Arriving @ Roo - A GA Comprehensive Guide

Got pod 2, just away from the trees, so decided to hike up to TO this time.

Hey Guys,

Has anyone ever hiked into Roo? I will be driving up with a friend on Wednesday and she is not going to Roo. The plan is that when we pass the exit on I-24 to pull over right after the exit and let me/my stuff out to hike the rest of the way. Any tips/stories/ideas/warnings would be appreciated.

Thanks, See you Freaks in a few weeks! 

I will be coming from the South, so I-24 W I guess the main entrance exit. A "long" walk is no problem, I anticipate the walk from the exit to the gate (and my eventual campsite) will be close to 6-7 miles. I will even consider walking from Walmart if absolutely needed. Just looking for tips/hints.

If you get off at the wafflehouse or Walmart you can get roo rides to bring you in the east gate. I walked in and had one guy vaguely check my stuff and it was a long fucking walk to tent only.

Also haven't been since 2015.

Can anyone confirm that the lines have gotten shorter? Due to work obligations early Thursday, we probably won't get to the Farm until around 4 or 5 p.m. Is hoping to be parked by 8 too optimistic?

That's what I was hoping. There's so much energy on Thursday, I'd hate to miss out. 

I've had every kind of luck getting on to the farm, everywhere from less than two hours to literally 12 hours in a line in the middle of nowhere in 2009. Thanks!

Nice to see some life around here again.

I have no experience volunteering - it is very attractive but I just can't spare another day on either end, so this info is for regular car campers only.
I had one bad experience getting in, and that was in 2010. After reaching Manchester it was a good 10 hours before we were parked. It was the first year for all four of us in my crew, and we didn't make it into town until about 8 AM on Thursday. There was a huge mud problem due to a ton of rain Tuesday and Wednesday which threw a wrench into their parking plans, we were told. We got into line on the the interstate, SOUTHBOUND. To this day I have no clue where they routed us, but we saw miles and miles of rural roads, at a crawl.

For five of my other six times since then I/we got there on Wednesday afternoon, with total wait times in line ranging from a few minutes to probably a two hours max, resulting in Pod 2 4 times, Pod 1 once, and Pod 10 once. We always went in the East entrance, except for 2014. I drove separately that time and was a little late, so I went in the West entrance while everyone else went in the East. The funny thing about that is that we all got Pod 2 anyway. In 2015 we were there a bit later, screwed around at Walmart too long, missed our turn onto Asbury (caravan of three cars) and went way too far down Route 2 before turning around. Not sure how long that took but the line seemed long and slow and we got into Pod 10 well after dark.

Not sure about this year, but Pod 1 BFE has not been used the past 2-3 years. Getting trapped there used to be the potential penalty for arriving too early, whether via the highway or the other tollbooths. The other change I've seen is that they started parking cars in lines nose-to-tail rather than side-by-side in 2016. Maybe they don't do this everywhere or won't keep it up, but it was different camping next to your car. People with giant pickups got bigger spots than folks in little cars, and there was some obvious variance in how close together they made people park. Be ready to leave enough space for the neighbors in front to get into their trunk without standing on your hood, and politely refuse if the volunteers command you to get too close.

If this year pans out I'll be with a different group or solo, and will try for 4ish Wednesday at the West tollbooth. I like Pod 2, and that plan has worked 4 out of 5 times (except Pod 1 in 2013). The walk to the arch or tent only isn't too bad from there, and it's one of the few areas on the farm where you have a chance of getting some glorious shade.

True Dat. I drive a minivan, and last year the guy behind me originally parked so close I couldn't open my rear hatch, much less get in there to get stuff. So he backed up a few feet and life was good....

I didn't go in 2018, but if you're asking what I think you're asking, be very careful. The "normal" search is just a basic IQ test, and is conducted by volunteers who only really look for glass liquor and beer bottles. But the random (meaning not entirely random) police search is much less fun. The safest bet is just not to break the law, especially since the local authorities have gone with more arrests and citations that require court appearances lately, whereas they used to just write citations you could mail in with the party tax. I don't know about you, but I live nowhere near Manchester, TN and would rather not take a chance of a K-9 cop finding something silly and my $50 worth of party supplies medicine turning into another trip back there and an attorney's fee$.

At the very least, try to look respectable, DON'T SMOKE IN YOUR CAR ON THE WAY, don't bring any sort of glass anything, vac seal your shit, and hide it VERY well. Other people here have said, "You don't need to bring your own sand to the beach." A lawyer I know says he gets asked all the time about how to avoid being pulled over. His two answers are always: 1. Don't drive drunk, and 2. Fix your damn car when something breaks. It really is that simple, usually.

Not 100% this is the most appropriate thread for this, but...

The website says Tent-Only camping is only available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Is TO filling up a problem that people on here have regularly encountered if that's the route you took? What alternatives are available if I'm planning on TO but it's already full? Is there a certain time I need to be arriving (website says it opens at 8am on Thursday)? Also, what parking pass (if any) do I need to buy for TO camping?

There is usually room to squeeze in somewhere, from what I've seen before. Wednesday evening arrivals give you choices - camp closer to the arch or one of the roads for convenience, farther back for less noise, closer to the center for less outside traffic, or with Inforoo folks (there's a Camp Inforoo thread). Early Thursday should still be fine, and later you will likely still find a spot if you don't mind being cozy.

When do you plan on arriving? A Day Parking pass will suffice, and you'll have a bit of a walk with your stuff. A car camping pass works fine , too - you just go wherever they send you for normal camping and you can decide then whether to stay by your car (might get a close or shady spot you like) or hike it to TO. I'd recommend bringing a wagon or whatever if you have one and have room to bring it, unless you pack super light. Or borrowing is an option - I'll probably bring one if planning on doing Tent Only, or a camp neighbor or other Infroo'er would probably lend you one. That walk can be looong carrying your camping gear.

No idea what you'd do if you had a Day Parking pass and TO filled up, but it isn't known to be a problem, generally.

Has anyone camped in a 15 passenger or cargo van? I'm planning on bringing an air mattress, a bunch of battery powered fans, and an EZ Up or two.

Wondering if it's more/less comfortable than a tent.

I'm still contemplating if I'd drive or fly from Houston.

Driving would be fun and I can bring more stuff, but I'm not a fan of waiting forever to park at the festival.

Flying would be quick and easy, but I either have to get a shuttle pass or find someone willing to pick me up.