USDWhat Denver International charges since May 14, 2025: $35 garage, $20 economy, $10 shuttle lots
Parking at Denver International Airport (DEN) costs $35 per day in the East and West Garages, $20 per day in the East and West Economy Lots, $10 per day in the Pikes Peak and Longs Peak shuttle lots, and $8 per day at the 61st & Peña lot. Premium Reserve, the only on-airport product you can book ahead, is $45 per day plus a one-time $5 fee. Those numbers took effect May 14, 2025, the airport's first increase since July 15, 2022, and several 2026 rate guides still print $28 garages and $17 economy lots, figures that match neither the current schedule nor the one it replaced. Off-airport lots along Peña Boulevard and Tower Road start at $4.48 per day with free shuttles, and the RTD A Line reaches Union Station in 37 minutes for a $10 airport day pass. Rates on this page were checked against the airport's published schedule and ParkingAccess inventory on September 8, 2026.
How much does it cost to park at Denver airport?
On-airport parking at DEN runs from $8 per day at the 61st & Peña lot to $45 per day for Premium Reserve, with the garages at $35 and the economy lots at $20. The garages also charge $7 per hour for short stays, and the short-term area caps at $168 per day.
The Department of Aviation set these prices after a review of peer airports and nearby off-airport lots, citing a 44.5% rise in parking management and shuttle costs over three years. Every product except the Pikes Peak and Longs Peak lots moved, and Premium Reserve actually dropped $5. The full schedule:
| Official DEN option | Daily rate | Hourly | Access to Jeppesen Terminal | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium Reserve (East and West) | $45 + $5 one-time fee | — | Walk, Arrivals Level 4, 1 to 5 minutes | Only reservable on-airport lot; book 24 hours to 90 days ahead; QR code and plate recognition at the gate |
| East Garage / West Garage | $35 | $7 | Walk, 5 to 10 minutes | Covered on Levels 1 to 4, open air on Level 5; free EV charging on Level 1 rows E to G (West) and E, F and R (East) |
| Short-term | $168 | $7 | Walk | Meant for stays measured in hours; unchanged in the 2025 revision |
| East Economy / West Economy | $20 | — | Free shuttle, 10 to 12 minutes | Uncovered surface lots adjacent to the garages |
| Pikes Peak Shuttle Lot | $10 | — | Free shuttle, 7 to 15 minutes | Flat daily rate, no hourly option |
| Longs Peak Shuttle Lot | $10 | — | Free shuttle, 7 to 15 minutes | Flat daily rate, no hourly option |
| 61st & Peña Lot | $8 ($6 per 12 hours) | — | RTD A Line station next to the lot, one stop to the terminal | Cheapest on-airport price; free EV charging along the south and west sides |
Two payment details trip up first-time parkers. Cash is accepted only at the kiosks on Level 5 of the Jeppesen Terminal, by Doors 504 and 506 on the west side and 507 and 509 on the east side. And the airport does not take reservations for anything but Premium Reserve, so the $20 and $10 lots are first come, first served on the day you travel.
The May 2025 increase and what most rate guides still get wrong
DEN's garages went from $30 to $35, the economy lots from $18 to $20, the Pikes Peak and Longs Peak lots from $8 to $10, and 61st & Peña from $7 to $8 on May 14, 2025. Premium Reserve fell from $50 to $45. Several parking guides published in 2026 still list $28 garages and $17 economy lots, which were never DEN's prices in either period.
The airport's own April 14, 2025 release is the only document that states each change. The previous adjustment, on July 15, 2022, raised most lots by $1 to $2 and left the shuttle lots at $8, so the 2025 move was the larger of the two. If a site quotes a garage under $35 or an economy lot under $20 for a 2026 trip, it is working from an old rate card.
What did not change is the layout. The garages still sit on either side of the Jeppesen Terminal with covered levels 1 through 4, the economy lots still sit beside them, and the two shuttle lots still sit farther out on the airport's own property. The price gap between the covered garage and the $10 lots is now $25 a day, which is the number that decides most of the choices below.
Off-airport lots on the Peña Boulevard and Tower Road corridor: from $4.48 a day with free shuttles
Eleven bookable off-airport lots near DEN list daily rates from $4.48 (ParkDIA, 25200 E 68th Avenue in Aurora) to $17 (WallyPark, 24200 E 78th Avenue), every one with a free shuttle to the Jeppesen Terminal. The cheapest four all come in under DEN's $10 shuttle lots, and the two closest, ParkDIA and WallyPark, sit about two miles from the terminal.
