Thornton: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Thornton is a city of 133,451 people in United States (Colorado), 1,635 m (5,364 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Denver International Airport (DEN), 25 km (16 mi) from the centre. It has 3 railway stations on record, including Original Thornton/88th station.
Key facts
Daylight in Thornton runs from about 9 h 24 min a day in late December to 15 h 3 min in late June (computed for 39.87° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Thornton is served by 2 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is Denver International Airport (DEN), 25 km (16 mi) from the centre, whose 16,000-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft. The alternatives are Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC, 13 km).
Flights to Thornton: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include Original Thornton/88th station, Thornton Crossroads/104th station, Eastlake/124th station. Trains to Thornton
Buses to Thornton · Driving and car hire
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Denver, 14 km
- Colorado Springs, 116 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Aurora, 20 km — tours
- Fort Collins, 80 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Lakewood, 20 km — tours
- Westminster, 7 km
- Arvada, 12 km
- Centennial, 33 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Pueblo, 182 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Greeley, 66 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
Common questions
Which airport serves Thornton?
Denver International Airport (DEN), 25 km (16 mi) from the centre, plus 1 other airport with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Thornton?
About 133,451 people live in Thornton, across 95 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Thornton in?
America/Denver, currently UTC-6.
What currency is used in Thornton?
The Dollar (USD). Traffic drives on the right.
Which cities are near Thornton?
Denver (14 km), Colorado Springs (116 km), Aurora (20 km), Fort Collins (80 km), Lakewood (20 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.