Best way form Denver Airport to Cheyenne (WY) (rental car, rental)

[carlosmad6]

Hello friends,

Next summer I have to go from Denver Intnal. Airport to Cheyenne (WY). Checking the different routes, I see that there is a Toll road (E-470) an then connect to Highway 25 or take Pena Boulevard-Hghway 70-270-and then 25.

Can you suggest me which is the best option? (If is possible I want to avoid the toll road).

Many thanks and regards from Spain

[davidv]

If it's rush hour or you are in a hurry, then I would suggest E470. If not, Pena - I-70 - I-270 - I-25 is easier and faster than any other route you might take. It will add about 10-12 miles to your trip, and if traffic is bad (rush hour, accident, etc.) It can add 30 -45 min. to the trip. Don't go on any "shortcuts" around the arsenal. Those routes are best left to people familiar with the area.

[carlosmad6]

Thanks David!

[tfox]

E-470 is by far the fastest, easiest, and most traffic-free route and generally well worth the money IMHO when coming from the north to DIA. However....

You probably aren't going to be able to take E-470 anyway if you're arriving in a rental car. E-470 is cashless/electronic -- so you either use one of their transponder devices, or they mail you a bill every time you use it (yes, even if you're from out of state). However, the rental car agencies all will penalize you if you attempt to use the road in one of their cars.

Even if you don't have a rental car, the hassle of receiving and paying bill just to use the road may seem a bit too much.

The route suggested above (Pena / I-70 W / I-270N / I-25N) is the easiest route that doesn't involve E-470. At some times of day it's probably the fastest, but it's highly dependent on traffic as it goes straight through the heart of Metro Denver. There are other non-toll options as well.

Here are a couple of options:

Pena to Tower Road North to 104th Avenue West to I-25 North. Tower and 104th Avenue are surface streets, but neither see a lot of traffic, so it's a bit more reliable. However there's quite a few lights on 104th Ave, plus a few at-grade rail crossings, and the other downside is that there's still quite a bit of traffic on I-25 north of 104th Ave, so you're not escaping I-25 traffic completely this way.

There's also Pena to Tower Road North to 120th Ave West to US-85 North to Co-7 West to I-25 North. This one is the route that all the shuttle services that go up north used to use before E-470 (I don't know if they've switched to E-470 or continue to use this route). It is rather complicated, so easy to get lost, but it's definitely a consistent route, as you're bypassing the metro area. It also doesn't have any at-grade rail crossings.

[sunsprit]

As a Cheyenne area resident that uses DIA fairly frequently, I'll second davidv's freeway route ...

I've tried all the combinations of Tower and 104th and 120th and so forth, and none of them have ever worked out to be faster or easier than the Pena/I-70/270/I-25.

And I've seen one heck of a lot of traffic on 104th or 120th, where it took several light cycles to clear some of the intersections. I haven't used E-470 because I don't have the pass/electronics.

[carlosmad6]

Thanks all of you for your answers. I think that I'll try Pena/70/270/25.