How convenient/inconvenient is it to stay at Mountain Village (in general), and is it a problem to get back to MV late at night – such as after the nightgrass shows when the gondola has closed?
Thanks for any advice!
I love staying up in MV because you can get so much more for your money up there. The gondolas run late so you should not have any problems getting up there.
But It definitely is far from convenient. First how close is your condo from the gondola? if its not real close you will either have to either hike up to the lift, wait for the Dial-A-Ride (which i imagine will be quite busy), or drive your car to the main area. Also keep in mind you will most likely have all your gear with you( chair, tarp, bag full of warm clothes.)
Also keep in mind, most likely once you come down your down till you head up for the night. There is no quick trips to the condo, it just takes so long.
All that being said, we rented a house in town.
It cant be any harder than taking the bus out to Mary E campground. We normally take one trip back during the day, unless we go to the waterfall or nap by the river (hot days)
Last year, some shows at the Sheridan got shut down (by Bluegrass prior to the cops) mid 2nd set with 15 minutes to get to the Gondola. This happened with Greensky as an example. They took it out to the park in front of the Opera House and if you stayed you would have seen a great 3 or 4 song acoustic set but you would have missed the gondola.
I’ve stayed in mtn village twice. Plan on at least an hour round trip, up to an hour and a half, and thats no stopping to hangout in the condo.
Get there, exchange gear and get out if you want to maximize time at the festival.
Gondola closes at 2am If I remember correctly.
I’ve never stayed in MV, but my understanding – to synthesize what some have said here and what I’ve read elsewhere – is that you trade convenience (esp. late night) for a better value.
In other words, you pay for the convenience of renting in town vs. on the mountain and, for some, it’s worth it; for others, it’s not.
That said, depending on where you are in town, it can probably take you just as long to hike it back and forth to the condo/house. We’ve spoiled ourselves with a couple of condos and homes really close to the grounds the past couple of times and I’m afraid it would be difficult to return to our ‘unenlightened’ state 
That was an awesome show. The highlight of my festival last year. But I rented a place in town. My buddy left just early enough to miss the outdoor acoustics…so he could get to the gondola to MV.
Thanks for the helpful replies.
It seems like it would be better to be in town, but I can’t find anywhere and probably can’t bring enough supplies from VA to have a proper campsite.
Are there taxis that go to MV at night, or if I miss the gondola am I “stuck”?
You could try one of the rental companies in town, or VRBO.com (lots of search options there with regard to $$, bedrooms, etc).
Not sure how many of you there are or what you want to limit your expenses to, though.
Good luck!
Buddy in question here - I was able to catch a couple songs before I had to sprint to the Gondola. I arrived at 2:01 and the operator gave me the evil eye and said “don’t you know the gondola stops running at 2:00?”. I said, “yes ma’am.” and I jumped into the next open cabin and headed up the mountain.
I’ve been staying in MV for about the last 10 years. It definitely has pros and cons. If you want to go from the fest to MV in the middle of the day, plan on it taking an hour, not including the amount of time you actually spend in your condo. There is also potential for long lines to get on the gondola at the end of the night. And don’t plan on getting in tarp line at 5:00 AM unless you’ve got a ride into town or you want to hike down in the dark.
That said, it’s quiet up there which is nice when you have little ones. Most of the condos and houses are REALLY nice. There are some nice places to eat that may be less crowded than some of the places in town.
It’s also really convenient for First Grass and the Conference Center shows.
If you stay in MV, make sure you’re close to the gondola station. Not fun to hike to the station or wait for the bus. I’ve done it twice, but to me, staying in town is worth the extra expense.
First time to fest was '09 and stayed in MV. Had a house 1 mile from the gondola station and was very inconvenient. We actually piled into a van and drove to the fest each day, which meant when a portion of the group left we all left. I did do one night grass show, and again was a pain. Caught gondola, but had to have one in our group that didn’t do the show pick us up at the gondola station. They do have the Call-a-ride in MV, but is not very timely. So this time we are giving up the huge 5 bedroom mansion on the golf course that we easily slept 10 in and probably could have had 20 comfortably, for a small 3 bedroom house two blocks from the fest - same cost. The convenience of being close the festival and in town far outweighed being in the plush accommodations in MV. If MV is your only choice, I would find something in walking distance of the gondola station.
We’ve stayed in Mtn Village a few times over the years, and will be there again for this years TBF. We haven’t experienced the problems noted by some. The one time we scored Nightgrass tix (Crooked Still at Howlin’ at the Moon) we had no problem catching the Gondola to get back to MV from town. We stay at the Mountain Lodge; which is a 5 minute walk up the hill to the Gondola Station. I don’t think it’s ever taken more than 30 minutes from the condo to getting off the gondola in Telluride. As for daily returns and the like; just allow a half hour travel time each way and you’ll be fine (If staying at mtn lodge).
I stayed in MV my first TBF in 2007. The house was gorgeous, and spacious, etc. But, there was always a long wait to get back onto the gondola ride after the last call show at the festival. I did not get any Nightgrass Tix that year. However, the good taken from the bad; it forced us to do one trip down and one trip up per day. We really maximized our festival enjoyment time. Every year since then I have stayed in town, and have spent much less time at the festival listening to and enjoying the music. Keeping in mind that I have had 2 kids since then, which has changed the festival dynamic, I do feel that it kind of forces you to stay at and enjoy the festival more than you might otherwise. Just my own experience. 
Last year I had to hike 30 minutes uphill across the golf course to get the gondola when it opens…at 7. You will be in line at 7:30 so you won’t need a short chair, that’s for sure. This year we drew in the lottery, so we will be as close as possible AND spend $200 less per person.
The condos are not worth it in my opinion. The commute takes a lot away from the experience.
The wait for the gondola can be really long in the heat. The bathrooms under the stairs are air-conditioned! Also, the last few years they have tried to have some sort of farmer’s market up in MV during the fest, but forget what day that was. The plus side of waiting in line for the gondola is sometimes you get to stand/talk with or even ride with Tim O’Brien, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, various members of Yonder, Leftover, or even Barenaked Ladies.
the Nightgrass negatives have been mentioned. The Greensky acoustic outside the SOH was great, as was the Hot buttered floor pick & don’t forget the Yonder till almost 3 something that started the SOH sellout fever, all great & all missed if you needed the gangjala er gondola.
course, so are the late night TP bathroom picks, anahuac’s, early morning line wakeups, birthday serenades, and elks park tuneups.
another plus to MV is more sleep? since supposedly you actually need sleep sometimes, else you could actually see it all.
Have you looked at Mountainside Inn. My understanding is it is past the gondola, but walking distance and you do not have to wait for a bus or gondola. This will be my first time using a condo. Typically I am at Lawson.
Walking distance can be relative. I walk a mile to work and home every day, but walking down the steep mountain in the cold morning air is going to be a little tougher than it sounds, even though it’s less than a mile.
I have to admit that last year we ended up riding the gondola with some of John Prine’s roadies, and that was really cool.
That be true. It is all relative. I guess, in the end its all about what gets ypou to your end Point.
Souns like you had an awesome walk back. Its moments like that which make Telluride amazing.
I guess we will findout for ourselves, not necessarily by choice, but more due to my neglecting to account for lodging demand easily exceeding the demand for ducats, not sure how that is possible, but appeared to be the case.
We’ll be at the Lumiere and I guess I may need to ride my bike down in the dark to get in line, but I know locals who do this and guess if I take my time, I might still be in line before the 1st Gondola arrives in town.