Shuttle Information

UPDATE: The NWT Shuttle will start running June 17, 2024 and will continue through the month of August, 2024

During the summer field season, LTER shuttle vehicles are used to provide transportation for researchers from Boulder to the MRS and the Cable Gate parking area below the trail to Niwot Ridge. Registration to ride the shuttle is open to all who (1) attend or watch the video of the current year’s orientation meeting, (2) fill out and submit the correct form and (3) are on or added to the Niwot listserv (email lternwt@colorado.edu for help with these requirements). Although you are welcome to drive your personal vehicle to the MRS, please keep in mind that there is limited parking space at the MRS. Due to rough road conditions and frequent air sampling, we discourage the use of personal vehicles beyond the gate at the Marr Lab. If you believe that you need to drive a personal vehicle beyond the gate, please speak in advance to the MRS station manager, Dave Hill.

SEEC to MRS Shuttle

The SEEC—MRS shuttle runs Monday—Thursday, sometimes Friday IF there is an authorized driver, mid-June through late August. The shuttle (8 passenger capacity) leaves Boulder from the parking lot on the south or east side of the SEEL building, 4001 Discovery Dr., on CU east campus. Additional pick-up stops are made at the two locations listed below.

If you wish to use the SEEC—MRS shuttle on a weekend or a weekday when there is no authorized driver signed up to drive, please contact Jane Smith.

MRS to Cable Gate & Watershed Shuttles

Shuttles (6-9 passenger capacity) will also be used to transport researchers from the MRS up to Cable Gate/C1 climate station or the Boulder Watershed (Tues/Thurs, permitted researchers only). If you want a ride, please sign up in advance on the LTER Shuttle calendar (link at bottom of page) with your first and last name. Please only add your name to the calendar where space is available; please do not make any other changes to the calendar. If you do not reserve a seat on the shuttle, you may need to walk to your field site. If your plans change, please promptly remove your name from the shuttle calendar. Please contact Jane Smith with any questions about the shuttle or shuttle calendar.

Researchers taking shuttles from the MRS to either Cable Gate or the Watershed are also required to add their names to a paper list in the vehicle. If you return to the MRS via any other means than the shuttle, e.g. walking, you must cross your name off the list before heading down. This is a critical safety procedure that ensures everyone is accounted for at the end of the field day.

If you wish to use the MRS—Cable Gate shuttle on a weekend and are an authorized driver or have an authorized driver in your group, please contact Jane Smith.

If you wish to use the shuttle after September, please contact Jen Morse at least one week in advance.

General Shuttle timing:

  • 6:15 am Shuttle leaves from SEEC southwest parking lot for MRS Marr Lab

  • 7:30 am Shuttle leaves Marr Lab for C1 and cable gate

  • 3:15 pm Shuttle departure deadline from cable gate to return to Marr Lab

  • 4:00 pm Shuttle leaves from Marr Lab for SEEC

Although we strive to always leave the Marr Lab promptly at 4:00 pm, on Tues/Thurs in particular, departure may be delayed depending on the timing of researchers returning from the watershed.