Key takeaways
- The lots closest to Milan Puskar Stadium are permit lots, sold through the Mountaineer Athletic Club, and most are claimed before the season starts.
- Without a permit, your realistic options are public pay lots around the Evansdale campus and Coliseum, downtown campus parking with a walk or shuttle, and private lots along the Patteson Drive corridor and in Star City.
- Traffic on Route 705 and Monongahela Boulevard backs up hours before kickoff, so arrival time matters more than the lot you pick.
- Back into your space and choose a lot that empties toward I-79 or the Mileground if you want to be moving after the game instead of sitting.
- Lot names, rates, shuttle routes, and open times change season to season, so confirm on WVU’s official game day parking page before you drive up.
Updated August 30, 2026.
What’s in this guide
- Where can you park for a WVU football game?
- Do you need a parking pass at Milan Puskar Stadium?
- Where can you park without a permit?
- Can you take a shuttle or the PRT to the stadium?
- What time do the parking lots open on game day?
- Where should you park to get out fastest after the game?
- What about RV and accessible parking?
- What should you keep in the car on game day?
- Frequently asked questions
Parking for a WVU home game breaks into three tiers: permit lots right around Milan Puskar Stadium, public and private pay lots spread across the Evansdale campus and Star City, and downtown parking that you pair with a walk, a shuttle, or the PRT. If you do not hold a permit, plan on the second or third tier and plan on arriving early.
The stadium sits on the Evansdale side of Morgantown next to the Coliseum, and nearly everything within a comfortable walk is spoken for. That is the whole problem, and everything below is how people work around it.
Where can you park for a WVU football game?
The parking around the stadium is color-coded and permit-controlled, and those lots go to season ticket holders and Mountaineer Athletic Club donors. Everyone else parks farther out and closes the gap on foot or by bus.
The general zones worth knowing are the Evansdale campus lots near the Coliseum and Health Sciences Center, the downtown campus lots and garages off Beechurst Avenue, and the private lots that open up along Patteson Drive, Van Voorhis Road, and through Star City. Churches, businesses, and a few homeowners sell spaces on game day. Cash is still king at a lot of them, so do not count on a card reader.
One thing that surprises out-of-towners: Morgantown is built on hillsides, so a lot that looks close on a map can mean a steep climb. Look at the terrain, not just the distance.
Do you need a parking pass at Milan Puskar Stadium?
You need a permit for the lots that touch the stadium, and those permits come through the Mountaineer Athletic Club as part of season ticket and donor packages. There is no gate where you pull up and buy one on Saturday morning.
If you want in on that system, it is a spring and summer conversation with the athletic department, not a game-week one. Permit levels are tied to giving levels, and the closest lots have waitlists.
For a single game, secondhand permits sometimes float around through season ticket holders who cannot make a game. That is a friend-of-a-friend arrangement, and it is worth asking around before you assume you are walking a mile.
Where can you park without a permit?
Public pay parking on the Evansdale side and private lots along the main approach roads are your best bet without a permit. Expect a walk of roughly 10 to 25 minutes depending on how early you get there.
Downtown campus parking plus a ride up is the other common play. You leave the car well away from the stadium bottleneck, and you avoid the worst of the post-game crush because you are not sitting in the lot that everyone is trying to leave at once.
Skip the idea of finding a free street space in the neighborhoods near campus. Residential permit zones are enforced hard on football Saturdays, and Morgantown tows. A ticket and a tow bill cost more than any lot in town.
Rates on private lots climb for big opponents. A midweek non-conference game and a night game against a ranked team are not the same market.
Can you take a shuttle or the PRT to the stadium?
Yes. Mountain Line Transit has historically run game day shuttle service from park-and-ride locations around Morgantown, and WVU’s PRT typically operates on home football Saturdays with special hours. Both are worth checking the week of the game, because routes and hours are set season by season.
The PRT’s Medical Center station is the closest one to the stadium, and the walk from there is short and mostly flat by Morgantown standards. If you park downtown near the Walnut or Beechurst stations, you can be at the stadium without ever touching Route 705.
The catch is the ride back. PRT and shuttle lines after a win are long, so decide ahead of time whether you are leaving early or waiting it out with a group.
What time do the parking lots open on game day?
Lots generally open several hours before kickoff, and the exact time is published for each game in WVU’s game day guide. Noon kickoffs mean an early morning, and tailgaters are usually rolling in before most people have had breakfast.
Practical rule: for a noon game, be parked by 9. For a 3:30, be parked by 1. For a night game, the middle of the day is calm and then everything hits at once around dinnertime.
Traffic is the real deadline, not the lot. Once the Route 705 and Monongahela Boulevard corridors fill, the last two miles can eat 45 minutes.
Where should you park to get out fastest after the game?
Park where the traffic flow leaves toward I-79 or the Mileground rather than back through the campus core. Lots on the north and west side of Evansdale feed toward Star City and the interstate, which clears faster than anything routing through Route 705.
