Is Hertz rental car on site or off site at Denver Airport

So you’re flying into Denver and you booked a car with Hertz and now you’re wondering, is Hertz rental car on site or off site at Denver Airport. It’s a really common question, lots of people get confused by this because Denver’s airport is just so big and spread out, it’s not like other airports you might be used to.

The simple answer is that Hertz is an off-site rental car company at Denver International Airport (DEN).

This means you can’t just walk from the termnial, like after you get your bags, and go to a counter and then walk to your car. It just doesn’t work that way at DEN, for Hertz or for pretty much anyone else. You have to take a shuttle bus to get to their rental car facility.

I know, it’s kind of a pain, but that’s just how they built the airport. All the rental car companies are in these big lots that are on airport property, but they are miles away from the main Jeppesen Terminal where you land and get your luggage.

How To Get to the Hertz Location at Denver Airport

Okay so you’ve got your bags from baggage claim, what do you do next to find your Hertz car. It’s actually not too hard but you do need to know where to go.

First, you’ll be on Level 5, which is the same level as baggage claim and ground transportation.

You need to exit the terminal through the main doors, the big sliding glass ones. You can exit from either the East side or the West side of the terminal, it realy doesn’t matter, the shuttles stop at both.

Once your outside, you need to find Island 4. The pickup islands are numbered, so just look for the signs. It’s one of the middle islands.

This Island 4 is where all the rental car shuttles pick up. You’ll see signs for all the different companies, like Avis, Budget, Enterprise, and Hertz. You just have to stand in the area for Hertz, their shuttles are usually bright yellow so you can’t miss them. 🚌

These shuttles run all the time, they say they come like every 10 or 15 minutes, so you shouldnt have to wait too long.

The shuttle ride itself takes maybe 10 minutes, it just takes you from the termnial over to the big Hertz facility. Once you get there, you’ll go inside, wait in line (hopefully not for too long), do all your paperwork, and then they’ll tell you where to go to find your car in the lot.

Are All Rental Cars Off-Site at DEN?

This is the other big question people have. They wonder if they messed up by picking Hertz, like maybe they should have picked a different company that was “on-site”.

Well, the truth is, all the major rental car companies are off-site at Denver Airport.

It doesn’t matter if you book with Hertz, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, National, Alamo, Thrifty, Dollar, or any of the other big names. Every single one of them is located in these remote lots and you have to take one of their shuttle buses to get there.

So no, you didn’t make a mistake picking Hertz, they are all the same in this way. There is no company where you can just walk to your car from the terminal. This is a very important point to remember. The only real difference might be how nice their shuttle bus is or how long the line is at their counter.

The Problem with Renting a Car at Denver Airport, Especially for Ski Trips

So now we know that renting a car at DEN means you have to deal with finding the shuttle, waiting for it, dragging all your luggage and ski bags onto it, driving to the lot, waiting in line, and then finally getting your car. It’s a whole process, and it can easily add an hour or more to your travel day, which is a total bummer when you just want to get to the mountins. 🏔️

But the hassle is actualy just the beginning of the problem.

The real issue comes if you’re visiting Colorado in the winter, which most people are, to go skiing or snowboarding. You are probly heading up to Breckenridge, or Vail, or Winter Park, or one of the other amazing resorts.

And that means you have to drive on Interstate 70 (I-70) in the mountains. In the winter.

This is not a normal drive.

Here’s what you’re facing:

• Bad Wether: The wether in the Rocky Mountains is no joke. It can be sunny in Denver and a full-on whiteout blizzard in the mountains. I-70 closes all the time because of snow and accidents.
• Insane Traffic: On a weekend, the traffic on I-70 is legendary. It can take you 5 hours to make a drive that should take 2. You’re just sitting there, bumper to bumper.
• The Rental Car Itself: This is the scariest part. You go to Hertz or one of those places and you ask for an SUV with all-wheel drive (AWD). They give you one, but then you look at the tires. They’ll just have “All-Season” tires. Let me tell you, “all-season” tires are NOT snow tires. They are basicly useless in deep snow or on ice. They don’t have the special rubber or the deep treads (called sipes) to grip the road.
• Colorado Traction Law: Because the wether gets so bad, Colorado has a “Traction Law”. When it’s in effect, you are required to have a vehicle with proper snow tires (they have a 3-peak mountain snowflake symbol ❄️) or be AWD/4WD with M+S (mud and snow) tires. Your rental might not even be legal to drive on the road, and you could get a huge fine. Most rental places don’t guarantee you get true snow tires, its just whatever they have on the lot.
• Stress: So now you’re in an unfamiliar car, with bad tires, driving in a blizzard, on a steep mountain road with tons of traffic. It’s incredibly stressful. It’s the worst possible way to start your vacation.

A Way Better Alternative to the Rental Car Mess

So if renting a car at the airport is such a headache and so dangerous, what are you supposed to do?

This is where a service like Winter Wagon completely changes the game.

Winter Wagon is a company that specializes in getting people from Denver Airport to the ski resorts, and they do it in two ways that are both way better than a standard Hertz rental.

1. Winter Wagon Private Shuttles

This is the easiest, safest, and most stress-free option.

Instead of all that shuttle bus nonsense at the airport, a professional driver from Winter Wagon meets you right at the terminal. They help you with your bags, and you and your group get into a private, premium SUV or van.

And these aren’t just any SUVs. These are “mountain-ready” vehicles. They have:

• Real Snow Tires: Not all-seasons. We’re talking about proper, studded snow tires or 3-peak mountain snowflake tires that actualy grip the ice and snow.
• All-Wheel Drive (AWD): All their vehicles are AWD or 4x4, so they are built for the conditions.
• Professional Drivers: Their drivers do this every single day. They know the roads, they know how to drive in blizzards, and they know how to avoid the worst of the traffic if possible. You just get to sit back, relax, look at the views, and get delivered right to the door of your hotel or condo.

You dont have to worry about navigating, or crashing, or the traction law, or any of it. Your vacation starts the second you get in the car.

2. Winter Wagon Mountain-Ready Rentals

What if you really want your own car to drive around the resort town? No problem. Winter Wagon also does car rentals, but they are so much better than airport rentals.

You can rent one of their mountain-ready SUVs that have the same great features, like guaranteed snow tires. They can even deliver the car to you at the resort. So you could take their private shuttle up to Breckenridge, and then have them drop off a rental car for you to use for a few days, and then you can drive it back to the airport yourself.

They even do one-way rentals, which gives you so much flexibility.

Quick Comparison: Airport Rental vs. Winter Wagon

To go back to the original question, Hertz at Denver Airport is off-site, and you must take a shuttle bus to get there.

But the bigger question is should you even rent a car from them, and the answer is probaly no, not if you’re heading to the mountains in the winter.

The whole process is a major hassle, and the cars they give you are just not safe for real Colorado mountain driving. You are putting yourself and your family at risk by driving in a car with the wrong tires.

A much smarter, safer, and more relaxing choice is to skip the rental counter entirely. Book a private shuttle with a company that actualy understands the mountins, like Winter Wagon. You’ll get a safe vehicle, a professional driver, and you can just start your vacation the right way, without any of the stress.