Alabama publishes the cheapest honest answer of any program we have researched, and it is not hidden on a forum. The city's Downtown Intermodal Facility offers free gameday parking less than a mile from Bryant-Denny, and Tuscaloosa Transit runs buses from it to the stadium for a dollar. Everything else prices up from there: most off-campus lots run $20, campus season parking in Lot B is $275, and accessible day-of parking at the Transit Hub Deck is $40. Campus lots open at 7 a.m. and every parking pass includes a free shuttle to the Quad. Kickoff times are set about a week out by television, and for an Iron Bowl every number and every arrival time on this page moves.
The short answer
Cheapest: free at the Downtown Intermodal Facility, then walk under a mile or ride the bus for $1. Cheapest paid lot: The Arc of Tuscaloosa at $10, which is a nonprofit rather than an operator. Best with kids: that same $1 bus, where children 3 and under ride free and seniors and riders with disabilities pay 50 cents. Best for tailgating: an east campus lot, where the Crimson Ride shuttle is free to everyone. Worst plan: driving toward the stadium on an Iron Bowl Saturday without a spot, when fans say yard parking hits $100 and you park hours ahead.
We could not put a number on stadium parking here, because no single-game rate is published that we could verify. That has been hard to find and we are still looking, so check back. See every College Sports stadium ranked.
Compare every option
| Option | Cost | Walk | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown Intermodal FacilityFree street | Free | Under 1 mi, or $1 on the Tuscaloosa Transit bus | Paying nothing, which here is also the sensible option |
| The Arc of Tuscaloosa lotCommunity lot | $10 | Off campus, varies | The cheapest paid space, going to a nonprofit |
| Off-campus lots, yards and school lotsCommunity lot | Around $20 at most lots, more for rivalry games | Varies, the 13th Street and downtown blocks are the close ones | A short walk without a campus pass |
| Campus parking passesStadium lot | $275 for a season pass in Lot B, single game pricing announced later in summer | On campus, with a free shuttle to the Quad included | Anyone attending most home games |
| Accessible parking at the Transit Hub DeckStadium lot | $40 day of game | Accessible shuttle runs to the Quad | Drivers who need accessible parking near the shuttle |
| University Mall shuttleOffsite lot | $20 cash only, round trip per person | None, drops on 12th Avenue south of the stadium | A guaranteed ride with a mall to wait in |
Every option, in detail
Free street
Downtown Intermodal Facility
FreeUnder 1 mi, or $1 on the Tuscaloosa Transit bus /// Bus service starts 3 hours before kickoff
The city parking deck at 601 23rd Avenue is free on gamedays and sits less than a mile from Bryant-Denny. Tuscaloosa Transit runs buses from it to 12th Street behind Evergreen Cemetery starting three hours before kickoff and continuing until an hour after the game. Fans have been quietly recommending this deck for years, and it is now published by the university itself.
Heads up: Free and close means it fills, and fans say the trick is simply getting there early. If it is full, the church lot across the street has been reported around $20, though we could not verify that with the operator.
Via uagameday.com (University of Alabama official gameday site for the free status and location. Fans have described the same deck since at least 2022.)
Community lot
The Arc of Tuscaloosa lot
$10Off campus, varies /// Gameday
Alabama's own parking page notes that most off-campus lots charge $20, with The Arc of Tuscaloosa as the exception at $10. The Arc is a nonprofit serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, so this is the Tuscaloosa version of the school fundraiser lot, listed by the university rather than found on a forum.
Heads up: The university lists the price but not the hours or the capacity. Treat $10 as the rate and everything else as unknown until you get there.
Via uagameday.com (University of Alabama official gameday parking page)
Community lot
Off-campus lots, yards and school lots
Around $20 at most lots, more for rivalry gamesVaries, the 13th Street and downtown blocks are the close ones /// Whenever the operator sets up
Alabama says most off-campus lots run $20, and the fan version fills in the texture: students and residents selling yard spaces, the Boy Scouts selling parking, church lots, and Central High School, which fans single out because it is a short walk and nobody blocks you in. This is a genuine local economy rather than a couple of operators.
Heads up: Rivalry weeks break the pricing. Fans describe Iron Bowl yard parking at around $100 and say you need to be parked hours ahead. The specific lot prices fans quote come from 2022 and 2024 threads, so treat $20 as the university's number and everything finer as a range that moves with the opponent.