Back into the space when you arrive. It sounds fussy until you are trying to reverse out of a row while a thousand people walk behind your bumper.
The other option is to not fight it at all. Fifteen or twenty minutes of standing around after the fourth quarter, letting the lot drain, usually costs less time than being third in line at the exit.
What about RV and accessible parking?
RV parking is limited to designated lots and requires a permit purchased in advance, and those spots sell out. RVs also have arrival windows that differ from car lots, often opening the day before the game.
Accessible parking requires a valid state-issued placard or plate, and spaces are set aside in specific lots near the stadium. Ask about accessible drop-off points too, because the drop-off is often more useful than the parking space itself given the walking distances.
Both of these are worth a phone call to WVU athletics before your first game rather than a guess on Saturday morning.
What should you keep in the car on game day?
Assume you will spend more time at the car than you planned. Whether or not you are a serious tailgater, a chair, cold drinks, and a way to keep the trunk from becoming a landslide will change the day.
September games in Morgantown can be genuinely hot, and October night games can drop into the 40s by the fourth quarter. Pack for both ends when the forecast is borderline.
Coleman Camping Chair With Cooler
A folding chair with a built-in can cooler in the armrest is the workhorse of a parking lot tailgate, and it packs down into a bag that fits behind a seat. If you are parking early for a night game, you will want somewhere to sit for the four hours before kickoff. It doubles for campgrounds and fire pits the rest of the fall.
- Built-in 4-can cooler in the armrest
- Cushioned seat and back with side pockets
- Packs into an included carry bag
EAROND Trunk Organizer With Cooler
A collapsible trunk organizer with a removable cooler section keeps the food, the ice, and the gear in three separate places instead of rolling around behind the seats. It folds flat the rest of the week, which matters if the same vehicle hauls firewood or feed. If you want more comparisons, we went deeper in our writeup on trunk organizers with cooler bags.
- Removable leakproof cooler compartment
- Folds flat when not in use
- Adjustable straps keep it from sliding
Coleman Steel Belted Cooler
Coleman Vintage 54qt Steel Belted Cooler, Keeps Ice Up to 4 Days, 85-Can Capacity Hard Cooler with Drain & Have-A-Seat Lid
A steel-belted hard cooler holds ice through a long Saturday and the lid is rated to sit on, which is worth something in a lot with no picnic tables. It is heavy when full, so it suits tailgaters parking once and staying put rather than anyone hauling it far. Good for deer camp and creek days too.
- 54-quart capacity, holds about 85 cans
- Rated to keep ice up to 4 days
- Lid doubles as a seat
Two more things live in my head from watching people get stranded in those lots. A car sitting all day with the hatch open and the radio on can come up short on battery, so a jump starter with a built-in air compressor earns its space under the seat. And a windshield sitting in full sun from morning to evening bakes the interior, which is where a folding sun shade pays off.
If you are driving in from Charleston, Wheeling, or over the mountain from the eastern panhandle, check your tires before you leave. A portable inflator in the trunk is cheap insurance on a long haul. You can browse the rest of what we track on the deals hub.
Frequently asked questions
Is there free parking near Milan Puskar Stadium?
Not in any practical sense on game day. Residential streets near campus fall under permit zones that are enforced and towed on football Saturdays. Anything genuinely free is far enough out that you are riding a shuttle or walking a long way.
How early should I arrive for a WVU home game?
Three hours before kickoff is a safe target if you are hunting public parking, and four hours if you want a decent tailgate spot. Traffic on Route 705 and Monongahela Boulevard is what sets the clock, not the lots themselves. Big conference matchups and night games draw earlier crowds than early-season games.
Can you tailgate in the parking lots?
Yes, tailgating is part of the culture in the designated lots, but there are rules on grills, coals, glass containers, and how much space one vehicle can claim. Hot coals have to go in the marked disposal containers, never on the pavement or in a trash can. WVU publishes the current tailgate policy in its game day guide each season.
Does the PRT run on football Saturdays?
It typically operates for home games on a special schedule, with the Medical Center station being the closest stop to the stadium. Hours differ from a normal school day, so check WVU’s transportation page the week of the game. Plan for a wait on the ride back after the final whistle.
Where do you park an RV for a WVU game?
RVs go in designated lots with a permit bought in advance through WVU athletics, and those permits are limited. Arrival windows for RVs usually open earlier than car lots, sometimes the day before. Call ahead the first time rather than driving up and hoping.
The short version is that game day parking in Morgantown rewards planning and punishes improvisation. Pick your lot before you leave the house, know which direction you want to exit, and give yourself an hour more than feels necessary.
Confirm the details on WVU’s official game day parking page each season, since lot assignments and shuttle routes get reshuffled. Then go enjoy the walk up the hill with everybody else in gold.
