting an overhead structure; the dog circled around so many times it sawed it's way through the post. That was after they'd tried chaining it to the large Aspen trees on my landscaping close to the house ... the chain "girdled" each tree trunk and my stand of trees all died. That alone was thousands of dollars of landscaping lost. As well, even the tenants with smaller, less stressed dogs ... every one of them messed enough times in the house that the carpeting and padding needed to be replaced after each tenant move-out. I finally got so disgusted with the losses that I pulled out the carpet and installed an industrial hard surface floor. If they want throw rugs now for underfoot comfort, they can buy them for their own use and take them with them. That didn't include all the destroyed draperies, clawed up window screens, and peed on HWBB heat registers. You haven't had all the fun you can have as a landlord until you've spent a weekend on your hands and knees taking apart the baseboard register covers and cleaning them with hot sudsy ammonia or bleach. But every tenant's dog was simply the best behaved, most housebroken dog ever known to mankind, the product of the best trainers ... right?