According to a 2023 Denver Arts & Venues Economic Impact Study, out-of-state visitors made up "33 percent of the total event attendance and spent $305 million in the Denver Metro Area, benefiting various sectors like transportation, accommodation, food, retail, arts, entertainment and recreation." Yet, in order to get to the iconic venue, the options can get a little wacky.
For the most part, concert-goers reserve spots with shuttles, carpool with loved ones or end up paying a ridiculous price for a Uber or Lyft driver. Logistics and difficulties aside, the possibility of Red Rocks getting an alternative route has finally arrived...at least, for before concerts.
RTD Red Rocks Pilot Program
Earlier this year, Jefferson County submitted an application for the Regional Transportation District's third round of its Partnership Program, which was founded in 2023 to help local communities commute easier with transportation pilots. The idea was initiated by Boulder-based environmental advocacy group GreenLatinos, which had been advocating for the addition for over a decade.
On Monday, August 5, RTD announced eight pilot programs that would be supported through the initiative. Commerce City, Denver, Erie, West Corridor Transportation Management Association, Longmont and Jefferson County received hundreds of thousands of dollars in order to improve micro-transit services throughout the state.
“It is essential that RTD partner with local governments and organizations to support the mobility needs of their communities,” said general manager and CEO Debra A. Johnson in an RTD press release. “Each of the projects selected build upon the program’s previous successes, bringing new or enhanced services to the region, and provide customers throughout with more connections, choices, and benefits.”
One fixed bus service would connect the Jefferson County Government Center/Golden Station and the Morrison Natural History Museum during the weekend from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m during Memorial Day and Labor Day. Downtown Morrison, Matthews/Winter Park and the Red Rocks Trading Post are some of the stops between the two hubs that will start its temporary pilot run on September 20 from 1-3 p.m, which is fully-funded by Jefferson County.
"My hope is that through this pilot event, more support and awareness of this service that will be coming in 2026 gets brought up and becomes more well known," says Cory Schmitt, RTD's Partnerships Manager Cory Schmitt says.
Denver councilmember Darrell Watson says although the purpose of the pilot is to show the benefit of public transportation to Red Rocks, the city is also looking into service for night concerts. If the pilot is successful, locals will see the extension play out beginning May 25, 2026.
RTD's W Line starts out in Downtown Denver and ends at Golden Station, where you can catch the new bus for a cheap and efficient route to head to Red Rocks (it's $5.50 for an all-day pass). Thanks to the Partnership program, Jefferson County will receive $280,000 annually for the next three years to extend the route's stops.
"What we are supporting through this partnership program grant is that more limited-weekend summer service that is really geared towards recreational trips more so than concert going trips," Schmitt explains.
For this endeavor, the RTD will measure the performance of the extension with ten boardings every hour, which is the W line's performance standard. However, if ridership is at a low rate throughout the next three years, then the RTD might reduce the hours of service for those looking for the public transit route.
Although the new addition doesn't necessarily benefit concertgoers looking to go home after a concert in the current moment, those who are looking to get to the venue early or hike without worrying about unnecessary traffic jams will benefit from the pilot.
"It's important to keep in mind that these are pilots for a reason," says Schmitt. "[They] are funded initially for up to three years to really see what demand is there and what kind of adjustment would be necessary to help a project like this succeed."
