Getting Here

The University of Colorado Department of Computer Science is located in Boulder, Colorado. Boulder, a city of approximately 100,000 people, lies at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, about 30 miles northwest of Denver.

A variety of information is available to help you get here:

• Directions to Boulder
• Getting to Boulder from the Airport
• Finding the Department
• Finding Offices, Labs, and Other Rooms
• Help! ... I Just Want to Talk to a Person

Directions to Boulder

It's usually easiest to simply use Google Maps to get directions to Boulder and the Engineering Center (home to the Department of Computer Science) from your origination point. However, major interstate highways I-70 (East/West) and I-25 (North/South) intersect in Denver. Since, most approaches to Boulder begin from one of these, directions to Boulder from these highways are provided below.

		from Northern Colorado on I-25
from Western Colorado on I-70				from Eastern Colorado on I-70
		from Southern Colorado on I-25

For general information about Boulder and the surrounding community, visit the City of Boulder and the Boulder Community Network.

Getting to Boulder from the Airport

Commercial flights will typically be into Denver International Airport (DIA), which is about 50 miles southeast of Boulder. There is no commercial airport in Boulder, but if you fly, Boulder Municipal Airport (1V5) may be an option.

The following are transportation options from DIA to Boulder:

Boulder SuperShuttle

Will drop off at hotels, residences and offices in Boulder.

RTD Bus Service

Service from DIA to several Park-n-Ride locations and the Boulder downtown bus station. "skyRide AB" is the DIA-Boulder route. DIA to Boulder is "west bound". Boulder to DIA is "east bound".

Passenger Car

The drive from the airport to Boulder is relatively simple. There are two good options: a northern toll route (around 45 minutes) and a southern free route (usually 50-60 minutes). Travel times are assuming no snow, ice, or unusual traffic. The toll route is generally much more predictable, typically has considerably less traffic, and is a bit more scenic.

Google Maps Version with Directions

Northern Toll Route All traffic exits the airport onto Peña Boulevard. Continue on Peña Boulevard to the E-470 toll road, which is about 4 miles from the terminal and about 2 miles from rental car pickup. Exit right onto E-470 North and continue approximately 18 miles to the Northwest Parkway toll road. Continue on Northwest Parkway about 9 miles to US 36. Take US 36 West approximately 9 miles to Boulder. The freeway ends and US 36 becomes 28th Street at the first traffic light in Boulder. This is at the intersection of US 36 and Colorado Avenue. Campus is immediately to the left.

Southern Free Route All traffic exits the airport onto Peña Boulevard. Continue on Peña Boulevard to I-70, which is about 11 miles from the terminal and about 9 miles from rental car pickup. Take I-70 West about 5 miles to I-270. Exit right onto I-270 and continue for approximately 6 miles to US 36. Continue on US 36 West about 20 miles to Boulder. The freeway ends and US 36 becomes 28th Street at the first traffic light in Boulder. This is at the intersection of US 36 and Colorado Avenue. Campus is immediately to the left.

Other Options

See Denver International Airport Ground Transportation for more information and other possibilities.

Finding the Department

The Computer Science Department is located in the Engineering Center, which is on the southwest corner of Colorado Avenue and Regent Drive. The intersection of Colorado and Regent is one block west (toward the mountains) of the first light on US 36 from Denver (at Colorado Avenue) in Boulder.

Most of the parking on campus is by permit, although there is visitor parking scattered about. That nearest the Engineering Center is on the east side of Regent, between the Coors Events Center and a large parking structure. To park, turn left from Colorado Avenue onto Regent Drive. Just past the large parking structure on the left, turn left into the lot and look for visitor parking. Parking available to visitors is shown in pink below. See Parking and Transportation Services for more information on parking on campus.

The Engineering Center will be across Regent Drive and slightly to the right. It's probably easiest to enter the building through the revolving doors at the West entrance on the first floor. Once in the Engineering Center, find the elevators in the Office Tower. You will find the main Departmental office on the 7th floor.

Finding Offices, Labs, and Other Rooms

Most Computer Science faculty, staff and labs are housed in the Engineering Center. Room numbers in the Engineering Center are all of the form ECxx fnn. EC stands for Engineering Center, and xx is a two-letter code designating a specific wing of the building. For instance, OT stands for the Office Tower, and CR stands for the Classroom wing. The map below shows the relative locations of each wing of the building. A similar map is available on the first floor near the elevators.

Room numbers are two-part numbers, with the first part, f, representing the floor of the building, and the second part, nn, representing a specific room on the given floor. The main floor (with the revolving doors) is floor 1. Floors above that are, of course, numbered 2 through 8, while the floor immediately below the main floor is floor 1B. For historical reasons, floor 1B is sometimes referred to as floor 0. There is actually a floor below 1B, although very few people ever go there. This is floor 2B, and used to be called floor 00. If you need to go there, you probably know where it is, or are with someone who does.

For instance, the Computer Science main office is located in room ECOT 717, which is on the 7th floor of the Office Tower. The Senior Project Meeting Room is located in room ECCR 1B06, which is on the 1B floor of the Classroom Wing. Most Departmental offices are located in the Office Tower (ECOT) on the 5th through 8th floors (ECOT 5nn, ECOT 6nn, ECOT 7nn, and ECOT 8nn). Most Departmental labs, and some other offices, are located in the Computer Science wing (ECCS) on floor 1B (ECCS 1Bnn) and on floor 1 (ECCS 1nn).

A number of Computer Science faculty, staff and labs are also housed in the Discovery Learning Center, usually referred to as the DLC. The DLC is an adjacent, but separate, building on the northeast corner of the Engineering complex. The DLC follows the same numbering scheme as the Engineering Center, except that DLC is used with the room number to designate a particular room. For instance, the Bechtel Collaboratory, a multi-media equipped conference room, is located on the 1B floor of the DLC in DLC 1B70. Most Departmental labs and offices in the DLC are located on floor 1B (DLC 1Bnn) and on floor 1 (DLC 1nn).

Finally, the Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory, or ITLL, is located on the southeast corner of the Engineering complex. While no Computer Science faculty, staff or labs are housed here, its facilities are used by departments throughout the College. Rooms in ITLL also follow the same numbering scheme as the Engineering Center, except that ITLL is used with the room number. For instance, the ITLL Main Office is located in ITLL 1B40 on the 1B floor.

Help! ... I Just Want to Talk to a Person

If you really get lost, call the Computer Science office at +1-303-492-7514 during regular business hours.