Key takeaways
- The lots ringing Milan Puskar Stadium are pass-only, and those passes are tied to Mountaineer Athletic Club giving levels. Walking up and paying at the gate is not a plan.
- Without a pass, your realistic options are the WVU Coliseum side of Evansdale, public park-and-ride lots with game day shuttles, paid private lots along Patteson Drive and Van Voorhis Road, and downtown garages.
- Arrive three hours before kickoff if you want to park close and tailgate. Two hours and you’re parking a long walk out.
- Do not park at Ruby Memorial, in business lots, or on permit-only residential streets. Morgantown tows on football Saturdays and they are quick about it.
- Lot assignments, shuttle routes, and open times change season to season, so confirm on the official WVU Athletics parking page before you leave the house. Updated August 10, 2026.
On this page
- Where can you park for a WVU football game without a pass?
- How do WVU football parking passes work?
- How early should you get to Morgantown?
- Are shuttles and the PRT worth using?
- Are the private lots worth the cash?
- Where should you not park on game day?
- Where do RVs park for WVU games?
- What should you keep in the car for a tailgate?
- What’s the fastest way out after the game?
- Frequently asked questions
If you don’t have a parking pass, park on the Coliseum side of the Evansdale campus, in one of the public park-and-ride lots that run game day shuttles, or in a paid private lot along Patteson Drive and Van Voorhis Road, and walk in from there. Every lot immediately around Milan Puskar Stadium is pass-only, and those passes go to Mountaineer Athletic Club donors well before the season starts.
The good news is that Morgantown is small and Evansdale is walkable. The bad news is that everybody figures that out around the same time, which is why arrival time matters more than the lot you pick.
Where can you park for a WVU football game without a pass?
Start with the WVU Coliseum area. It sits a short walk from the stadium on the same side of the Monongahela, and the lots around it and the surrounding Evansdale campus are the closest general parking most fans will get. Availability varies by game and by season, so check the official lot map before you commit to a specific row.
Second option is a park-and-ride. WVU and Mountain Line Transit have run game day shuttles from off-campus lots for years, and they drop you close enough that you’re not hiking a mile in dress shoes. It costs a little and it saves you the worst of the traffic knot on Route 705.
Third option is downtown Morgantown. Park in a garage near High Street, eat lunch, then take a shuttle or a rideshare up the hill. This is the play for a night game where you want dinner afterward anyway.
How do WVU football parking passes work?
WVU sells season parking passes for the stadium-adjacent lots through the athletics department, and priority runs through Mountaineer Athletic Club membership levels. Higher giving gets you closer to the gates. They are not sold per game at the entrance, and there is no cash line for the blue and gold lots.
Single-game passes do occasionally surface on resale sites when a season ticket holder can’t make a game. If you go that route, confirm the lot number and the entry gate, because a pass for the wrong lot will get you waved off by an attendant who has heard every story.
Because giving levels, lot names, and prices get reshuffled between seasons, don’t trust a three-year-old forum post. The WVU Athletics site publishes the current parking map and pass details each summer, and that’s the number to trust.
How early should you get to Morgantown?
Three hours before kickoff is the sweet spot if you plan to tailgate, and four is not crazy for a ranked opponent or a Big 12 rival. Two hours before kickoff, the close lots are gone and you’re circling. Under an hour, you are parking wherever a stranger points and jogging.
Traffic funnels in from I-79 at the Star City and Goshen Road exits and backs up onto the ramps well before the lots fill. Coming from the south on 119 or from Pennsylvania on 19 spreads you out a bit, but the last two miles are the same crawl either way.
Noon kickoffs are the ones that catch people. You lose the leisurely morning, and the whole crowd arrives inside a tight window instead of trickling in over a long afternoon.
Are shuttles and the PRT worth using?
Shuttles are worth it, and yes, they are the least stressful way into a WVU game. Mountain Line and the campus buses run expanded service on football Saturdays, and a shuttle seat beats twenty minutes of stop-and-go on Patteson Drive. Routes and fares are posted before each season, so look them up rather than assuming last year’s schedule holds.
The PRT is a separate question. It runs on some game days and not others depending on the schedule and any maintenance work, so treat it as a bonus, not the backbone of your plan. If it is running, the Mountaineer Station garage on the Health Sciences side is a solid place to leave the car.
One more option for locals: the Caperton and Mon River rail-trails run right through town, and plenty of people bike in from Star City and lock up near campus. It’s flat, it’s fast, and there’s no exit traffic.
Are the private lots worth the cash?
Usually yes, if you’re arriving late or you value a short walk over saving a few dollars. Homeowners, churches, fraternities, and small businesses along Patteson Drive, Van Voorhis, and the side streets off Route 705 sell spots on game day. Most are cash only, so bring small bills and don’t count on anybody having change for a fifty.
Ask two questions before you hand over money: can you tailgate there, and when do you have to be out. Some lots are grass strips where a grill is fine, and some are business lots where the owner wants you gone at the final whistle.
Look at how they’re stacking cars, too. If you’re boxed in three deep, you’re leaving when the people behind you leave, no matter how clever your exit route is.
Where should you not park on game day?
