Taking RTD to the Capitol tomorrow
Civic Center Bus Station is just about on the other side of Colfax and Lincoln from the Capitol. Any bus route that stops there will get you to the Capitol.
Active-duty armed forces members with ID, National Guard members with ID, and police or fire personnel with ID ride for free. (For some reason, RTD distinguishes between NG, who ride for free, and Reserve, who don't.) People who are over 65 or handicapped ride at a discounted rate, more or less half price.
RTD parking lots are free for one day at a time, if your car is registered in the district. If not, it's between $2-4/day depending upon the lot. All of Denver, JeffCo, Boulder, and Broomfield counties are in, as are most of Adams and Arapahoe (Brighton is in, but I don't know about Byers/Bennett), and the northern part of Douglas. (Parker and most of Highlands Ranch are in; Castle Rock is not.) None of Weld County is in. Each lot should have a vending machine where you put in your plate number and pay your money, and then the mouth-breathers from the parking contractor will compare the vehicle's plate to whatever the machine has recorded as being paid up.
If your bus route takes you to Market Street Station instead of Civic Center, you're almost there. Go out of the station to the 16th Street Mall and jump on an east bound free mall shuttle.Those dead-end and turn around at Civic Center.
From the west: Lakewood, Golden, Wheat Ridge: Probably the easiest is to take the Route 16 or 16L to Civic Center Station. The regular adult fare is $2.25 each way. The 16 runs back and forth on West Colfax/US40, from downtown Golden.
From east Colfax, the Route 15 and 15L do the same, from Colfax/Chambers.
From Morrison and points west (including Park County) there are a few park-and-rides along US285. served by the Routes C, CV, and CX. There are also a few routes along CO 74 from Evergreen, the E, EV, and EX. I think the adult fare on those is $5 each way. Those run to Civic Center Station as well. There are also the 2X from Red Rocks Gate to Market Street, and the 116X from Ken Caryl/C470 to Civic Center.
From the Northwest (Boulder and the US36 corridor) you have a number of options. Most (The routes B, BV, BX) will originate at the Boulder Transit Center at 14th/Walnut and go up US36 to Market Street. There is also the route HX from 29th and Pearl to Civic Center, and the Route S from the Table Mesa Park and Ride to Market Street.
Other routes will originate at various other places along US36 to run to Market Street and back. The one I usually take is the 86X but that's not the only one.
There are also the routes L, LX, LNX, and LSX, from 23rd and Main in Longmont, to the Market Street Station.
From the north Metro, your options are the 31X (from 104th/Grove to Market Street), the 40X (between Cottonwood Lakes/Colorado/Summit Grove and Market Street), the 120X from Wagon Road Park and Ride (120th just west of I-25) to Market Street, the 122X from Wagon Road to Civic Center.
From Brighton, take the Route R, RC, or RX from the Adams County Justice Center to Civic Center Station.
From the south you have the most options. There are light-rail lines that originate at I-225/Parker Road, I25/Lincoln, and Santa Fe/Mineral, and run into downtown. Watch for any train with a lighted sign that says "18th and California" or "30th and Downing." Take those trains to 16th and California and hop on the free mall shuttle. You can buy the tickets from the vending machines at the station: they'll make change for a twenty, but only take cash. The regular adult one-way fare is $4 from I225/Parker (it's called the Nine Mile Station) or Santa Fe/Mineral (AKA the Mineral Station) or $5 from I25/Lincoln. Alternately, from Parker/Elizabeth, the Route P from Pinery Parkway to Civic Center Station.
What I'll probably be doing: I'll be driving from Wadsworth and Jewell-ish, leaving 8:30 or so, to the I-25 and Broadway train station and taking a train the rest of the way in, if anybody wants to carpool.
RTD's customer service number is 303-299-6000. They also have an okay mobile website at http://m.rtd-denver.com
I know RTD's system pretty well. Anybody who wants to take it in and isn't completely familiar with it, PM me for questions or for my cell number if you think you'll need directions or something along the way.