The table lists every DEN lot ParkingAccess can book today, with the "from" rate, straight-line distance to the terminal, the shuttle interval the operator publishes, and the Google rating on file. Reservations carry a $5 booking fee and can be cancelled free up to one hour before your drop-off time.
| Off-airport lot | From (per day) | Distance | Shuttle | Google rating | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ParkDIA, 25200 E 68th Ave, Aurora | $4.48 | 2.3 mi | Every 15 min, about 10-min ride | 3.4 on 3,820 reviews | ParkDIA rates and details |
| Hyatt Place Denver Airport, 16250 E 40th Ave, Aurora | $4.95 | 8.5 mi | Every 15 min | 4.1 on 1,399 | Hyatt Place DEN parking |
| Embassy Suites Denver Airport, 7001 Yampa St | $6.45 | 5.7 mi | Every 15 min | 4.0 on 1,940 | Embassy Suites DEN parking |
| Aloft Denver Airport at Gateway Park, 16470 E 40th Cir, Aurora | $6.95 | 8.4 mi | Every 15 min | New listing | Aloft Gateway Park parking |
| Spark by Hilton Denver Airport, 7020 Tower Rd | $7.95 | 5.4 mi | Every 15 min | New listing | Spark by Hilton parking |
| DoubleTree Denver Airport, 6900 Tower Rd | $7.99 | 5.5 mi | Every 15 min | New listing | DoubleTree DEN parking |
| Holiday Inn Express Denver Airport, 6910 Tower Rd | $7.99 | 5.4 mi | Every 15 min | New listing | Holiday Inn Express DEN parking |
| Hyatt Place Peña Station, 6110 N Panasonic Way | $8.49 | 6.4 mi | Every 15 min | New listing | Hyatt Place Peña Station parking |
| Canopy Airport Parking, 8100 Tower Rd, Commerce City | $8.95 uncovered; covered available | 5.1 mi | Every 15 min | 3.7 on 3,761 | Canopy covered and uncovered rates |
| Park2Jet Denver, 18121 E 81st Ave | $8.99 | 5.5 mi | Every 15 min | 2.4 on 276 | Park2Jet details |
| WallyPark Denver, 24200 E 78th Ave | $17 | 2.0 mi | Every 10 min, about 15-min ride | 4.4 on 1,851 | WallyPark DEN rates |
Two patterns in that table matter more than the headline rate. The hotel lots on East 40th Avenue in Aurora (Hyatt Place, Aloft) are the cheapest in the $5 to $7 band but sit more than eight miles out, so their 10-minute ride estimate assumes a clear Peña Boulevard. The lots with the strongest review history, WallyPark at 4.4 stars on 1,851 reviews and Canopy at 3.7 on 3,761, are also the ones with the most frequent or best-staffed shuttles, and you pay for that. Aloft at Gateway Park was the most-booked DEN lot on ParkingAccess over the last 90 days despite having no rating on file yet.
Original research: pricing a seven-day trip across 15 DEN options
For a Saturday-to-Saturday trip, the covered garage costs $245, the economy lots $140, the Pikes Peak or Longs Peak lot $70, and ParkDIA $31.36 before the $5 booking fee. The 61st & Peña lot comes to $56 in parking plus $20 in A Line airport day passes for the two travel days, or $76, which puts it above four off-airport lots once the train is counted.
Method: we multiplied each published daily rate by seven, added the airport's own reservation fee where it applies, and added RTD fares where the lot depends on the train. Off-airport figures use the "from" rate on the day we checked; taxes and the booking fee are excluded so the comparison is like for like.
| Option | Daily basis | 7-day total | Against the $245 garage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium Reserve | $45 + $5 fee | $320 | +$75 |
| East or West Garage | $35 | $245 | — |
| East or West Economy | $20 | $140 | −$105 |
| WallyPark Denver | $17 | $119 | −$126 |
| 61st & Peña with A Line day passes | $8 + $10 per travel day | $76 | −$169 |
| Pikes Peak or Longs Peak | $10 | $70 | −$175 |
| Park2Jet Denver | $8.99 | $62.93 | −$182.07 |
| Canopy Airport Parking (uncovered) | $8.95 | $62.65 | −$182.35 |
| Hyatt Place Peña Station | $8.49 | $59.43 | −$185.57 |
| DoubleTree or Holiday Inn Express | $7.99 | $55.93 | −$189.07 |
| Spark by Hilton | $7.95 | $55.65 | −$189.35 |
| Aloft at Gateway Park | $6.95 | $48.65 | −$196.35 |
| Embassy Suites Denver Airport | $6.45 | $45.15 | −$199.85 |
| Hyatt Place Denver Airport | $4.95 | $34.65 | −$210.35 |
| ParkDIA | $4.48 | $31.36 | −$213.64 |
The result that surprised us is where the airport's own $10 lots land: ten of the eleven off-airport lots beat them on a seven-day trip, and the two cheapest beat them by more than half. The garage premium is real but narrow in one case. For a one-day trip, the $35 garage against a $17 WallyPark stay plus its $5 fee is a $13 difference for a walk instead of a 15-minute bus ride, which many travelers will pay. At seven days that same gap is $121.