Reported by fans, with no official page confirming it. The $20 baseline is from Alabama's own gameday page. The school, church, scout and yard specifics are fan reports from November 2022 and September 2024, unverified with any operator, and we are naming the pattern rather than individual sellers.
Stadium lot
Campus parking passes
$275 for a season pass in Lot B, single game pricing announced later in summerOn campus, with a free shuttle to the Quad included /// 7 a.m. on gameday
Lot B at the Student Health Center sells as a season pass, the Bryce Lot sells day of game, and Lots C, D, G and the Capstone Deck were not yet on sale when we checked. Every parking pass includes a free shuttle to and from the Quad, running from 7 a.m.
Heads up: Single game prices had not been published when we checked in July 2026, and Alabama says they come later in the summer. A figure of $35 circulates in secondary coverage, and we are not repeating it as this season's rate.
Via uagameday.com (University of Alabama official gameday parking page. The $35 single game figure appears in secondary coverage and is not confirmed by Alabama for 2026.)
Stadium lot
Accessible parking at the Transit Hub Deck
$40 day of gameAccessible shuttle runs to the Quad /// Shuttle runs 7 a.m. until 1.5 hours postgame
The Transit Hub Deck sells accessible parking on the day at $40, with accessible shuttle service to the Quad from 7 a.m. until an hour and a half after the game.
Heads up: The Tutwiler Parking Deck, the other accessible option, was already sold out when we checked in July. If accessible parking matters to your plan, sort it early rather than on gameday.
Via uagameday.com (University of Alabama official gameday parking page)
Offsite lot
University Mall shuttle
$20 cash only, round trip per personNone, drops on 12th Avenue south of the stadium /// Starts 4 hours before kickoff
Pickup is at the main mall entrance near the food court and drop-off is on 12th Avenue just south of Bryant-Denny. Service starts four hours before kickoff, pauses during the game, resumes at the end of the third quarter, and finishes an hour after the final whistle.
Heads up: Cash only, $20 a person, which is twenty times the Tuscaloosa Transit fare from the free downtown deck for a similar ride. It buys certainty and a climate controlled place to wait, not value.
Via uagameday.com (University of Alabama official gameday shuttles page)
Free /// We never sell your email
Everything Alabama, one email
We read every Alabama article, podcast, and box score, then send back the five minutes that matter. No hot takes, no betting odds. Join the waitlist and the first issue lands the day it launches.
Skip parking entirely
Alabama runs one free shuttle system for people who paid to park on campus and the city runs a dollar bus for people who parked downtown for nothing. Between them, driving to the stadium itself is the option nobody actually needs.
Tuscaloosa Transit from the Downtown Intermodal Facility
$1 cash only for adults, 50 cents for seniors 60 and over and riders with disabilities, free for children 3 and underRuns from 601 23rd Avenue to 12th Street behind Evergreen Cemetery, beginning three hours before kickoff and continuing until an hour after the game. Cash only, so bring singles. Paired with the free deck, this is a dollar each way for the whole gameday.
Via uagameday.com
Crimson Ride
Free for all fans on gamedayServes the east campus public parking areas, including the East Campus RV lots, Lot A and the Peter Bryce Boulevard lots, running to the Quad from 7 a.m. until an hour and a half after the game. It is free to everyone on gameday rather than only to pass holders.
Via uagameday.com
Shuttle included with any parking pass
Free with a passEvery Alabama parking pass includes the shuttle to and from the Quad, starting at 7 a.m. when the lots open. If you bought a pass you have already paid for the ride.
Via uagameday.com
When to get there
Campus lots open at 7 a.m. and the campus shuttles start with them, so 7 a.m. is the real beginning of the day for anyone tailgating. The city bus from the free downtown deck starts three hours before kickoff and the University Mall shuttle four hours before, which brackets the sensible arrival window for everyone else. Kickoff times are set about a week out by television. The free deck rewards being early for the obvious reason, and fans are blunt that a rivalry game is a different event entirely: park hours ahead or pay several times the usual rate.
Getting out after
Alabama publishes its postgame windows, which is more than most programs do. The Crimson Ride runs until an hour and a half after the game, Tuscaloosa Transit until an hour after, and the University Mall shuttle resumes at the end of the third quarter and stops an hour after the final whistle. If you are on the mall shuttle and the game goes long, that end-of-third-quarter restart is worth knowing about before you plan to stay to the last snap.
