Am I the only one who enters the DIA parking garage even though the signs say all levels are "FULL"??? I have always found a spot...always.
Usually within 10-15 min of searching.

FULL is the best time to enter. That means there's a good spot up close because everyone else believes the signs.

Btw, this isn't really UA-specific and should prob go to the Western USA forum.

LOL, true. Is it UAL specific if I mention that the WEST side is always full and I still go in?

I always go in as well. There is only one time I had to drive around for more than 10 minutes to find a spot.

I live in Omaha currently but my job is in Colorado (small town 3 hrs SW of DEN). I am considering taking a second residence in Colorado so I would go between OMA and DEN every few weeks (more frequently than I do now).

Part of the planning involves whether to own a second cheaper used car in Colorado vs. renting a car every time I come. Hertz 5-Star has been great but the highly variable rental rates would be tough to predict. Sure, work pays for a rental car when I infrequently go to the office, but if I take a residence there they are less willing to shoulder costs of a rental car for so many trips. Owning would mean a more predictable car budget in CO but I'd need to find cheap/secure long term parking either near DEN airport or along the AF SkyRide route somewhere away from the airport. The remoteness of the job location pretty much necessitates a personal vehicle - no public transport exists to this town (however, happily I would be able to bike to work once in CO and the car could stay parked the majority of the week - I just need a way to get from DIA<>this town each trip).

Has anyone ever worked out a long-term arrangement for keeping a car at a hotel or other business parking lot for 2-3 weeks at a time ? Do the Denver RTD park-n-ride lots allow moderately long term parking?

I don't know anyone directly in the Denver area where I could use a residence to leave a car, besides it would need to be convenient enough to get to/from when transiting DEN airport.

Any ideas for where I might cheaply park my Colorado car when not in town would be appreciated. Not sure I really want to put up with Pikes Peak long term parking lot, any other ideas?

(and to preemptively head off an expected question - no, I am unable to just simply move permanently to Colorado at this time. As a divorcee I still have family obligations in Omaha but wish to begin spending more time in Colorado).

RTD Park-and-Rides have a loose no overnight parking policy. I say loose as I've known people who work in Downtown Denver and have parked their car at a Park-and-Ride, went for drinks after work and couldn't drive home. They didn't get towed but they did get the car the next day. For your purposes, I think your car would get impounded if you used one.

I'm not sure if a parking garage in downtown or in the DTC would have an average daily cost of $5/day which is what Pikes Peak charges. I agree with your consternation about Pikes as I've waited over an hour at DIA waiting for the bus and no longer use Pikes unless I'm departing and arriving during a weekday. The bus' seem to run more consistently during the work week than weekends.

I've left my car at the Stapleton park-and-ride for as long as 10 days. It seems to be actively encouraged by RTD.

Check out rtd-denver.com for more details, but on there they encourage long-term parkers that are using Skyride to park at either Stapleton or 40th/Airport Blvd.

An off-site option would be FastTrack airport parking, formerly PCA. They've cut their prices recently to $6.75/day plus $2 one-time fee. They also have a punch card and after 30 days paid you get a 10-day stay free.

For what you are looking for, I might look on Craigslist and see if you can find somebody located convenient to RTD that has a garage for rent.

When you add it all up (insurance, registration, maintenance, parking) you might be better off renting with Priceline or something.

Huh???

My fiance has left her car at the Park N Ride for up to two weeks, even during the Christmas Blizzard of 2006! No issues at all. I did tell her to hide the shovel in the trunk, less some poor soul break in to her car in search of a shovel!

As has been said, the RTD encourages the practice. They run a bus to these lots from the airport, for like $5. It's a heckuva deal. Far better public transit options than COS, which can't even seem to run a public bus to the airport!

Hmmmm

3 hrs SW DEN...Canon City? Fort Carson?

What about flying in/out of COS or PUB or EGE? (depending on where) A smaller airport might have better opportunities for creative car parking...?

RFTraveler

Was thinking the same thing. A colleague of mine used to leave the car @ COS long-term airport parking for 1-3 weeks all the time. She also used to do "mini-leases" through hertz which, though not sure they still exist, worked out to about $10-15/day and parking @ Hertz lot was free (including a wash).

@ $5/day (30day max) I think Pike's peak is the best you'll find without "bending" a rule or two.

I've had pretty good success with US Airport Parking. When I when to grab the link to paste here, I saw that they have prepaid monthly and annual parking.

For normal parking there, there are a lot of 10% discounts to be had; if you have AAA, then the discount is 15%, though I don't know if it applies to the prepaid options.

http://www.usairportparking.com/rates.asp

RTD-Denver now charges for parking at their Park n Rides. It seems to be money down the drain for $250,000 projected revenue vs hassling customers. The only one coming ahead of this is the private parking enforcers.

Wow there's a lot of misinformation here.

http://www2.rtd-denver.com/RTDNews/N...0NR%202009.pdf

You can park at the park-n-ride for up to 15 days, or up to 30 if you have written permission. The cost for the 40th and Pena (Airport Blvd.) lot is $1/day if your vehicle is registered in the Denver metro or $2/day registered outside the Denver metro. If you sign up for an automated account, you get a 15% discount.

Even with the per-day charges, this is still by far the best deal in airport parking pretty much anywhere, except for trips <4 days. (The bus fare to/from the airport from the 40th & Pena stop is $8 each way.)

COS has *heinous* options for long term parking compared to DEN.

wondering if anyone knows of a site with deals for airport parking (particularly Denver)... I know this isnt necessarily related to miles, but thought someone here might be able to point me in the right direction, please?