Shuttle timing at DEN: where the buses pick up and how long the ride takes
Off-airport shuttles load on Level 5 of the Jeppesen Terminal at Island 3, outside Doors 507 to 513 on the east side and Doors 504 to 510 on the west side. On-airport, the economy lots are a 10-to-12-minute ride and the Pikes Peak and Longs Peak lots 7 to 15 minutes, and the garages are a 5-to-10-minute walk.
Among the off-airport operators, WallyPark publishes a 10-minute interval and the rest a 15-minute one, so a worst-case wait is a quarter of an hour before a ride of roughly 10 to 15 minutes. Add the distance: ParkDIA and WallyPark are about two miles out, the Tower Road hotels five to six, and the East 40th Avenue hotels more than eight. On a 6 a.m. departure with a 15-minute shuttle interval, an eight-mile lot needs 45 minutes of buffer before you are standing in the terminal; a two-mile lot needs 30.
The airport's free cell phone lot, called Final Approach, is roughly three miles west of the terminal and is the place to wait for arriving passengers rather than circling Level 5. Drivers picking someone up should also know that the terminal's South Level 6 bridge and its escalator are closed for construction until mid-November 2026, and the airport is asking drop-off traffic to use the terminal side that matches the airline.
The A Line alternative: $10 to Union Station in 37 minutes
RTD's A Line runs 23 miles between the airport station inside the Jeppesen Terminal and Denver Union Station in about 37 minutes, and any trip that begins or ends at the airport requires an Airport Day Pass at $10. Riders already holding a standard 3-hour pass or day pass pay an airport upgrade of $7.25 or $4.50 instead.
The line stops at 61st & Peña, 40th & Airport Boulevard at Gateway Park, Peoria, Central Park, 40th & Colorado, and 38th & Blake before Union Station, which is why the 61st & Peña lot works without a shuttle: it sits beside the last station before the terminal. For a traveler starting downtown, the math against driving is simple. Two airport day passes cost $20 for the round trip. ParkDIA at $4.48 a day beats that on a trip of three days or less once the $5 booking fee is added, and the $10 shuttle lots beat it only on a one-day trip. From four days on, the train is cheaper than every parking option on this page.
The train has one limitation the fare table does not show: it goes to Union Station and nowhere else. If home is in Lakewood, Littleton or the northern suburbs, the A Line is the first leg of a two-or-three-leg trip, and the parking numbers above start to look better.
What changed at DEN in 2026: garage washing, a closed terminal bridge, and cashless lanes
Three things are different from a year ago. The East and West Garages were pressure washed in rotating row closures from July 10 through September 2, 2026, the South Level 6 terminal bridge is closed until mid-November, and cash payment has been narrowed to the Level 5 kiosks.
The washing schedule ran the West Garage first (rows N to Q from July 10, then J to M, E to H, and A to D with Premium Reserve by August 5) and the East Garage second (finishing rows A to D and Premium Reserve on September 2). Vehicles left in a closing section were towed to a relocation point, which is the kind of surprise that turns a $35 day into an afternoon. That work is complete as of this writing, but it is the reason the garages showed sections closed all summer.
The rate schedule itself has been stable since May 14, 2025. DEN does not use dynamic pricing on its own lots, and the 2025 release states the figures as fixed daily rates. The airport also publishes an availability count for each lot on its parking page, and it is worth a look on the morning you leave because the $10 lots and the economy lots can fill on holiday weekends with no way to reserve them.
Denver International Airport: the Jeppesen Terminal, its garages, and where each lot sits
Denver International Airport, at 8500 Peña Boulevard, is built around a single Jeppesen Terminal with the East and West Garages attached to either side and the economy lots beyond them; Concourses A, B and C are reached from the terminal by the underground train. Every parking product is on the airport's own land, which is why even the cheap lots are called on-airport.
