We rent cars for a living, so you would expect us to say yes. The honest answer is: it depends on where you are staying and what you plan to do. Here is how we answer the question when friends ask.
When you can skip the car
- You are staying downtown or near the Peak 8 or Peak 9 base and only skiing Breckenridge.
- You arrive by shuttle or private car from Denver (our sister company Breck Limousine does door-to-door) and plan to eat on Main Street every night.
- It is summer and you are here for Main Street, the Riverwalk, the gondola and a couple of short hikes from town.
- You are two adults with carry-ons and no strong opinions about which mountain you ski.
In those cases the Free Ride bus, the gondola and your feet cover almost everything. The bus is free, reliable and runs to every base area. Parking downtown is paid and tight on weekends, so a car can be more hassle than help if you never leave town.
When you want a car
- Skiing more than one mountain. Keystone, Copper Mountain and Arapahoe Basin are 25 to 40 minutes away by car and over an hour by the county bus, which does not run early enough for first chair.
- Groceries and a full kitchen. City Market is on the north end of town; carrying a week of food for six on the bus is not a vacation.
- Kids, car seats and gear. Every outing becomes a logistics project without a car.
- Condos on Peak 7, Peak 8, the Highlands, Warriors Mark or Blue River. Walkable on paper, a bus schedule in practice.
- Summer day trips. Boreas Pass, Hoosier Pass, Montgomery Reservoir, the Blue River trailheads, Leadville, Vail: none of it is reachable by bus.
- Early and late flights. The last shuttles leave early; a car on your own schedule removes the stress (or let us drive you: see the airport page).
The middle path most families take
Ride up from Denver without a car, then rent locally for the days you need one. We deliver an AWD Ford Explorer on winter tires to your condo for the two or three days you want to ski Keystone and Copper or do a day trip, and pick it up at the door when you are done. You skip airport concession fees, the counter line and driving I-70 in an unfamiliar car on arrival day, and you only pay for the days you drive. Rates start at $75 a day off-season; full pricing is here.
Winter driving: what to know before you decide
Colorado’s traction law is active on I-70 and the mountain passes whenever conditions call for it, and it is enforced. Every car in our fleet is all-wheel drive on winter tires, which is exactly what the law wants and what the roads here need. If the car you are considering at the airport counter is a front-wheel-drive sedan on all-seasons, that is a reason to rent up here instead. More in our AWD and winter driving guide.
Do you need a car in Breckenridge: questions
Do you need a car in Breckenridge?
Not if you are staying in town and only skiing Breckenridge: the free bus and the gondola cover it. You do want one if you plan to ski Keystone, Copper or A-Basin, go out to dinner in Frisco, hike or fish, buy groceries for a week, or travel with small kids and gear. Most families end up wanting a car for at least part of the trip.
Is Breckenridge walkable?
Main Street, the Riverwalk, the gondola and the Peak 9 base are all within a 15-minute walk of most downtown lodging. Condos on Peak 7, Peak 8, Warriors Mark and the Highlands are a bus ride or a drive away, and the walk uphill at 9,600 feet in ski boots is longer than it looks on the map.
Is there a free bus in Breckenridge?
Yes. The Free Ride runs several routes through town and to the ski area bases, roughly every 15 to 30 minutes. The Summit Stage county bus connects Breckenridge to Frisco, Keystone, Copper, Silverthorne and Dillon for free, but it takes about an hour each way to the other resorts and runs less often in the evening.
Should I rent a car at Denver airport or in Breckenridge?
If you are driving straight up and keeping the car all week, the airport is fine, but you pay airport concession fees and drive I-70 in whatever they give you. Taking a shuttle or private car up and renting locally for the days you need means an AWD SUV on winter tires, delivered to your door, with no airport fees and no counter line. See our Denver airport page for the math.
What about Uber and Lyft in Breckenridge?
They exist but are thin, especially early morning, late night and on powder days. A ride to Keystone or Frisco can be a 30-minute wait or no driver at all. In-town rides are usually fine.
Summit Rental Car – Breckenridge
Office: 305 S Ridge St, Unit 7906, Breckenridge, CO 80424 (by appointment)
Free pickup lot: 1680 Airport Rd, Unit C1, Breckenridge, CO 80424
Call or text (970) 445-3092 · Open 24 hours, 7 days
Delivery to Breckenridge, Frisco, Copper Mountain, Keystone, Silverthorne and Dillon