Being the busiest airport in Western Colorado/Eastern Utah, the Grand Junction Regional Airport (GJT), has a huge demand for parking.
Fortunately it’s spacing parking lot directly south of the terminal and just a short stroll away, has plenty of short term and long term parking, albeit at a cost.
The airport contracts with a private company, Republic Parking to run their parking lot and operations. As far as parking lots go, this is a nice setting, with landscaping and trees and easy walkways to the terminal. I’ve flown out of GJT (previously known as Walker Field), a lot, and while it can get pretty busy, I have always gotten a spot. An expansion of the lot is reportedly in place for late summer of this year (2025).
Grand Junction Airport Parking Fees
It costs $12 a day to park at the Grand Junction Regional Airport.
Parking for one hour would cost you $4 total.
(Below is a map of the Grand Junction Regional Airport Parking Lot. The green star is the entrance, while the brown star is where you pay the gate attendants. The red star is passenger loading and unloading.)
If you’re just dropping off someone and wish to go inside, you can park for free for twenty minutes. There are designed parking spots up front that state “30 minute” parking, however the twenty minute rule still applies. It’s sort of confusing, but the 30 minute spots are not free. I think they are designed for people who want to drop off passengers and park and walk them inside, since you cannot do that when using the loading zone.
I’ve tried this before, but never make it within that 20 minute window, as the time it takes to park, walk inside, say your goodbyes and walk back always exceeds the time limit.
Exact parking fees are as follows:
| 0 – 20 Minutes | Free |
| Each Additional 20 Minutes | $2 |
| Daily Maximum | $12 |
If you plan on parking longer than 45 days, the airport says you need to call Republic Parking at (970) 245.5154
As is custom, you’ll grab a ticket from the machine when arriving, and pay at the cashier stand when leaving.
These are human-operated parking stations, and not the self-parking machines you find at places like Las Vegas hotels, where one malfunctioning machine can back up cars in a congested dirty parking lot for ½ hour (ask me how I know this).
Everytime I used the GJT parking lot, the attendants have always been very friendly. They take cash and credit or debit cards.
Grand Junction Regional Airport Parking
According to a story in the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, GJT has 22,000 yearly flights, with 570,000 passengers flying in or out of the airport.
And as the largest, busiest airport in the region, a lot of those passengers have to park, as compared to the cities in larger airports, where taking trams, buses or Uber/Lyft to the airport is more prevalent.
The parking lot, located on the south side of the terminal, fronting H Road, consists entirely of surface parking lots, as there aren’t any covered parking options or parking garages here.
There are 552 parking spaces, with an additional 30 handicapped spaces available up front. The airport also provides 12 motorcycle parking spaces.
There are also no off-airport parking lots, like the kind at Denver International Airport has, where you park a few miles away and take a shuttle to the terminal.
As you drive on Walker Field Drive leading up to the airport, you’ll make the first left turn into the gate and ticket dispenser. Alternatively, you can continue straight ahead towards the loading zone.
RV Parking at the Grand Junction Regional Airport
There are 38 RV parking spaces here on the southeast end of the parking lot. Prices to park your RV are the same as regular vehicles. There are not any hook-ups or services offered.
Electric Charging Stations
There are no electric charging stations at the airport.
Other
- As mentioned above, the airport contracts out its parking services to Republic Parking. If there are problems or questions, you can reach them at (970) 245-5154
- As a courtesy (and a nice touch), the airport provides free “smartecarte” carts you can use to haul your luggage into the terminal.
- Parking in the lot and in loading zones is monitored twenty four hours a day.
- I checked and found there are no participating Park Sleep Fly hotel parking options in Grand Junction, as of this writing.
- Rates here are comparable to GJT’s main competitor to the east, Montrose Regional Airport, which charges $14 a day for the closer parking lot, and $12 per day for the more distant parking.
- When the Grand Junction Regional Airport hosts a big air show (usually in late September with performers like the Blue Angels making an appearance), the airport opens up the large dirt lot south of the parking lot for vehicles.
- In a January 2025 article in the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, Airport Director (and a very nice lady), Angela Padalecki notes that the airport is looking at expanding the parking lots, although it is still in the design phase. In March of 2025, I spoke to a parking attendant who indicated he heard the new parking lot will be done by “August” (2025).
(By Steve Beauregard. Photos copyright GJFruita.com)