Travel information

Special packing hints

  1. Hat, sunscreen, umbrella (afternoon thunderstorms)
  2. Allergy medicine? Sometimes very dry with frequent wildfires and lots of pollen
  3. Hiking shoes
  4. Tennis racket, non-marking shoes
  5. Backpacking stuff (kits available for rent too)

Workshop Location: The 2019 location will be in Telluride, Colorado, at the Telluride Elementary School.

Telluride: The workshop is hosted by the scenic mountain town of Telluride, where our scientists occupy a wing in a public schoolhouse and enjoy recreation time among the high, rugged peaks of Colorado's famous Rocky Mountains. The town is a lively and popular summer destination for its renowned music festivals and excellent outdoor sports; workshop participants organize hiking, overnight backpacking, fishing, volleyball, tennis, and mountain biking groups. A highlight of the workshop is our participation in the July 4th Independence Day town parade, at which the Neuromorphs have won many awards. There is an excellent town library and town park. The Telluride Academy offers a huge range of children's summer courses including kids' robotics camps . Everything in the town is in walking distance, including an excellent hardware store. Workshop participants are housed in shared condominiums. The workshop has a staff of about five PhD students for daily operation (breakfast, IT support, logistics, BBQs, etc.).

Getting to Telluride

The two most popular ways to get to Telluride are

1. Fly to one of the regional airports such as Montrose Regional Airport (MTJ) or (second choice) Cortez Airport (CEZ). The Telluride Airport (TEX) is also an option this year, with a new commercial flight between Denver (DEN) and Telluride (TEX) available from Boutique Air or via United. Bear in mind that flights around Telluride are often subject to weather restrictions, e.g. hot dry day can result in weight limits, or thunderstorms can prevent landing or takeoff.

2. Fly to Denver or Albuquerque and drive to Telluride. These trips take from 6 to 9 hours depending on your driver and route and stops for sightseeing, etc. A 2-day Hertz car rental with drop off at Telluride airport costs about $250 (plus you will need to pay for, or beg a ride, or borrow a bike that you bring along, to get back to town).

See here for official Telluride visitors guide on getting to Telluride.

From Montrose (due north of Telluride), take a shuttle (about a 90 minute ride) to Telluride. You will need to make a reservation for the shuttle. Select 'shared ride.' Contact: Telluride Express tellurideexpress.com +1-970-728-6000 or Mountain Limos www.mountainlimos.com +1-888-546-6894. Rates from Montrose or Cortez to Telluride are about $60-80 one-way for a shared ride.

Ask the shuttle driver to take you to the condominium check in (Telluride Alpine Lodging, 324 West Colorado Avenue, Telluride). The driver usually will wait for you and then take you to your condo. . You will find your housing assignment here - check back after being informed by the workshop.

Important note: Participants with workshop housing are NOT required to leave their credit card information with Telluride Alpine Lodging. There are often employees that have not been correctly informed of this.

Alternately, you can fly to Durango Airport (DRO) or Grand Junction Airport (GJT) and from there take a shuttle (about a 2.5 hour ride) to Telluride. Again, you will need to make a reservation with Telluride Express, +1-970-728-6000. Check shuttle prices from these two airports; they can be expensive!

IMPORTANT NOTE: For any shuttle reservation, check the fine print. You may be responsible for the full cost of the shuttle if you are the only passenger. We strongly suggest sharing the ride. Check the workshop ride board.

Luggage delivery

In case your luggage follows you (which can happen on hot days when the plane is overloaded), it may be helpful to write your housing condo, e.g. Telluride Lodge 312, on your luggage tag. Then the shuttle drivers who deliver leftover luggage will know exactly where to drop off your bags.

Housing

Housing assignments will be sent to workshop participants before they arrive. Participants will mostly be housed in shared Telluride Alpine Lodging condominiums. A map of these condos is below