By plane
Los Alamos has a municipal airport, but no commercial service at this time. The single runway is adequate for a large commercial jet, and its approach is extremely scenic: cross the Rio Grande Valley to perch on top of a narrow mesa with canyons on either side. Hertz rental car agency operates out of the airport terminal. Atomic Transit bus stops at the airport entrance on East Drive.
The Santa Fe airport SAF, 40 minutes away by car has commercial service to Dallas DFW and Los Angeles LAX. Albuquerque ABQ, 2 hours away by car is the airport of choice for most travelers to and from Los Alamos. However, ABQ is a small airport with relatively few direct flights, so driving to Denver for a direct flight may be less expensive and faster.
By Horse
Horse friendly trails abound in and around Los Alamos. Travel through Santa Clara Pueblo requires a permit; the permit is easy to obtain but must be obtained in advance. Travel through Valles Caldera also requires advance permission, and may be iffy to obtain. Travel around Valles Caldera, via its rim, is largely feasible although a consolidated rim trail is in the proposal stage. (http://vcrimtrails.bonito...)
By bike
If you don't want to make the 2000 foot climb from the Rio Grande up the "big hill", you can hitch a ride on the commuter coach buses that serve Los Alamos. They have front racks and luggage compartments.
By bus
Los Alamos is served by public commuter bus and commercial shuttle from several other cities in northern New Mexico.
New Mexico Park & Ride (http://nmshtd.state.nm.us...) has direct bus service to Los Alamos from both Espanola and Santa Fe. This is popular with commuters and occasional travelers alike. The Los Alamos terminus is a bus shelter on Central Avenue between 19th St and 20th St. It is in front of Mesa Public Library and a skate park and tot lot, in sight of the Reel Deal movie theater, and one block from the Aquatic Center. The nearest public toilets are in the library lobby. The Santa Fe bus can be used to make connections via Santa Fe to the Albuquerque airport ABQ using the Rail Runner train (http://www.nmrailrunner.com) or the Sandia Shuttle Express. (http://www.sandiashuttle.com/) Connections can also be made in Pojoaque with shuttle services that run between Albuquerque and Taos.
By appointment, Roadrunner Shuttle and Charter 505 424-3367 will take you from Santa Fe airport SAF or downtown, Lamy Amtrak train station or Albuquerque airport to Los Alamos. Los Alamos tour company Buffalo Tours (http://buffalotours.home....) and some Los Alamos bed-and-breakfasts may also be available to pick you up.
The North Central Regional Transit District (http://www.ncrtd.org/) "Blue Buses" provides free bus service Monday through Friday with routes that connect the counties and communities of Los Alamos, Santa Fe, Taos and Rio Arriba.
By car
From US 285 north of Santa Fe, take NM 502 west, which leads directly to the town. This is a highly scenic drive, with photo opportunities from the Clinton P. Anderson Scenic Overlook outside of town. From NM 502 a side road, NM 4, leads to White Rock and Bandelier National Monument.
You can rent a car or passenger van from Hertz elsewhere and return it in Los Alamos, or rent it in Los Alamos and return it elsewhere, without paying a drop-off fee if you rent by calling the Los Alamos office, 505 662-8907. Residents and visitors alike find this convenient and inexpensive for getting to and from airports. The Los Alamos office is inside the tiny main building at the the Los Alamos County airport on NM 502 just east of town. Prior to June 2008, this car rental office was operated by Budget.
Crossing LANL property e.g. when entering town from the west requires passing a security checkpoint; procedures vary (http://www.lanl.gov/commu...) but under most conditions require no more than slowing down or a brief stop.