Ski resorts have all sorts of operational challenges — snowmaking and slope grooming, transporting tons of food to mountaintop restaurants, helping unsteady tourists board their lifts without mishap — but maybe the most vexing these days is figuring out how to provide adequate parking to meet demand on peak days.
It’s not as simple as adding or expanding lots, because the resort may be landlocked — which is why one area began requiring parking reservations in advance last season. With Front Range population growth and ski passes like Epic and Ikon driving more traffic to resorts, the problem of parking is something that has challenged big and small resorts alike in recent years.
“It’s the issue of the age that we’re all dealing with,” said Sam Bass, spokesman for Eldora Mountain Resort. “You go to any industry event with other ski resorts, and whether they’re part of your company or not, it’s always parking” being discussed.
Parking also creates headaches for their customers. The towns of Breckenridge and Vail, for example, provide parking options — some of which are free — but you’d be wise to find out where those parking areas are located before you go.
Here’s a look at how ski areas catering to Front Range skiers have attempted to solve the problem, along with some tips you can follow to make the process a little less unpleasant.
Arapahoe Basin
Parking lot expansion at A-Basin really isn’t an option due to its location in a narrow valley at the foot of Loveland Pass. That’s why it began requiring paid parking reservations last season. Spokeswoman Shayna Silverman said the program worked “really, really well.” A-Basin averaged three passengers per vehicle, as compared to 1.8 the previous season, and there were no days when cars were turned away because of full lots.
This year, it is tweaking parking system. Last year the program was in place for 48 days of the season from Dec. 21 until May 4, on weekends and holidays. “This year,” Silverman said, “it’s down to 36 days, Jan. 3 to May 3, weekends only, Saturdays and Sundays. It won’t include Christmas.”
Most parking reservations will cost $20 and are already being sold online on the Arapahoe Basin website. Carpool parking is free for cars with four passengers or more, although a reservation is still required. A-Basin is partnering with TreadShare, an app that helps folks arrange carpools, giving them the option for free parking. Keep in mind, too, that on days when the reservation requirement is in effect, parking is free after 1 p.m. with no reservation required.
Loveland Basin
There were about a dozen powder days last season when the parking lots at Loveland were filled to capacity. “That’s the worst thing that can happen, if a guest drives all the way up and you have to turn them around on a great day,” said spokeswoman Loryn Roberson. “If we get to a situation like that, we go into the parking lots and give coupons valid for a $50 lift ticket so if they come back, they can ski at a discount as kind of a courtesy. Most of the time, we tell them to grab lunch in Georgetown or Silverthorne, come back and a spot will open up.”
All of Loveland’s parking is free, conveniently located at the Basin and Valley bases. For the 2026-27 season, Loveland will open up a new parking lot, adding 500 spaces at the Valley base..
Eldora
Eldora expanded its parking capacity by 50% in 2021 from 1,600 spaces to 2,400. Since then, its lots have reached capacity only a couple of times per year.
“We don’t just have expanded parking to thank for that,” Bass said. “We’re (also) training people to use RTD more often from Boulder. We’ve seen ridership numbers increase. People are carpooling more. We charge $10 per car if you’re by yourself on weekends; otherwise it’s free.”
Copper Mountain
Copper expanded its free Far East lot two years ago, adding 900 parking spaces. There also is free parking in the Alpine lot.
The problem at Copper on busy days is the heavy flow of traffic exiting Interstate 70 at the Copper Mountain exit, which sometimes backs up onto the highway. Spokeswoman Olivia Butrymovich said resort officials are working to mitigate that.
Breckenridge
There are nearly 4,500 paid parking spaces in Breck, provided either by the town or the resort, and 500 free spaces at the north end of town. There are more than 1,500 spaces in the South Gondola garage and North Gondola lot, priced at $18 to $28 depending on the date. Those lots are within walking distance of the Breck Connect Gondola.
Carpoolers with four or more people get a 50% discount when parking in those lots. The overflow shuttle lot, across the street from the North Gondola lot, has about 200 spaces. The Stephen C. West ice arena offers free day-use parking, with the Breck Free Ride bus providing transportation to all base areas. The new free lot at 300 McCain Drive will be available this season with direct shuttle service to the Breck Connect gondola. That lot is north of town, about a half mile south of Tiger Road. Details for Breckenridge parking options are available at breckpark.com.
“In the last few years since COVID, we’ve only seen one day where parking was full and vehicles had to search or wait for parking to free up for a couple of hours midday,” said Matt Hulsey, assistant public works director for the town of Breckenridge. “We are always prepared for it to happen each year with extra buses and parking staff to try and get everyone parked and where they want to go efficiently.”
Keystone
There is a lot of free parking in the River Run Gondola lot and also in the Mountain House East lots at Keystone, as well as two free off-site overflow lots.
“We run a free parking program at Keystone, and we are looking at it every year to make sure we have the best arrival and parking experience possible,” said Vail Resorts spokesman John Plack. “Once River Run and Mountain House fill up, we have the North Shuttle lot and the Powerline lot.”
The North Shuttle lot is located about a half-mile west of the Mountain House base on the north side of Highway 6. The Powerline lot is located about 0.6 of a mile east of the River Run lot. Shuttles run every 10-15 minutes.
Vail
Knowing where to park in Vail can be a challenge, especially for first-time visitors. The three parking structures located in Vail Village, Lionshead and Red Sandstone account for 2,422 paid parking spaces at variable prices and are free after 3 p.m. There are another 229 spaces at Ford Park and the Vail athletic fields east of Vail Village, according to town spokeswoman Kris Widlak.
There also is free overflow parking in designated areas along the North Frontage Road in West Vail, along the South Frontage Road east of Vail Valley Drive, and to the west of Lionshead. Check for signs indicating parking is permitted, and look for bus stops to take a free shuttle to the Vail Village or Lionshead bases.
Winter Park
Most parking is free at Winter Park, where there are more than 15 lots shown on the resort’s parking, shuttle and driving information web page. Spokeswoman Jen Miller said the resort reaches its parking capacity “only a handful of days” on weekends when powder is plentiful.
“When resort lots fill up, we send people to the town of Winter Park to park and take a free Lift shuttle back to the resort,” Miller said. “The Lift shuttle drops people off right in the base Village, closer than any free parking. Like most other resorts along the I-70 corridor, we encourage guests to carpool or take alternate transportation, like the Winter Park Express ski train, to minimize cars needing to park and to keep pressure off of I-70 and Highway 40.”
Amtrak’s Winter Park Express train service from Union Station will begin with special holiday season trains running Friday through Sunday from Dec. 19 through Jan. 4. After that, regular Thursday through Sunday service will commence Jan. 8 and run through March 29. One-way tickets start at $19 for adults, $9.50 for children 12 and under.
Public transportation
You also have the option of bus transportation to five ski areas. CDOT will provide weekend “Snowstang” bus service from Denver to Loveland, Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge and Copper Mountain again this season, beginning Dec. 13. Trips originate at Denver Union Station with intermediate stops at RTD’s Federal Center Station in Lakewood and the Wooly Mammoth Park-n-Ride, which is located at the I-70 Morrison exit. The cost is $25 round trip.
RTD operates Ski-N-Ride bus service from Boulder to Eldora during the winter. The fare is $5.50 for a full-day pass.