I found some great info on the Mary E threads of the past but still have a few Questions.
Any info to master shuttle bus 101? Which day does the shuttle begin? earliest p/u and intervals thereafter and the various stops in town for arrival/departure?
Ice and firewood? When does the iceman cometh and is firewood readily available either for sale or gathered?
Scenerio: Load up my backpack and chair for my all-day festimungus, ride shuttle into town, festivate!!! then after music in the field, walk to my nightgrass venue, will they let me in with all my chit…ie: backpack ( no contraband ) & chair?
I will give it a shot, but might be remembering wrong :drunk or things have changed since I camped at Ilium a few years ago.
1.) I don’t think the buses started running until Thursday. I think they started at 7 AM, maybe 8. I believe they ran every 30 minutes, but maybe every 20. I think it just made one stop in between the campground and the festival at the high school for taking a shower.
2.) Ice was there definitely by Thursday. Pretty sure we just scrounged around for firewood.
3.) I think you just leave your stuff near the door pretty much a big pile of bags/chairs, so make sure your name is on everything. At least that is what i remember at the Sheridan. Can’t speak for Fly me to the Moon or the Palm
I know at the Sheridan Opera House, the chairs & large items just go underneath the stairs as you come in. I don’t know what day they start running from Illium though…The shuttle bus will stop wherever you want to get off…Elks Park, gas station, high school, fest-grounds…
Even before the shuttles begin you can always rely on the “Galloping Goose” which is the free bus that makes trips from Ridgway to Telluride about every hour. I don’t think it stops at Ilium, but it does stop at a lot of places between Ridgway and Town Park. :flower
You can always drive your car up to Society Turn, park it, and catch the Galloping Goose from there. :thumbsup
Thanks Heaubeau, Mark J & T-Ride Tom. It looks like my dilemma will be getting into town before Thurs. I have a Illium vehicle pass as well as a camping pass- from what I’ve read, once I park my car next to my camp spot, its there for the duration. I really was counting on joining everyone at TP for prefest as well as Yonder at the Conf. Ctr. Anyone else in a similiar situation??? Please advise if anyone has any suggestions. Thanks again!!!
The shuttles start before Thursday. I remember riding in to town on Wednesday several times. I can’t speak to any earlier than that, though. The drivers will always stop at the High School (which is right across the street from one of the grocery stores), Elks Park and the Festival Grounds. As long as the shuttle isn’t packed, they’d probably stop where you ask them to. Make sure to tip them. They do an excellent job of getting people into town and back safely.
just found this on official rule page "Shuttle buses from Mary E and Lawson Hill win run from 7:30am - 3am on Wednesday thru Sunday, and from 7:30am - 2pm on Monday (closing day)
I think you can get into town in your own vehicle until probably Wednesday, when the barricades go up in full force.
I remember camping at Ilium years ago, and we drove into town at night for dinner and drinking a couple of night before the festival got going.
You’ll just have to find a place to park somewhere in town - which can be done. The “park-it-and-leave-it” thing pretty much applies to parking in Town Park, where once you’re in, it’s real tough to get out.
Thanks for the replies. Does anyone have the scoop on whether we can leave our stuff (chairs, tarps, backpacks, etc) somewhere at Fly Me To The Moon for the the Nightgrass shows there?
As far as firewood at Illium, everyone just scrounges around and it can be hard to find much good wood Last year we went in with another camping group and bought some wood that someone delivered to our campsite… I think it was $40, so $20 each, however the wood was too ‘green’ and didn’t burn well.
So… my advice would be to either bring in as much wood as possible, or arrange beforehand to buy good firewood once you arrive in t-ride.
Also, try to make sure you are close to a fire ring, as those are the only places that fires are permitted :pickin
You may want to check if “any” fires are going to be allowed this year…I know most of Arizona and I think all of New Mexico are under a “fire ban” in all forest lands.
If thinking of transporting wood (SUBilly), please read this first!
[b]The CSFS offers several firewood tips to help Coloradans protect their trees and forests:
Always try to burn firewood at the location where you buy or cut it. Leave whatever wood you don’t burn.
Don’t ever bring wood into Colorado from other states, or vice-versa.
Ask firewood dealers questions about the origin of the wood.
If using firewood bundles for camping, buy from a local vendor. The best option is wood labeled with the Colorado Forest Products logo; at least 50 percent of this wood is certified to be from Colorado forests, and more than 65 vendors around the state participate in this program.
Learn to identify the symptoms of common pests in the type of wood you plan to burn.
If you intend to transport firewood more than a few miles, make sure it is completely dried and ready to burn. The bark should peel off easily and should be removed before transporting the wood.
For more information about insects and diseases that threaten Colorado trees, contact Sky Stephens at (970) 491-7282 or contact a local CSFS district office.[/b]
We are heading to TBF for the first time and camping at Mary E campground. We have a small popup camper and wonder if arriving Tuesday or Wednesday is too late to get a spot for it. Also, can we park both car and popup at site? And when is the earliest we can get out on Monday? Any info or reference to other threads on camping much appreciated!
That said…SOOOOOO excited and love this site!
A little shout out for my nephew’s band from Denver…Trout Steak Revival! They are playing in the new band contest and the reason we made the leap and committed to this year’s festival!
Thanks for the feedback…so I assume from another post I read that its ok to leave food in coolers at camp (coming from bear country this isn’t something we ever do).
We are from Missoula. Tons of snow up here in the mountains this winter and very cool spring…gonna be a whopper runoff when it finally gets here! How about down there?
Still wondering whether we will get a decent site Tuesday or Wednesday? A fire ring would be nice, but it sounds like if we bring the wood and some Montana microbrew we can pull up a chair.
Sweet! I’m going to school in Missoula. Originally from Billings, though. You’ll be fine coming in on Tuesday or Wednesday. Both times I camped at Mary E, my group arrived on Tuesday and found a spot big enough for a huge tent.
Colorado really doesn’t want people to bring their own firewood because of the bugs and other pests that can travel with it. There’s plenty of firewood scattered around Illium.