On Saturday, May 24, the City of Boulder begins service for the free Park-to-Park shuttle service to and from Chautauqua Park via several stops around Boulder, including downtown Boulder, University Hill and along Broadway. The service includes free shuttle parking and is a convenient, fast and stress-free way to visit Chautauqua while reducing impacts to the park and surrounding neighborhood.
The shuttle runs every weekend and on summer holidays May 24 through Sept. 1. Included city holidays are Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day and Labor Day. Details include:
- The shuttle runs every 15 minutes from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and picks up passengers from 15 bus stops marked with Park-to-Park shuttle signage. Download the Transit app for real-time service updates.
- Visitors can park for free at the five downtown city parking garages, where parking is always free on weekends and holidays, and at two satellite parking lots: the New Vista High School parking lot (700 20th St.) and the CU Boulder Regent parking lot (Lot 306 and 308 at Regent Drive just east of Broadway). Special events and summer maintenance work may impact parking availability. Visit the Park-to-Park webpage for updates.
- For $2.50 per hour from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the shuttle season, visitors can park along the Chautauqua Park green parking areas, on Baseline Road near the park, at the Chautauqua Ranger Cottage lot and in the neighborhood north of Chautauqua Park. Download the ParkMobile app or pay at a nearby pay station. Paid parking during the peak season helps keep the shuttle service free to the public and reduces vehicular impacts to the area.
- Shuttles feature bike racks. Dogs, strollers and hiking gear are also welcome aboard.
- City garage parking, satellite lots and shuttles are ADA-accessible for people using wheelchairs. Free handicapped-accessible parking is also available in Chautauqua Park in the Ranger Cottage lot and around the Chautauqua Park green parking area.
- Visitors can speak to program ambassadors stationed near the Chautauqua Ranger Cottage for customer service support.
- The city also partners with BCycle and Lime to provide more travel choices to more people, including to support managing access to Chautauqua. These e-bikes and e-scooters are not allowed on any trails in Chautauqua Park and use location-based technology to manage operations and parking. The nearest Lime Grove, or mandatory parking corral, is located on Baseline Road, just west of Lincoln Place. This location will additionally soon feature a new BCycle station, which the city and BCycle aim to install before Memorial Day, pending weather.
Park-to-Park is part of the city Chautauqua Access Management Plan (CAMP). With Chautauqua Park being one of Boulder’s most in-demand destinations, CAMP seeks to better manage access to the park while minimizing impacts to the neighborhood and the area’s natural and cultural resources. The shuttle is supported by the City of Boulder and Visit Boulder, the Boulder Convention and Visitors Bureau, and it is operated by Via Mobility Services.
Boulder community members can also access many nearby outdoor destinations via bus or shuttle, including the free Eldo Shuttle to Eldorado Canyon State Park and the city’s Marshall Mesa, Doudy Draw and South Mesa trailheads, the free Hessie Shuttle to the Hessie Trailhead, and the seasonal Bustang to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.
For more information, visit ParktoPark.org.
