Parking near Durango-La Plata County Airport (DRO)
Durango-La Plata County Airport (DRO) boards about 215,000 passengers a year, based on rounded FAA figures, ranking 44th of the 50 airports Wins Parking tracks. We estimate 3 off-airport lots compete near DRO at roughly $17 a day, which puts a paved acre within 10 miles at about $290,084 in gross revenue a year.
Written by John Davis, Content WriterOwn land within 10 miles of DRO?
Landowners, investors and developers near Durango-La Plata County Airport: send your parcel and we will return a written feasibility with a DRO-specific revenue model, paving budget and lease or revenue-share options.
Where does off-airport parking near DRO cluster?
Mostly along the US-160 corridor feeding Durango-La Plata County Airport. The strongest sites sit within 10 miles of the terminal with visibility and permittable curb cuts.
Last updated September 2026. Enplanements are rounded FAA passenger-boarding figures. On-airport acreage, daily rates, competitor counts and revenue per acre are Wins Parking estimates, confirmed only in a site-specific feasibility.
How busy is DRO compared with other Mountain West airports?
DRO is the 13th-busiest of the 18 Mountain West airports on this list, with about 215,000 annual enplanements, or roughly 1% of the boardings across those 18 airports. It operates 1 runway and is run by La Plata County Aviation.
| Airport | City | Annual enplanements (FAA, rounded) | Est. daily rate | Est. off-airport lots | Est. gross per acre / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DRO (this page) | Durango, CO | 215,000 | $17 | 3 | $290,084 |
| MTJ | Montrose, CO | 200,000 | $18 | 2 | $307,148 |
| SGU | St. George, UT | 165,000 | $14 | 2 | $238,893 |
| HLN | Helena, MT | 105,000 | $13 | 2 | $221,829 |
| HDN | Hayden, CO | 95,000 | $16 | 2 | $273,020 |
| SUN | Sun Valley, ID | 90,000 | $22 | 2 | $375,403 |
Enplanements: FAA passenger boarding data, rounded. Daily rates, lot counts and revenue per acre are Wins Parking planning estimates (85 spaces per acre, 55% blended occupancy).
Passenger volume sets the size of the parking market, but it is not the whole story. The table compares DRO with nearby Mountain West airports on the measures a landowner should weigh: boardings, the typical daily rate and how many off-airport lots already compete for those travelers.
What kind of travelers park at DRO?
DRO carries a mix of business and leisure travelers, so demand near Durango has two peaks: weekday business trips and school-holiday leisure travel. That mix keeps off-airport occupancy steadier than at a pure resort or pure business airport.
A mixed market lets an off-airport lot near DRO sell two products from the same asphalt: a lower long-stay rate for vacation travelers and a faster, higher-priced option for weekday business travelers.
Wins Parking's read on the DRO market: Four-corners regional hub with leisure-driven shoulder seasons.
How much could an acre near DRO earn as parking?
About $290,084 a year in gross revenue per paved acre, as a planning estimate. The math is 85 spaces per acre × $17 average daily rate × 55% blended occupancy × 365 days. That is about 3% above the Mountain West median of $281,552 per acre on this list.
The $17 rate is about 13% above the $15 median across all 50 airports we track. At that rate, a 3-acre lot near DRO models to about $870,252 gross and a 10-acre lot to about $2,900,840, before shuttle, labor, insurance, technology and property tax. Operating costs usually take 35–50% of gross, so the owner's share depends on the deal structure.
How crowded is the off-airport parking market near DRO?
We estimate 3 active off-airport operators near DRO, or about 71,667 annual boardings per lot. The Mountain West median on this list is about 110,000, so DRO has fewer travelers per competing lot than most peers, so a new lot has to win on location, price or service.
Most off-airport traffic near Durango arrives via US-160. Parcels with direct visibility from that corridor and a drive of under 10 minutes to the terminal curb are the strongest candidates. Competitor counts are estimates from listings and site visits and change as lots open and close.
What would it cost to pave a parking lot near DRO?
In Colorado, Wins Parking's planning estimate for asphalt is $3.66–$8.54 per square foot, or about $159,430–$372,002 to pave one acre before design and permitting. Against $290,084 of modeled gross revenue per acre, the paving outlay equals roughly 7–15 months of gross revenue.
A gravel overflow lot costs far less up front ($0.61–$3.05 per square foot in Colorado) but needs annual regrading and does not meet ADA rules for accessible stalls, so it usually serves as phase-one or peak-season overflow near DRO rather than the main product.
Who controls on-airport parking at DRO?
La Plata County Aviation controls the on-airport garages and surface lots at Durango-La Plata County Airport. We estimate about 24 acres of on-airport parking, or roughly 8,958 annual boardings per on-airport acre. The higher that ratio, the more often official lots sell out on peak days and push travelers to private lots.
On-airport parking management contracts at DRO are awarded through La Plata County Aviation procurements. Wins Parking responds to those solicitations for parking management, shuttle and revenue control, and separately partners with private landowners off airport property.
Which other Mountain West airport parking markets should owners compare?
Owners weighing a parcel near DRO often compare it with other Mountain West airports, where boardings, daily rates and competition differ. Each airport page carries its own revenue model and a written feasibility offer for land within 10 miles of the terminal.
What sources back these figures?
Public sources for the facts on this page are listed below. Anything not backed by a listed source is labeled as a Wins Parking estimate.
- Passenger Boarding (Enplanement) and All-Cargo Data for U.S. Airports — Federal Aviation Administration. Supports: DRO annual enplanements (rounded).
- Airport data for DRO — FAA Airport Data and Information Portal. Supports: runways and airport facilities.
- Durango-La Plata County Airport official website — La Plata County Aviation. Supports: on-airport parking products and procurement.
- Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) — State of Colorado. Supports: US-160 corridor and access permits.
- National Highway Construction Cost Index (NHCCI) — Federal Highway Administration. Supports: construction cost trend behind paving estimates.
Wins Parking is headquartered in Edwards, Colorado, in the Vail Valley, and works with airport-area landowners nationwide. Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE) is one of our longest-running airport operations.
What do landowners near DRO ask most?
Planning-grade revenue runs about $290,084/acre/year at DRO, based on an estimated $17/day average rate, about 85 paved spaces per acre and about 55% blended occupancy. These are estimates; binding numbers come from a site survey.
Wins Parking pursues on-airport and off-airport opportunities at Durango-La Plata County Airport and partners with property owners within 10 miles of the terminal.
Paved or pavable lots of 1–20 acres within 10 miles of the terminal, with visibility from US-160 and permittable curb cuts, are the strongest candidates.
A Wins Parking partner reviews the submission within one business day, runs a desktop feasibility, and follows up with a written proposal.
Yes. Wins Parking responds to La Plata County Aviation RFPs and competitive procurements for on-airport parking management, shuttle, and revenue control.
About 215,000 passengers board at Durango-La Plata County Airport each year, based on rounded FAA passenger-boarding data. That ranks DRO 13th among the 18 Mountain West airports Wins Parking tracks.
DRO is classed as a mixed market, so demand is steadier than at resort airports, with peaks around holidays and school vacations.
Most successful off-airport lots sit within a 10-minute shuttle ride of the terminal. Near Durango, parcels along US-160 with a clear route to the terminal curb can work at longer distances if the daily rate undercuts on-airport parking.
Ready to talk about land near DRO?
Send the form above or call (970) 279-1744. Written reply within one business day. Figures on this page are planning estimates.
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Wins Parking is a privately owned and operated parking facility and is not owned, operated, endorsed by, or affiliated with Eagle County Government or the Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE).