Parking at California Memorial Stadium

Offsite lot

Five to ten minutes from the shuttle drop off /// Two and a half hours before kickoff, running until an hour after

UC Berkeley runs free gameday shuttles continuously between Downtown Berkeley BART, the UC parking lots and drop offs near the stadium, from two and a half hours before kickoff until an hour after, then in reverse once the game ends. The university puts the walk from the drop off at five to ten minutes. Free ADA golf carts run from the shuttle drop offs to the stadium gates for anyone who needs mobility assistance. Downtown Berkeley BART is about a 25 minute walk if you would rather skip the shuttle entirely.

Heads up: The return service runs an hour after kickoff in one direction and after the game in the other, so the useful window is narrower than a full day. We did not verify the shuttle frequency beyond the university's word that it runs continuously, and BART fares vary by origin station rather than being flat, so we have published no fare.

Via pt.berkeley.edu (UC Berkeley Parking and Transportation publishes the shuttle route, the two and a half hour to one hour window, the continuous running, the five to ten minute walk and the free ADA golf carts. The 25 minute walk from Downtown Berkeley BART comes from the City of Berkeley's own gameday transportation advisory.)

Offsite lot

Southside, the closest city garage to the stadium /// 7 a.m. Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. Sunday

The city of Berkeley owns this one, at 2450 Durant Avenue in the Southside, with 420 spaces and six EV charging spaces. It is the nearest city garage to Memorial Stadium, and at $20 for anything over four hours it is the cheapest way to park your own car within a walk of the game. Overnight is also $20.

Heads up: Closing time varies by day, at midnight Monday to Thursday, 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 p.m. on Sunday, so an evening kickoff that runs long is worth checking against the day you are going. This is a public garage rather than a gameday lot, so it is not held for football and we could not verify how early it fills on a game Saturday.

Via berkeleyca.gov (City of Berkeley publishes the Telegraph Channing Garage address, its 420 spaces, the hourly range from $1 to $20 and the overnight rate, and the closing times by day.)

Offsite lot

None to the shuttle, since the garage is at Downtown Berkeley BART /// 5:15 a.m. weekdays, 7 a.m. Saturday, noon Sunday

This is the combination worth knowing. The city's Center Street Garage sits at 2025 Center Street in downtown Berkeley with 720 spaces, right where the free gameday shuttle runs from, so you park in a big public garage, walk out and get on the bus. At $3 an hour up to four hours and $25 for the day it costs about what a campus lot would if campus lots were available to you, which they are not.

Heads up: Four hours at $3 is $12, and then the daily maximum takes over at $25, so a long tailgate plus a game lands you at the maximum rather than the hourly rate. Overnight is $25 a night. It closes at 1 a.m. weekdays and Saturdays and midnight on Sundays.

Via berkeleyca.gov (City of Berkeley publishes the Center Street Garage address, its 720 spaces plus EV and bicycle capacity, the $3 hourly rate up to four hours, the $25 daily and overnight maximum, and its hours. The shuttle connection comes from UC Berkeley Parking and Transportation, which names Downtown Berkeley BART as a shuttle terminus.)

Stadium lot

Varies by lot, all on or beside campus /// Gameday

The university does open a limited set of campus facilities on gamedays, but only to annual UC permit holders and only by permit class. C permits may use the Berkeley Law Garage, Oxford Research Unit Lot, Sather Lot and South Drive along with the F, S and N and W lots. F, S and N and W permits may use the Anna Head Courtyard Lot, Genetics Garage, Mulford Hall Lot, level 2 of the Lower Hearst Structure, Wickson Road, Ridge Lot and Unit 1 Lot.

Heads up: The rule that catches people: daily scratch off permits are not allowed on football gamedays. A day pass that works every other day of the week does not work on this one, and there is no visitor equivalent, which is why this section exists to rule the option out rather than to sell it. Residents of Clark Kerr with RH permits have their own deadline, having to move to the Underhill Structure before 9 p.m. the night before a game.

Via pt.berkeley.edu (UC Berkeley Parking and Transportation publishes which permit classes are allowed on football gamedays and the lots each may use, states that daily scratch off permits are not allowed, and sets the Clark Kerr relocation deadline.)

Offsite lot

Close, which is the entire temptation /// Restrictions run 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on gamedays

Berkeley's residential streets near the stadium are limited to two hours without the right Residential Parking Permit for that zone, and on football gamedays the city doubles the fine in Residential Areas A, B and D. Doubled comes to $225. The restrictions run from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., which covers any kickoff time the networks are likely to pick.

Heads up: There is a second layer that a permit does not get you past. The city states that on certain core streets nearest the stadium, all vehicles will be towed, including those displaying a valid resident permit. A tow adds $264 on top of the $225. Cal's own athletics site publishes the fine and follows it with a recommendation to take public transportation, which is as close to an admission as an athletics department gets.

Via berkeleyca.gov (City of Berkeley publishes the 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. restriction window, the $225 fine, the $264 tow fee and the rule that vehicles on the core streets are towed even with a valid permit. Cal Athletics separately publishes the doubled fine for Residential Areas A, B and D on its directions and parking page and recommends public transportation instead.)