Ruby Memorial Hospital, first and always. Those lots and decks are for patients and families having a rough day, they’re enforced hard, and a tow on a Saturday afternoon in Morgantown is an expensive, miserable errand.
Skip the retail and restaurant lots along Patteson Drive unless you are genuinely a customer and the signs say it’s fine. The businesses there have been dealing with game day squatters for decades and many of them have a tow truck on speed dial.
Same goes for permit-only residential streets in the neighborhoods above campus. Morgantown enforces residential permit zones, and “I only left it for a few hours” isn’t a defense that has ever worked. If there’s no sign and no driveway blocked, you’re probably fine, but read the curb before you walk away.
Where do RVs park for WVU games?
RVs have their own designated area and their own permit process through WVU Athletics, separate from car passes. Spots are limited, they sell out, and the lot typically opens earlier than the car lots so people can set up. Generator rules, tent footprint, and open flame policies get posted with the permit.
If you can’t get an official RV spot, private campgrounds and lots around Morgantown fill the gap, and some run their own shuttles. Book those in July or August, not the week of the game.
What should you keep in the car for a tailgate?
A tailgate lives or dies on what you remembered to throw in the trunk. Once you’ve got the parking figured out, the rest is chairs, cold drinks, trash bags, and something to keep it all from rolling around on the drive up. September games in Morgantown can still run hot and humid, so shade and cold water matter more than people expect.
A collapsible trunk organizer keeps the loose gear corralled and doubles as your cooler on a short walk from the lot. That combination is worth more than it sounds when you’re carrying everything a quarter mile from the Coliseum side.
EAROND Collapsible Trunk Organizer
This one folds flat when you don’t need it and holds shape when you load it, with an insulated leakproof section for drinks and food. The straps keep it from sliding across the trunk on the curves coming down 79. Good pick if your car does double duty as the tailgate supply closet.
- Insulated leakproof cooler compartment with removable lid
- Adjustable straps keep it from sliding in the trunk
- Folds flat when you don't need it
For longer tailgates, a soft cooler you can shoulder beats a hard chest you have to drag. It packs down after the ice melts, and it fits in a back seat footwell for the ride home.
Bushnell Soft Cooler
Holds enough for a group without being a two-person carry, and the waterproof zipper means melted ice stays in the bag instead of on your upholstery. Handy for hunting camp and river days once football season winds down.
- 20-can capacity in a shoulder-carry size
- Leak-proof waterproof zipper
- Packs down after the ice melts
If the forecast says upper eighties for an early-season noon kickoff, throw in something that moves air. We rounded up portable and neck fans that handle summer heat, and a lot of them fit in a cooler pocket. Also worth knowing: WVU runs a clear bag policy for stadium entry, so keep the non-clear stuff in the car.
What’s the fastest way out after the game?
The fastest way out is usually to not leave right away. Give the lots twenty or thirty minutes to drain while you finish what’s left in the cooler, and you’ll spend less total time in the car than the people who bolted at the two-minute warning.
If you do have to move, back into the spot when you arrive and pick a lot with more than one exit. Heading away from I-79 first, then looping back on Chestnut Ridge Road or through Star City, beats sitting in the ramp queue with everybody else.
Then there’s the aftermath in the back seat. Mud, ketchup, and a season’s worth of crumbs are why a lot of us keep a handheld cordless car vacuum in the garage. If something got ground into the carpet, a spot cleaner made for set-in stains will pull more out than scrubbing with a towel.
Frequently asked questions
Can you pay for parking at the WVU stadium on game day?
Not in the lots immediately around Milan Puskar Stadium. Those are pass-only and the passes are sold ahead of the season through WVU Athletics with priority by Mountaineer Athletic Club level. Cash parking exists in private lots nearby and in some public and downtown areas, not at the stadium gates.
Is there free parking for WVU football games?
Free spots exist but they’re scarce and far, mostly on-street in areas without permit restrictions, and they go early. Most fans without a pass end up paying something, whether that’s a private lot, a garage, or a park-and-ride shuttle fare. If you want free, get there very early and expect a long walk.
How far is the WVU Coliseum from the football stadium?
It’s a short walk, roughly ten minutes at an easy pace, and both sit on the Evansdale campus. That’s why Coliseum-area parking is the most popular option for fans without a stadium pass. Wear shoes you can walk a hill in.
When do the tailgate lots open before a WVU game?
Lots typically open several hours before kickoff, with RV areas opening earlier, but the exact window is set per game and changes with kickoff time and TV scheduling. WVU Athletics posts lot opening times with each game’s fan guide. Check that page during the week rather than assuming last game’s schedule.
Does the PRT run during WVU football games?
Sometimes, depending on the schedule and any ongoing maintenance, so don’t build your whole plan around it. Mountain Line and campus shuttles are the more reliable option on football Saturdays. Confirm service the week of the game.
Parking in Morgantown is one of those things that feels impossible the first time and routine by your third game. Pick your lot, leave earlier than you think you need to, and have a plan for getting out that isn’t just following the car ahead of you.
If you’re stocking up before the opener, our current deals page gets refreshed daily, and the Country Roads metal signs we like are decent garage and camper decor for the fall. Let’s go, Mountaineers.
