Garfield County Regional Airport

Rifle Garfield County Airport began in 1925 with a single landing strip. It was originally centered east of the city of Rifle. The first runway was made of dirt and gravel and was primarily used for crop dusting purposes. Then in the early 1970s, land for the current airport was donated from the William and Hannah Crann Ranch for the sole purpose of use as an airport. The airport was managed by the city of Rifle until 1960, when Garfield County took over operations. In 1967, County Commissioners appointed the first airport authority members, who then hired the first airport fixed-based operator (FBO) manager in 1973. In 1981, the original runway was decommissioned after construction was completed on Runway 8/26. The Airport Authority oversaw the airport until 1999, when the Garfield County Board of Commissioners dissolved the entity and hired a new airport director. The airport has grown and expanded to what it is today, including a major airport improvement project in 2010 where the runway was realigned, facilities were expanded, and additional navigational instruments were added.

The airport is centrally located within Garfield County along the I-70 Corridor, three nautical miles east of Rifle, Colorado’s central business district. 

● Garfield County Regional Airport covers an area of 338 acres at an elevation of 5,548 feet above mean sea level.