Where is Arapahoe Basin?
Located in the famous Summit County in Colorado,
Arapahoe Basin is only 7.8 miles off the I70 interstate up the scenic Highway 6 (Loveland Pass Rd).
Keystone Resort is the nearest civilisation, a mere 5 miles distant. The town of Silverthorne is about 13 miles to the west of Arapahoe Basin, Dillon about 11 miles, and
Frisco is 16 miles to the southwest.
Arapahoe Basin is 64 miles west of Denver and 86 miles from the Denver Airport. Vail/Eagle Municipal Airport is another potential gateway airport to Summit County.
Driving to Arapahoe Basin
From the I70 interstate get onto Hwy 6 and you’ll literally run into the Arapahoe Basin ski area. If looking to come via Loveland Pass (the Denver direction), make sure you check road conditions as it can be treacherous. The safer bet is to travel on Highway 6 from the Keystone direction. CDOT sometimes implements the traction law where you need a 4WD, snow or winter tires, chains or auto sock.
As to be expected for a ski area so close to Denver that’s also close to various other Colorado ski resorts, traffic coming from Denver on Friday nights and the weekend can be horrendous, especially if there’s a big snow storm.
Other than a tiny paid VIP parking lot, all the lots offer free parking. Parking capacity can be problematic and if you want a slopeside park at the Beach, then you’ll need to drive to A Basin really early.
No overnight parking or camping is allowed in the parking lot, no matter how sozzled you get at The Beach.
Buses to Arapahoe Basin
Summit County runs an effective and free shuttle service to and from Arapahoe Basin and all of the other main resorts, towns and points of interest. Called the Summit Stage, it runs every hour to A Basin and is a great budget option to access the mountain.
The Swan Mountain Flyer route provides a bus to Arapahoe Basin from Breckenridge, Summit Cove, and Keystone. Buses to A Basin from other Summit county spots such as Frisco, Dillon and Silverthorne require a change of buses, whilst travelling from Copper Mountain will require two changes so it’s a bit unwieldy.
Private Shuttles to Arapahoe Basin
There are various options for companies in the Summit County that provide private shuttles to A Basin, so you can get door to door transport at a time that suits your schedule.
Other Ski Resorts Nearby
Ski resorts near Arapahoe Basin include:
