Michigan Stadium sits in a residential neighborhood rather than a parking complex, and that shapes everything. The university's own lots are almost entirely season permits at $60 a game, so what is actually for sale to a visitor on a Saturday is the golf courses, the high school lot across the street, and about a thousand front lawns. Prices at the two golf courses are set by opponent, not by the calendar, so the same spot costs more when Michigan State comes to town. The cheapest honest plan is not a lot at all: park downtown at city rates and take the $1.50 FootballRide shuttle to Gate 2. Lot opening times move with kickoff, which television sets about a week out, so check your time before you plan your morning.
The short answer
Cheapest: a downtown structure at $1.80 an hour plus $1.50 each way on FootballRide, which is the plan almost nobody writing about this recommends. Closest: the Ann Arbor Golf and Outing Club, directly across from the stadium, $75 or $85 depending on who Michigan is playing. Best with kids: FootballRide, which drops at Gate 2 and skips the walk in entirely. Best for tailgating: Pioneer High School across the street, $80 and up on the day, where the tailgate scene is the point. Worst plan: driving in without a permit assuming you will buy a university lot spot at the gate, because most of those lots are sold to season ticket holders before the season starts.
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 Ann Arbor structures plus the FootballRide shuttleOffsite lot | $1.80 per hour in a city structure, plus $1.50 each way on the shuttle | None to speak of, the shuttle drops at Gate 2 | Paying the least, by a wide margin, and skipping stadium traffic |
| Front lawn parking in the neighborhoodsCommunity lot | Locals put the going rate around $20 to $30, set block by block | A few blocks from the closest streets, longer as you move out | Paying a third of lot prices if you arrive early enough to find one |
| Ann Arbor Golf and Outing ClubOffsite lot | $75 for UTEP, Iowa and UCLA, $85 for Western Michigan, Oklahoma, Penn State, Indiana and Michigan State | Directly across from the stadium | The shortest walk you can buy without a season permit |
| Pioneer High School lotOffsite lot | $80 and up on gameday, credit card only | 5 to 10 min, per the operator | Tailgating close to the stadium with a big group |
| University lots, which are mostly season permitsStadium lot | $60 per home game as a season permit, $480 for the 2026 season | Varies by lot, the Blue, Brown, Maize, Grey and Champions lots ring the stadium | Season ticket holders, and effectively nobody else |
| Gameday sales lots run by the universityStadium lot | Not published as a single rate anywhere we could verify | Varies, and includes the golf course and downtown structures | Driving up without a plan, if you accept you cannot price it in advance |
| Accessible parkingStadium lot | Not published as a separate rate | Triangle Lot is the proximity option | Drivers with a state-issued accessible parking placard |
| RV parkingStadium lot | Not published on the pages we checked | Blue Lot, at the stadium | Anyone bringing an RV, who has exactly one option |
Every option, in detail
Offsite lot
Downtown Ann Arbor structures plus the FootballRide shuttle
$1.80 per hour in a city structure, plus $1.50 each way on the shuttleNone to speak of, the shuttle drops at Gate 2 /// Structures run 24/7, shuttle starts 2 hours before kickoff or 1 p.m.
TheRide runs FootballRide between downtown Ann Arbor, the Michigan Union, participating hotels, and university structures and lots, dropping at Gate 2 for $1.50 one way, roughly every 20 minutes. City structures downtown charge $1.80 an hour, so a noon kick works out to somewhere near $11 in the structure plus $3 in shuttle fares. You also end the day downtown, where the restaurants are, rather than in a queue on Main Street.
Heads up: Two catches. The last shuttles leave the boarding areas 30 minutes before kickoff and only run for about an hour after the game, so this does not work if you plan to linger. And the city's rate page says different rates may apply for special events, with a $20 flat event pre-pay rate posted for a recent concert, so a football Saturday may not price as a normal Saturday. Check the rate at the structure entrance before you commit.
Via dpss.umich.edu (Shuttle fare, frequency, hours and Gate 2 drop from the U-M Division of Public Safety and Security. Structure rate from the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, effective July 1 2026. The hourly total is our arithmetic, labeled as an estimate, not a posted price.)
Community lot
Front lawn parking in the neighborhoods
Locals put the going rate around $20 to $30, set block by blockA few blocks from the closest streets, longer as you move out /// Whenever the homeowner puts the sign out
The blocks around Michigan Stadium run a genuine parking economy on football Saturdays, with residents selling spaces on their lawns and driveways. Ann Arbor residents describing it in October 2025 said there is no posted going rate, that it is set block by block, and that nobody blinks at $20 or $30. One resident who sold parking for years a couple of blocks out on Pauline said no one ever approached them about matching a neighborhood price, while another block reportedly coordinates informally. We are describing the pattern rather than naming houses, because these are private arrangements we cannot stand behind.
Heads up: Nothing about this is guaranteed, posted, or refundable, and it is cash between you and a stranger. Prices climb for marquee opponents the same way the lots do, and the closest lawns go early. Have a paid lot in mind before you start circling.
Reported by fans, with no official page confirming it. Three separate Ann Arbor residents describing the practice from the seller's side, October 2025. The dollar range is theirs, not a posted rate, and we did not verify it against any individual seller.
Offsite lot
Ann Arbor Golf and Outing Club
$75 for UTEP, Iowa and UCLA, $85 for Western Michigan, Oklahoma, Penn State, Indiana and Michigan StateDirectly across from the stadium /// 7:30 a.m. for daytime games, noon for night games
A private club that sells public parking on its course, directly across from the stadium, with cash or credit taken as you enter. This is the clearest example of how college pricing works: the club publishes its 2026 rates by opponent, so the same patch of grass is $75 for UTEP and $85 for Michigan State. Members get in half an hour earlier, and the pro shop opens to the public at member pricing for four hours on gameday.
