Honestly, plenty of people live here without one. Boulder is compact, mostly flat through town, and set up for bikes and buses in a way few American cities are. Whether you need a car really comes down to your neighborhood and your weekend plans.
Around town, probably not. The HOP bus loops between downtown, the Hill, CU, and 29th Street, and the SKIP runs up and down Broadway. Bikes handle the rest. The Boulder Creek Path cuts right through the middle of town, and there’s a big web of bike lanes and underpasses that let you skip most busy intersections. No bike? BCycle and Lime have shared bikes and scooters all over.
To Denver and the airport, nope. The Flatiron Flyer heads to downtown Denver, and there’s a bus straight to DIA. We covered how the airport bus works in more detail.
To the trails, sometimes. Chautauqua is an easy bike ride, and in summer there’s a free Park to Park shuttle that runs up there. Eldorado Canyon, Brainard Lake, or anything deeper in the mountains is a lot easier with wheels of your own.
To the ski resorts, mostly yes. An RTD bus runs up Boulder Canyon toward Nederland and Eldora, but for the I-70 resorts, most people end up driving or grabbing a shuttle.
Where you live matters most. Near downtown, the Hill, or 29th Street, going car-free is easy. Out in Gunbarrel or up in the foothills, it’s a different story.
If you do keep a car, downtown parking is mostly garages and meters, and we rounded up tips on parking near Pearl Street. And if you go all in on the bike life, remember that a bike stolen from your apartment is usually a renters insurance question, not an auto one. Our team can help you sort out coverage for Boulder renters if that’s you.