The practical geography for a parker: garage levels 1 through 4 are covered and level 5 is open, EV chargers are free to use on Level 1 of both garages at the standard parking rate, and the Premium Reserve spaces are on Arrivals Level 4 so that a reservation holder walks into the terminal in one to five minutes. The economy lots are uncovered, which matters in a Colorado winter; a car left a week in East Economy in January can come back under a foot of snow, and the $15-a-day difference to a covered garage level is the price of not clearing it at midnight.
The airport is operated by the City and County of Denver's Department of Aviation, which sets the rates, runs the shuttles and publishes the closures referenced on this page. Off-airport lots are private operators along Peña Boulevard, Tower Road and East 40th Avenue, and their prices move independently of the airport's schedule.
When parking at DEN is the wrong call
Do not park at DEN for a stay under five hours, for a trip that starts downtown and lasts more than five days, or in a car you need back before 4 a.m. without confirming the lot's overnight shuttle. In each case the numbers or the logistics work against you.
- Short stays. The garages charge $7 per hour, so a four-hour errand is $28, only $7 short of the full day. If you are meeting an arriving passenger, the free Final Approach cell lot three miles west costs nothing.
- Downtown origin, long trip. Two A Line day passes are $20 round trip. From four days on, that undercuts every lot on this page, the two cheapest hotel lots included, before you count gas on Peña Boulevard.
- Red-eye returns. Off-airport shuttles are the operator's responsibility, not the airport's, and a 15-minute published interval does not guarantee a bus at 2 a.m. Confirm 24-hour service on the lot page before booking a late arrival, or choose a garage and walk.
- Guaranteed on-airport space. The airport reserves only Premium Reserve. If you must have a confirmed spot on airport property, that is $50 for the first day and $45 after, not $20 or $10.
- Low-rated lots. Park2Jet lists $8.99 a day but carries a 2.4-star rating on 276 reviews. For 51 cents more, Canopy has a covered option, EV charging and 3,761 reviews behind its rating.
Frequently asked questions about parking at Denver International Airport
How much does it cost to park your car at the Denver airport?
Since May 14, 2025, DEN charges $35 per day in the East and West Garages, $20 per day in the economy lots, $10 per day in the Pikes Peak and Longs Peak shuttle lots, and $8 per day at the 61st & Peña lot. Premium Reserve is $45 per day plus a $5 reservation fee, and the garages bill $7 per hour for shorter stays.
Where is the best place to park at Denver airport?
For a trip of a day or two, the East or West Garage at $35 gives a covered space and a 5-to-10-minute walk. For three days or more, ParkDIA at $4.48 a day sits about two miles out with a shuttle every 15 minutes, and WallyPark at $17 has the most frequent shuttle, every 10 minutes, and a 4.4-star rating on 1,851 reviews.
Where is the cheapest place to park at DIA?
The cheapest on-airport option is the 61st & Peña lot at $8 per day, reached by the A Line rather than a shuttle. The cheapest bookable option overall is ParkDIA at $4.48 per day, followed by the Hyatt Place Denver Airport lot at $4.95, both with free shuttles to the Jeppesen Terminal.
Can I reserve parking at Denver International Airport?
Only in the Premium Reserve lot, at $45 per day plus a one-time $5 fee, booked 24 hours to 90 days ahead through the airport. The garages, economy lots and shuttle lots are first come, first served. Off-airport lots take reservations, and ParkingAccess bookings can be cancelled free up to one hour before drop-off.
Related airport parking guides
Travelers connecting through Denver to the mountain west often compare it with Salt Lake City International (SLC) parking, where the official economy lot is a different price point, and with Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) parking, another airport whose garages sit directly on the terminal. For a Texas comparison of on-airport versus shuttle lots, see Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) parking.
Where the rates on this page come from
- Denver International Airport press release, April 14, 2025: parking rates effective May 14, 2025
- Denver International Airport: Premium Reserve parking, $45 per day plus $5 fee, with the lot comparison table
- Denver International Airport: parking lots, rates and availability, cash kiosks, EV charging, garage maintenance schedule
- Denver International Airport: parking and transportation, including the Final Approach cell phone lot
- RTD fares: $10 Airport Day Pass and airport upgrade prices
- Denver International Airport press release, July 8, 2022: the previous rate increase
- VISIT DENVER: A Line stations, 23-mile route and 37-minute travel time
