Pilot program in the works for a public Red Rocks shuttle in the Denver metro area
Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre in Colorado is one of the most popular attractions in the state, and it may soon have a public transit option to get there.
An Indian paintbrush is in full bloom as rain clouds hang over Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado on June 4, 2025.
RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Whether it's hiking or attending a concert, many visitors are driving to get to the world-famous venue.
Officials in Denver and Jefferson County are building on an idea first shared by the environmental advocacy group Green Latinos to develop some form of public transportation.
Currently, RTD's W line can take riders from downtown Denver all the way to the Jefferson County government center in Golden. But that's the end of the road for the line.
The plan being considered is to use a shuttle -- either vans or buses -- to take light rail passengers from Golden to Red Rocks as well as several other outdoor attractions.
Jefferson County Commissioner Andy Kerr referred to it as "West tracks" and would include a stop at Dinosaur Ridge, mountain biking and hiking areas as well as Red Rocks. Kerry said the hope is to do a test run in the fall.
"We were really hoping to get something off the ground this summer but a lot of our partners -- Jefferson County, Denver Parks have offered up some money for this summer -- it might just be a weekend where we run the shuttle from here from the Jeffco government center and try it out. Hopefully people come and use it and we can work out some kinks so that next summer we could as early as the Memorial Day weekend really hit the ground running and maybe have this up and running," Kerr said.
RTD says Jefferson County did submit an application for their partnership program, which allocates grant money for a service that would have stops at Red Rocks, but they say the proposal would not accommodate evening concerts.
Kerr says currently the W Line doesn't operate late into the evening and for purposes of the pilot program they wanted to avoid having trying to get RTD to adjust service hours.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Blue Origin preps for next crewed rocket launch: What time and where to see liftoff in Texas
Blue Origin is preparing to send its next group of passengers on a brief spaceflight high above Earth. Reaching the very edge of space, the six people on board the company's New Shepard spacecraft will be treated to some stellar views and a few minutes of weightlessness after getting off the ground in West Texas. When they land, the space tourists will join an exclusive club of more than 60 others who have embarked on a similar expensive venture across 12 previous human spaceflights Blue Origin has provided. As for the rest of us? Well, we'll have to watch them have their fun from solid ground. Blue Origin, owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, doesn't sell tickets for the public to watch a rocket launch in person. But areas around the launch site, including a town just south of it, may provide a few ideal places to catch the liftoff and spaceflight. Here's everything to know about Blue Origin's next human spaceflight and how to potentially see it in person. Billionaire Jeff Bezos, best known for founding Amazon, is the founder of the private space technology company Blue Origin. Bezos himself even boarded Blue Origin's New Shepard for its maiden crewed voyage in July 2021, which came after the spacecraft flew on 15 flight tests beginning in 2012. For nearly four years since its first crewed mission, the New Shepard spacecraft has served as a powerful symbol of Blue Origin's commercial spaceflight ambitions amid a growing space tourism industry. In addition to sending space tourists on brief joy rides to the edge of space, Blue Origin has also increasingly sought to compete with Elon Musk's SpaceX. Blue Origin's massive New Glenn rocket, which flew on its inaugural flight test in January 2025 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, is also being developed for future spaceflights. At 320 feet tall, the spacecraft rivals SpaceX's 400-foot Starship in size. Blue Origin's next crewed launch, known as NS-33, could get off the ground as early as 8:30 a.m. CT Saturday, June 21, the company announced. Blue Origin New Shepard rocket launches take place from the company's private ranch facility known as Launch Site One. The facility is located more than 140 miles east of El Paso near the U.S.-Mexico border. Blue Origin does not provide any public viewing areas for launches at or near its facility, which is located in a remote desert. Spectators, though, have been known to pull over on U.S. Route 54 to gather on spots to the side of the highway that offer good views of New Shepard getting off the ground. Van Horn, the nearest town, is located about 30 miles south of Launch Site One in Culberson County, Texas. While the town is too far away to see the launch pad itself, it is likely the best place to see a New Shepard rocket soar into the sky. The town's visitors bureau advertises Blue Origin on its homepage and its brochure as an attraction, but does not list any suggested public viewing locations for launches. However, here is a list of public places in and around Van Horn – some listed as attractions on the visitors' bureau website – where spectators might be able to see a rocket taking off: Van Horn city park, 3rd and Austin Streets Okey D. Lucas Memorial Park, 1804 W. Broadway St., Van Horn Guadalupe Mountains National Park, located about 60 miles north of Van Horn in Dell City and 40 miles north of the launch site, the park bordering New Mexico has the highest point in Texas. Scenic overlook: a pull-off spot located off the westbound lane of Interstate 10 about four miles west of Van Horn that provides an elevated view over U.S. Route 54. Here's a look at the passengers on the next Blue Origin New Shepard spaceflight, known as NS-33: Allie Kuehner, an environmentalist who serves on the board of Nature is Nonpartisan, a nonprofit organization advocating for bipartisan solutions to environmental issues Carl Kuehner, who chairs Building and Land Technology, a real estate development, investment and property management firm Leland