Tailgating rules
The Quad is the destination, which is why every Alabama shuttle route ends there rather than at a stadium gate. Tailgating happens across the campus green rather than in a lot, and the shuttles are built to feed it.
We could not find Alabama's published rules on grills, alcohol, tent sizes or generators for the 2026 season on the gameday pages we checked, and are not going to guess at them. RV parking exists in the East Campus RV lots and is served by the free Crimson Ride, but Alabama routes the details to a separate RV page we could not verify, so call before towing anything to Tuscaloosa.
Via uagameday.com
Questions, answered
- How much does parking cost at Bryant-Denny Stadium?
- Stadium lots run $40 to $275. Cheapest: free at the Downtown Intermodal Facility, then walk under a mile or ride the bus for $1. Cheapest paid lot: The Arc of Tuscaloosa at $10, which is a nonprofit rather than an operator. Best with kids: that same $1 bus, where children 3 and under ride free and seniors and riders with disabilities pay 50 cents. Best for tailgating: an east campus lot, where the Crimson Ride shuttle is free to everyone. Worst plan: driving toward the stadium on an Iron Bowl Saturday without a spot, when fans say yard parking hits $100 and you park hours ahead.
- Is there free parking near Bryant-Denny Stadium?
- Downtown Intermodal Facility: Free, Under 1 mi, or $1 on the Tuscaloosa Transit bus. Free and close means it fills, and fans say the trick is simply getting there early. If it is full, the church lot across the street has been reported around $20, though we could not verify that with the operator.
- What time should I get to a Alabama game?
- Campus lots open at 7 a.m. and the campus shuttles start with them, so 7 a.m. is the real beginning of the day for anyone tailgating. The city bus from the free downtown deck starts three hours before kickoff and the University Mall shuttle four hours before, which brackets the sensible arrival window for everyone else. Kickoff times are set about a week out by television. The free deck rewards being early for the obvious reason, and fans are blunt that a rivalry game is a different event entirely: park hours ahead or pay several times the usual rate.
- Can you get to Bryant-Denny Stadium without a car?
- Alabama runs one free shuttle system for people who paid to park on campus and the city runs a dollar bus for people who parked downtown for nothing. Between them, driving to the stadium itself is the option nobody actually needs. Tuscaloosa Transit from the Downtown Intermodal Facility: $1 cash only for adults, 50 cents for seniors 60 and over and riders with disabilities, free for children 3 and under.
Prices here are what Alabama had published in July 2026. Single game campus parking had not been priced yet and the university says it comes later in the summer, so check before you buy anything.
The free Downtown Intermodal Facility is the rare case of the cheapest option also being the officially recommended one. It is a city facility rather than a university lot, which is probably why it took years to show up in gameday guides.
Tutwiler Deck accessible parking was already sold out when we checked in July, which is the earliest sellout we have seen at any venue we have researched.
Two shuttles that look similar cost very differently: Tuscaloosa Transit from the free deck is $1, and the University Mall shuttle is $20 round trip. Both are cash only.
Sourced from the stadium, the city, local outlets, and fans who park here every week. Checked July 2026, and we recheck three times a year. Prices and lot rules change, so every claim above either links where it came from or says plainly that it is fan-reported and unconfirmed. Click through before you build your day around one spot.
/// Know something we do not?
Prices change and lots come and go. If something on this page is wrong, or we missed a lot, tell us.
A person reads every one. You will not get an automatic reply, and we do not change the page until we can verify it ourselves.
Citing this guide
Free to quote and reference, including in articles and AI answers. We ask for credit and a link back, which is the whole license.
Dispatch Sports, “Parking at Bryant-Denny Stadium: Alabama Crimson Tide Gameday Guide.” Checked 2026-07. https://dispatchsports.com/college/alabama/parking
Dispatch Sports publishes a free newsletter for every team. We read every article, podcast, and box score for the Alabama and send back the five minutes that matter.
Free /// We never sell your email
Everything Alabama, one email
We read every Alabama article, podcast, and box score, then send back the five minutes that matter. No hot takes, no betting odds. Join the waitlist and the first issue lands the day it launches.