Getting to Western Colorado Without a Car
Amtrak into two towns, a state bus that stops at the airport, and an honest account of where you will still be stuck.
You can reach Grand Junction and Glenwood Springs from Denver without a car, and you can get around both towns without one. What you cannot do without a vehicle is reach almost anything people come here for. Both halves of that are worth knowing before you book.
Amtrak: the good option
The California Zephyr stops at both Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction, and this is the rare American train route that is genuinely better than driving.
| Westbound (Train 5) | Eastbound (Train 6) | |
|---|---|---|
| Denver | dep 8:46 am | arr 6:27 pm |
| Glenwood Springs | arr 2:36 pm | dep 11:42 am |
| Grand Junction | arr 4:30 pm | dep 9:53 am |
Denver to Glenwood Springs runs about five hours fifty minutes; Denver to Grand Junction about seven hours forty-five. Between the two towns is under two hours.
The reason to take it: both legs run in daylight in both directions through Glenwood Canyon and the Colorado River corridor, which is the scenic stretch of the whole route. The reason to be careful: the Zephyr is frequently delayed. Build slack into anything you book on arrival day.
Bustang: cheap, and it stops at the airport
CDOT's Bustang West Line runs the I-70 corridor with twelve stops: Denver Union Station, Federal Center in Lakewood, Idaho Springs, Frisco, Vail, Avon, Eagle, West Glenwood Park and Ride, Rifle, Parachute, the Grand Junction downtown transfer facility, and Grand Junction Regional Airport.
That airport stop is what makes a car-free arrival actually workable.
Sample one-way fares: Denver to Glenwood Springs $28, Denver to Grand Junction $43, Vail to Glenwood Springs $12, Glenwood Springs to Grand Junction $15. Multi-ride packages of 10, 20 and 40 are discounted, with senior and child rates available. Reduced service on Memorial Day, July 4, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
One caution: many Denver departures are short runs that turn around at Frisco or Vail rather than continuing to Grand Junction. Check the timetable for the specific trip you want rather than assuming frequency. The Grand Junction downtown stop has also been described as temporary.
Flying
Grand Junction Regional Airport (GJT) is five miles from downtown and, per its own marketing site, is served by United with five daily flights to Denver, Delta daily to Salt Lake City, American three times daily to Dallas/Fort Worth plus Phoenix, and Breeze Airways to Las Vegas and Orange County.
One detail that matters: the Breeze routes are one-stop with no change of plane, not true nonstops. This roster has changed materially three times in three years, so check current schedules.
Montrose Regional Airport (MTJ) is the Telluride gateway and is busiest in winter, with seasonal service concentrated between mid-December and early April. In the 2025-26 season that meant United from Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco; American from Dallas/Fort Worth year-round; Delta from Atlanta in the winter window; Southwest from Austin, Dallas and Denver; and Breeze from Orange County. The 2026-27 schedule was not published at the time of writing.
Around town, without a car
Grand Junction has Grand Valley Transit running twelve bus routes, plus Uber, Lyft, a local service called Sunshine Rides, Lime scooters, and Turo for peer-to-peer car rental. Downtown Grand Junction, downtown Fruita, downtown Palisade and downtown Glenwood Springs are all small and walkable.
The Colorado Riverfront Trail is paved and runs along the Colorado River near downtown Grand Junction, which makes a bike a genuinely viable way to get around the valley floor.
Where you will be stuck
Being direct about this, because it is the part guides skip. There is no public transit to Colorado National Monument, 18 Road, Black Canyon, the Grand Mesa, or the Palisade wineries. All of them require a vehicle.
The workable exceptions:
- Palisade by bicycle. The town is small and the wineries are within a few flat miles of each other. This is the single best car-free day in the region, though you will need to get yourself to Palisade first.
- Colorado National Monument by bicycle, if you are fit. Rim Rock Drive is a well-known road ride, twenty-three miles with about 1,950 feet of climbing. Note that dogs may not accompany cyclists on it.
- Glenwood Springs is the most car-free-friendly base overall: the train stops downtown, the hot springs and the gondola to Glenwood Caverns are walkable, and the Glenwood Canyon Recreation Path runs 16.3 miles east from a trailhead just past the vapor caves.
Driving times, if you do rent
- Grand Junction to Denver: about 4 hours
- Grand Junction to Salt Lake City: about 4 hours 15 minutes
- Grand Junction to Moab: about 115 miles, 1 hour 45 minutes
- Grand Junction to Montrose: 60 miles, about 1 hour
- Grand Junction airport to Fruita: about 15 minutes; to Palisade: about 14 minutes
- Fruita to Palisade: about 25 minutes
Checked September 2026 by Western Slope Trellis. Airline routes and bus schedules change frequently — confirm before booking.