Larson, a philanthropist and former CEO of School Bus Services and Larson Transportation Services – both family-owned public transportation businesses based in Oregon Freddie Rescigno, Jr., CEO of Commodity Cables, an electrical company he founded in 2001 Owolabi Salis, an attorney and a financial consultant Jim Sitkin, a retired lawyer from California Each spaceflight on a New Shepard vehicle lasts about 11 minutes from liftoff to capsule touchdown. Named after astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American in space, the 60-foot-tall New Shepard rocket is topped with the gum drop-shaped crew capsule. The spacecraft operates completely autonomously, meaning no pilots are aboard. During its ascent, the spacecraft reaches supersonic speeds surpassing 2,000 mph before the rocket booster separates from the crew capsule. At that point, those aboard the capsule become weightless as the spacecraft continues toward its highest point on its brief voyage above the Kármán Line – the 62-mile-high internationally recognized boundary of space. While experiencing a few minutes of microgravity, passengers have the opportunity to unstrap themselves from their seats to gaze out the capsule's large windows and take in a stunning view of Earth. Meanwhile, the rocket booster heads back to the ground while firing its engines and using its fins to slow and control its descent to land vertical about two miles from the launchpad. The capsule itself eventually begins what Blue Origin refers to as a "stable freefall' – plummeting back to Earth as three massive parachutes deploy and the capsule makes a soft landing in the desert, sending up plumes of dust. Contributing: Jennifer Sangalang, USA TODAY Network Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Is there a Blue Origin rocket launch today? Where to watch from Texas
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Summer travel predicted to break records for the Fourth of July
AAA projects a record 72 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more during the nine-day Independence Day holiday period — from June 28 to July 6 — with new highs expected for both drivers and air travelers as summer travel reaches peak season. The auto club forecasts nearly 62 million people will drive over the Fourth of July weekend, representing an increase of 1.3 million from last year. Air travel is expected to rise more than 1% over last year's record numbers. "The top 10 heaviest travel days in TSA history have all happened within the past year, and we expect to see more heavy volumes this summer," said Kristie Jordan Smith, a Transportation Security Administration official at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. How technology at airports is reducing wait times The Independence Day travel period is expected to be the summer's busiest travel stretch. Airport officials are implementing new technology to reduce wait times. At DFW, customs officials report wait times are down 25% thanks to enhanced passenger processing technology that uses facial recognition, now operational at nine airports nationwide. CBP will soon test a program allowing customs to review X-ray images of checked bags from London flights, eliminating the need for connecting passengers to clear security twice in Dallas. "This program streamlines and improves the travel experience for our customers, saving them time and reducing the complexity of clearing security while continuing to maintain the highest security standards," said Jim Moses, Senior Vice President DFW Hub Operations at American Airlines. DFW is the airline's largest hub. AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz said travel demand reflects both practical and emotional factors. "We're seeing travel in record numbers because travel isn't just an economic and practical decision, it's also an emotional decision," Diaz said. "People don't have to spend a lot of money when they go on these trips, but people want to get away and not be home." According to Priceline, top summer destinations include Las Vegas, Orlando, Tokyo and London. SpaceX Starship upper stage blows up Hurricane Erick approaches Mexico with destructive winds, major storm surge AI's extreme human imitation makes it act deceptively, cheat and lie, "Godfather of AI" says
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport hosting 2025 Westmoreland International Airshow this weekend
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport is celebrating 100 years of airshows with an air spectacular this weekend, and there is a lot of excitement in the sky around Latrobe. The Shop 'n Save Westmoreland International Airshow is set to take place, rain or shine, this Saturday and Sunday. This show is being dubbed an international airshow because one of the big headliners this year, the Royal Canadian Air Force's Snowbirds, who flew south from Saskatchewan, Canada, to help make this weekend a success. Captain Marc-Andre Plante says that there is a very special relationship between the United States and Canadian militaries, and the Snowbirds are proud to be in the U.S., performing a show for people they consider friends. "At the speeds that we are flying at, about 300 knots or about 300 miles per hour, we will fly at 300 feet over the ground," Captain Plante said. "And given our maneuvering, we are able to do an entire show while maintaining in your field of view, which is an advantage that we have over faster aircraft." While the Snowbirds will be delighting in the sky, there is plenty for people to do on the ground, with everything from seeing souped-up muscle cars to getting photos with rolling food like the Big Idaho Potato Truck and the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. Still, the air is where the show is, and this show will be a special one for Major Taylor Hiester, who is not only the commander and a pilot for the F-16 Viper Demo Team, but he's from Reading, Pennsylvania, and a proud Penn State graduate. "As a Pennsylvania native, to come back to my home state, to be here and perform for the people in Pennsylvania is a dream come true," said Major Hiester. "We can't tell you how honored we are for the hospitality as we start the show here at the Westmoreland County International Air Show." For tickets and more information on this year's airshow, click here.
