Rocky Mountain National Park to Cheyenne Mountain State Park

padredw wrote:
We will be leaving mid-day on a week day to move from Glacier Basin Campground in RMNP to Cheyenne Mountain SP. I am familiar with the Peak to Peak Highway down to I-70 and to Loveland to pick up I-25 S. I am less familiar with US 36 through Boulder.

I am just wondering if someone with more local experience might give me some suggestions about the best route. Maybe I am just lucky, but I have never had any difficulty driving right through Denver on I-25. I am not so sure about Boulder.

Thanks for any comments or suggestions.

As you're coming in to Boulder on US 36 from Lyons, it becomes 28th St, a major north/south route. Which is to say a lot of traffic and traffic lights (at least the times recently that I've been through).

Two suggestions. At the intersection for Iris Ave/Diagonal Highway, make a LEFT onto the Diagonal/CO 119 and go just a bit east to get on Foothills Parkway/CO 157 southbound, a RIGHT exit. Though there are traffic lights on Foothills, there are far fewer than you'll have staying on 28th St through Boulder. On the south end, you'll join up with US 36/Boulder-Denver Turnpike. 2 lanes that exit LEFT (don't want to stay RIGHT to Table Mesa Dr -- made that mistake). This bypasses most of the stop/go traffic through Boulder.

Second suggestion. Bypass Boulder altogether. Coming down US 36 from Estes Park to Lyons, instead of turning right and taking US 36 south to Boulder, stay on CO 66 (straight) to Longmont (north side of town). Take it past US 287 intersection and continue on east to join up with I-25. This puts you on the 3 lane section of I-25 all the way down to the Denver area.

Safe travels!