Colorado Airports
Colorado has more than 50 active airfields, but you don’t need to know about them all if you are just planning a trip here for vacation. You’ll see some of the key airports for travelers (especially skiers) listed below.
Denver International Airport
Opened in 1995 to replace Denver’s Stapleton Airport, the Denver International Airport is easily recognizable due to its main terminal’s design that resembles the peaks of the Rocky Mountains. Since the airport is located at approx. 5,434′ in elevation, it needs to have one of the longest runways in the world, and it measures 16,001′ in length.
Aspen/Pitkin County Airport
This small airport provides a convenient place to fly if you are visiting the Aspen/Snowmass area. While the runways are more likely to close during the winter due to weather, it does provide locals and tourists with a fairly reliable transportation hub.
Eagle County Regional Airport
This airport is located approximately 45 minutes from Vail and Beaver Creek. You can fly here from most of America’s largest airports, and this will get you closer to Vail than flying into Denver.
Telluride Regional Airport
This small single runway airport sits across the valley from the Telluride Ski Resort. This is mainly used by private aircraft, but limited commercial service is also available. At this moment, flights are offered by the Denver Air Connection, a small company owned by Key Lime Air and based out of Denver.
Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport
Although it typically only has a few commercial flights per day, this airport provides crucial access deep into the central mountains of Colorado and it is the closest airport to the Crested Butte Ski Resort. It will take you about 40 minutes to drive from this airport to Crested Butte.
Colorado Springs Municipal Airport
Fly directly into Colorado Springs on most major US airlines here. This airport has a 12 gate terminal and two parallel runways. The Colorado Springs Airport is located approx. 12 miles from downtown Colorado Springs.
Grand Junction Regional Airport
The Grand Junction Regional Airport is less than 1 mile away from Interstate 70 in Grand Junction. Flying into this airport would put you a bit more than 2 hours away from Vail, Telluride, or Aspen, and about 1.5 hours away from Glenwood Springs.
Montrose Regional Airport
The Montrose Regional Airport is located on the Western Slope of Colorado and it provides alternate access to ski resorts like Telluride, Silverton, and Crested Butte. Service to Montrose is offered by several major airlines right now.
Lake County Airport
Located in Leadville, CO at 9,934′, this airport has the highest elevation of any airport in North America. That makes this a good airport for aviation training as well as aircraft testing. This is about a 1-hour drive from Vail and Beaver Creek.
Wings Over The Rockies Air & Space Museum
Museum Info
Aviation exhibits, flights simulators, and real flights experiences are at the center of this museum.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Denver International Airport is Colorado’s largest airport. This airport has America’s longest runway, measuring approximately 16,000′. This is also the 5th longest runway in the world.
The most popular airport for skiers and snowboarders in Colorado is the Denver International Airport. Other common airports are Aspen, Telluride, Eagle County (near Vail/Beaver Creek).
The Denver International Airport is located at approximately 5,434′.
