Parking at Folsom Field

Stadium lot

None, a free shuttle runs to the stadium /// Five hours before kickoff and no earlier than 8 a.m., though CU also says six, see the warning

This is the option to take. CU charges $20 to park on east campus, off Colorado Avenue and Discovery Drive, and runs a free shuttle to and from the stadium that begins three hours before kickoff and keeps running for an hour after the game ends. Payment is Text to Pay after you park rather than at a gate. Against $35 on main campus, that is $15 saved and a bus instead of a hunt.

Heads up: CU contradicts itself on timing in two places on the same page. Its parking section says lots open five hours before kickoff and no earlier than 8 a.m., while its tailgate zone page says all parking and tailgate areas open six hours before game time, also no earlier than 8 a.m. Separately, its shuttle entry says service begins three hours before gates open while the parking entry says three hours before kickoff, which are not the same moment. Plan for the later opening and the later shuttle and you cannot be caught out. For shuttle problems on the day, CU lists 303-492-7152 or a text line on 720-812-1769.

Via cubuffs.com (Colorado Athletics' Folsom Field A to Z guide publishes the $20 east campus rate, the Text to Pay method, the free shuttle running from three hours before kickoff to an hour after, the five hour and 8 a.m. lot opening, and the shuttle contact numbers. The conflicting six hour opening comes from Colorado Athletics' own Franklin Field tailgate zone page, and the conflicting three hours before gates figure comes from the Buff Buses entry on the A to Z page itself.)

Stadium lot

On campus, closest to Folsom Field /// Five hours before kickoff, no earlier than 8 a.m.

Every public parking lot on main campus costs a flat $35, paid by Text to Pay after you park, and they fill first come first served. As you come onto campus, attendants and police direct traffic. There is no cheaper main campus tier and no more expensive one, so the only variable is whether space remains.

Heads up: CU's own words are the warning: main campus public parking is very limited and will fill each game. That is the university telling you not to rely on this, and it is why the $20 east campus option with a shuttle is the better plan rather than the budget one. Overnight parking is not allowed anywhere on campus, so the car cannot stay.

Via cubuffs.com (Colorado Athletics' Folsom Field A to Z guide states that all public parking lots on main campus are $35 with Text to Pay after you park, that lots fill first come first served, that main campus public parking is very limited and will fill each game, that attendants and police direct traffic on entry, and that overnight parking is not allowed on campus.)

Stadium lot

East campus, with the free shuttle /// Gameday only

RV parking is on east campus in lot 544 at $120, paid by credit card on the day. It sits with the rest of east campus, so the free stadium shuttle applies.

Heads up: CU states that RV parking is not available for pre-purchase, so there is no way to guarantee a space before you drive to Boulder, and overnight parking is not allowed on campus, which rules out arriving the night before. For an RV that is a real constraint: you turn up on gameday, or you do not come in the RV.

Via cubuffs.com (Colorado Athletics' Folsom Field A to Z guide publishes lot 544 on east campus as the RV location, the $120 credit card gameday fee, the fact that RV parking cannot be pre-purchased, and the campus wide ban on overnight parking.)

Stadium lot

18th Street and Euclid Avenue, with a shuttle to the Southwest Entrance /// Five hours before kickoff, no earlier than 8 a.m.

Accessible parking is in lot 204 at 18th Street and Euclid Avenue, at the same $35 as general main campus parking. A state ADA placard or licence plate is required to park there. A wheelchair-accessible shuttle runs between lot 204 and the Southwest Entrance continuously from three hours before the game until an hour after it, which is a longer and more useful window than the timed postgame services some programs run.

Heads up: It is priced at the main campus rate rather than the cheaper east campus one, so there is no discount here. If lot 204 will not meet your needs, CU asks you to call Parking Services' events section on 303-735-PARK, which is 303-735-7275, rather than turning up and asking, because arrangements beyond lot 204 are made in advance.

Via cubuffs.com (Colorado Athletics' Folsom Field A to Z guide publishes lot 204 at 18th and Euclid as the accessible lot, the placard requirement, the $35 Text to Pay rate, the continuous wheelchair-accessible shuttle to the Southwest Entrance from three hours before to an hour after, and the Parking Services events number.)