Hello first time festival goes here. Im carrying on my late mothers tradition. We are so excited we have our 4 day passes but no camping. I have looked high and low for ant kind of pass. What are my options? I saw another post that said Ridgeway but looks to be sold out also. Please help :huh any guidance is much appreciated.
What happens if I dont find any camping? We live 6 hours away
Hi there! It’s my first festival too so hopefully someone else can chime in who has a better grasp on things, but here’s what I know!
Have you posted here and also on the Facebook pages?
You may get lucky and score a camping pass!
I’m not sure what happens if you don’t find camping, that would be up to you. I know they are strict about sleeping in cars in Telluride, but there’s some BLM land surrounding it that’s probably first come, first serve for camping. Might be a bit of a drive but closer than 6 hours.
Good luck! I feel like there’s magic surrounding these festival, so if you wish for it, maybe it will be yours! 
If you can get to Telluride before Lawson camping opens, and get to the Box Office area of Town Park (by the Post Office). Then there will be a large bulletin board with all sorts of camping passes and tickets posted. There won’t be tons, but if you are there early you’d surely find something. I believe Lawson opens on Tuesday or Wednesday, and Illium opens the Saturday before.
Otherwise MMATC is right, Forest service land outside of town would be best bet. Possibly Wilson Meadows, or the Lizard Head areas would be close you could probably even catch the Illium shuttle with just a short drive down the mountain. Otherwise everyday you’ll have to drive into MTN Village, and catch the Gondola into town for festival.
Yes, they are strict about sleeping in cars; let alone having a car without the proper credentials simply parked within town limits during the festival.
You are correct about there being tons of public land in the general area; whether it’s managed by BLM or directly under the USFS. There are several developed campgrounds in the region that are limited by the number of their designated spots, but dispersed camping is allowed pretty much anywhere within the public land boundaries; provided you abide by the rules governing the use of said lands. In general terms, it’s going to take a bit more time and effort to drive to such areas, but if you’re prepared for it then it might be an option.
The Alta Lakes dispersed camping area isn’t next door, but being between Mtn Village and Lizard Head pass it’s closer than many other places you might camp. Make sure someone is the designated driver, though.
Don’t even think about parking in town without the right credentials. Instead, park for free in Mtn Village and take the free gondola into town. They will definitely be towing all week/month/year.
There is also dispersed camping off of Last Dollar Road if you strike out at Alta Lakes. It’s not as close to Mt. Village parking, though.
It’s my first time coming as well and I’m also out of luck with finding a camping pass! Starting to worry about it a lot…
I’ve been seeing quite a few posts selling Lawson Hill and Mary I camping! If you’re looking for Town Park or Warner Field, you may be out of luck, barring a miracle, but I’m seeing the other campsites being offered pretty much every few days.
Good luck!
Hi Tabrewer27,
For camping tickets, check the ticket exchange link within this site.
https://www.festivarian.com/index.php/board,31.0.html
My group will likely be selling 4 Lawson Hill Camping Passes (what you need) this week. We’re still figuring things out. Keep an eye out for new postings. Feel free to send me a personal message and I will try contacting when and if we have tickets available.
*Anyone reading this post, please note that I do not have camping tickets currently available. And, this page is not the place for buying or selling tickets. Therefore, please do not respond directly to this post. Thank you.
Jay
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Hi Jay!
You are in luck!! Me and 3 of my friends were going to be volunteers for this years festival and purchased camping passes at Mary E Campground. We can no longer attend (I am so bummed about it!!!) so we are trying to find people who would like to buy our camping passes off us. If you are interested, feel free to email me at mali4991@colorado.edu and we can chat about it further!! Hope you find something 