Travel From Denver

In 2013, our crew of 12 rented two minivans (Grand Caravans) in Denver.  I think it was Budget.  We arrived two days early to acclimate (we flew non-stop from New Orleans).  We picked the vans up on a Sunday morning and returned them Sunday afternoon, two weeks later.  If I recall correctly, the cost for both vans was about $1700-$1800.  Even taking into account the cost of fuel, we came out a little cheaper than the shuttle services.  Plus we had a lot more flexibility when it came to our schedule.

One trick on keeping the price down on the vans was to pick up the vans at a rental office away from the airport.  Two leaders took a cab to a downtown Budget location, picked up the vans and drove back to the airport to pick up the rest of the crew and gear.  We were able to return the vans at the airport with no penalty.  I’m not sure how much we saved, but it was worth the hassle.

We are going 2016 and will probably do this again.

I have no idea what these charge, the info is from the 2015 Council & Unit Planning Guide. We usually fly into Albuquerque.

Gray Line of Denver (800-348-6877 or joann@coloradograyline.com) provides daily transfer services to/from Philmont for groups or individuals from Denver International Airport and Denver Amtrak.

DCS America, Inc (800-873-1856 or keithg@dcsamericainc.com) Rental/Leasing of Mini-bus Chassis from Denver or Colorado Springs. Web: http://www.DCSAmericaInc.com

Go Shuttle LLC (888-722-1483) van shuttle service from Denver and Colorado Springs

Leading The Way Tours, Inc (866-696-5073 or Christine@leadingthewaytours.com) charter services from Colorado Springs, Denver or Albuquerque. Web: http://www.leadingthewaytours.com

Pacesetter (800-877-6001 or sales@pacesetterbus.com) provides service from Denver (airport or Amtrak) and Colorado Springs. Web: http://www.pacesetterbus.com

Premier Charters, Inc (303-289-2222 or Ryan@RidePremier.com) provides service from Denver and Colorado Springs. Web: http://www.ridepremier.com

The Mountains USA (866-433-2244 or info@TheMountainsusa.com) Rental of 15 passenger vans from Denver and Colorado Springs. Web: http://www.TheMountainsUSA.com

Thanks Edgar – Budget offers a pre-pay option that makes it cheaper. Looks like renting a mini-van from the airport is cheaper than the two locations in Denver I checked but I may not have chosen the exact location you guys used. This may be an option. Higher than Amtrak with the $45 Raton-PSR shuttle but still cheaper than Blue Sky or any other transportation service I’ve contacted.

Thanks Ed! I did contact Grayline and they weren’t any cheaper, may have been higher. I will contact the others and see what they say. We just need a good friend or family member withing our crew(s) that we can call in a favor. :-)

I just looked at Amtrak from St. Louis to Raton $240 round trip. Of course that’s for 2016. Travel time is bearable. ;)

Ed – a lot, if not most, unit contingencies from around here use Amtrak. We may end up doing that. The cost of the round trip ticket plus the $45 per person shuttle to Philmont is about the same as a round trip direct flight on Southwest. It’s an overnight trip and the best bet is to leave from Kansas City. There is only one train per day from K.C. to Raton. We wouldn’t want to get on in St. Louis and risk having a connection missed and waiting another day to get out there. I just know I’d be MUCH more rested by flying and then driving plus more flexibility. If we can get the transportation cost from Denver and back reasonable I’d much prefer that. However, we will do what the crew wants to. :-)

I checked Budget: Pick up at 1980 Broadway in Denver, return to Denver International.  Pick up the morning of 6/19, return afternoon of 7/3 (14 days plus a partial).  I used a discount code (BCD) I found on Groupon: B006301.  Came out to $968 per vehicle.

A cheaper alternative may be to rent 3 cars, if you can handle it with the drivers.  Budget shows a full size (Ford Fusion or equiv) car rental for the same dates, pick up and drop off at the Airport, at $440 per car.

With the vans, we had just enough space for 6 persons each and our gear.  All but two of us used Philmont tents.  With the cars, trunk space may be a little light, especially If everyone is bringing their own tents or bulky sleeping bags/pads.

Here’s another thing to look at/consider. I’m looking at 2016 reservation dates the same as our 2017 trek dates 6/30-7/12. Coming in on 6/29 from Denver and departing on 7/12. I had looked at renting a minivan from Hertz in Denver, dropping it in Raton then doing the same thing from Raton to Denver. The Hertz site had said a few months ago when I was doing all of my travel cost estimates that Hertz couldn’t guarantee a minivan class of vehicle in Raton. I had assumed that hadn’t changed but looked again today anyway and it has. The website says it’s available. I even called the 800 number and spoke to a live human. :-) She said if a reservation is made and confirmed in Raton for a minivan it will be available for rental on that day. That’s great news. The cost of dropping a minivan is a bit high but some cheaper than renting one for two weeks. The published non Hertz Gold member price for Denver to Raton is around $280 and from Raton to Denver $322. If you have AAA that probably lowers the cost. I can rent on a leisure rate through my employer Hertz Gold setup and it’s MUCH cheaper. So if you have a corporate Hertz Gold membership you might be able to do a lot better than the prices above.

According to Google maps the Hertz rental location is just about a block from the Amtrak station so it shouldn’t be too bad for walking. You’d still have to get the $45/person Raton to PSR shuttle. Even with the Raton-PSR shuttle cost the Hertz Gold corporate discount made it reasonable dividing the cost among our crew members who have signed up so far. Just thought I’d throw that out there.

Jamie.

I live in Colorado Springs and helped a buddy from California a couple of years ago with the same predicament.  Here’s another option that may work… The Eagle Club at the USAFA is very active in the Pikes Peak Council and the Academy frequently makes special accommodations for the cadets to help with Scouts (some cadets fill in as Rangers in the summer).  They may be available to provide drivers and vans to help you get to PSR.  Whatever route works for you, I would strongly encourage you to carve out some time in the Denver/Colorado Springs area to get acclimated and see some sights.  Happy to offer ideas on the area and help as needed… YiS, Dan

Thanks Dan! Another great idea to consider. I might reach out to you when we finalize travel plans if they vote to fly.

Thanks!

Jamie.

Has anyone had any experience renting a 12 passenger van at the Denver airport?  Do they have the capacity for all the luggage?  I’ve also heard that they may be susceptible to rollovers. Appreciate the feedback.