Heads up: Vehicles are directed where to park, saving spots is not allowed, and you have to arrive together to park together. Everything left more than two hours after the game gets towed at your expense.
Via aagoc.org (Ann Arbor Golf and Outing Club's own parking page, 2026 season rates)
Offsite lot
Pioneer High School lot
$80 and up on gameday, credit card only5 to 10 min, per the operator /// Online sales close at noon the day before the game
The high school lot across the street from the stadium, on the southwest corner of West Stadium and South Main, run by LAZ Parking. General auto passes cover zones A, B, C, H and I, and small tailgates are allowed as long as they do not block emergency and pedestrian aisles. Tents are capped at 10 feet by 10 feet, and every vehicle has to fit inside a 9 by 18 foot space.
Heads up: No RVs, motorhomes, box trucks or Sprinter vans, and gameday walk-up is credit card only, priced from $80 and up, subject to availability and weather. Buying ahead online is cheaper and closes at noon the day before, so the decision to drive up and pay at the gate costs money.
Via michigangamedayparking.com (The operator's own 2026 season page, LAZ Parking. Lot named and the no RV plus credit only rule confirmed independently on the U-M Division of Public Safety and Security gameday page.)
Stadium lot
University lots, which are mostly season permits
$60 per home game as a season permit, $480 for the 2026 seasonVaries by lot, the Blue, Brown, Maize, Grey and Champions lots ring the stadium /// 8 a.m. for noon kickoffs, noon for 3:30 p.m. and evening kickoffs
The university sells football parking as a season permit to season ticket holders, not as a day-of product. Permits went on sale to the waitlist on June 1 2026 and are tied to the buyer by name and photo ID, which the attendant checks at the entrance. If you forget your ID you get redirected to a gameday sales lot and pay daily rates there.
Heads up: The rule that catches people: every vehicle has to be out of the lot within two hours of the game ending. Vehicle and tailgate together must fit inside 8 feet 9 inches by 18 feet, saving spaces is not allowed, and no refunds are issued for anything, including if you get removed for tailgating somewhere you should not.
Via ltp.umich.edu (University of Michigan Logistics, Transportation and Parking, 2026 football parking policy)
Stadium lot
Gameday sales lots run by the university
Not published as a single rate anywhere we could verifyVaries, and includes the golf course and downtown structures /// Same as the permit lots, 8 a.m. or noon depending on kickoff
The university does sell gameday parking at the U-M Golf Course and in structures on Hill, Thompson and Thayer, plus the South Fifth Avenue and Division Street lots. The Division of Public Safety and Security maps every one of them and updates its page as lots fill, which is the single most useful thing to have open on your phone on the drive in.
Heads up: We could not verify a current posted price for these from the university itself. Commercial parking sites quote everything from $25 in a structure to $95 at the golf course, and those sites make money when you book, so we are not repeating their numbers as fact. Carry a card and expect the golf course to be the expensive end.
Via dpss.umich.edu (Lot list and the fills-up updates from U-M Division of Public Safety and Security. No price is published there, and we did not find one at the university level.)
Stadium lot
Accessible parking
Not published as a separate rateTriangle Lot is the proximity option /// Same as the other lots, kickoff dependent
Accessible parking is mapped at the Triangle Lot for proximity parking, at the Green Lot off the Stadium Boulevard entrance to the U-M Golf Course, and in the Champions East and Champions North lots. A state-issued accessible parking placard is required for the Triangle Lot.
Heads up: These are separate entrances rather than sections of the general lots, so route to the specific one before you leave rather than following general stadium signage.
Via dpss.umich.edu (U-M Division of Public Safety and Security gameday parking map and lot list)
Stadium lot
RV parking
Not published on the pages we checkedBlue Lot, at the stadium /// Not published
RVs are barred from the regular university lots and from Pioneer, and the university maps a dedicated Blue Lot RV area plus an RV lot referred to as SC34 in its parking policy. Ann Arbor banned RV parking at Pioneer in 2022 under the city fire code, so older guides pointing RVs across the street are out of date.
Heads up: We could not verify a current RV price or how far ahead the spaces sell, and this is the one decision that is expensive to get wrong once you are towing. Call the parking office at 734.764.8291 option 4 before you drive.
Via ltp.umich.edu (RV exclusion and the SC34 lot from the university parking policy, the Blue Lot RV area from the Division of Public Safety and Security map, the Pioneer RV ban from reporting on the 2022 city fire code decision)
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Skip parking entirely
Ann Arbor is the rare college town where the shuttle is the actual answer rather than the consolation prize, because the stadium is hemmed in by houses and the city runs a dedicated football service into Gate 2.
FootballRide
$1.50 one wayRuns about every 20 minutes starting two hours before kickoff, or at 1 p.m., whichever comes first, and drops at Gate 2. It picks up from downtown Ann Arbor, the Michigan Union, participating hotels, and university structures and lots. After the game it runs for about an hour, picking up between Main Street and Kipke Drive by Gate 2. The last shuttles leave boarding areas 30 minutes before kickoff, so it is not a late arrival plan.
Via dpss.umich.edu
Downtown meters
$2.60 per hour, free after 6 p.m. and all day SundayOn-street meters are enforced Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. For an evening kickoff that makes a downtown meter free, which is the closest thing to free parking a Michigan gameday offers. Half-price meters at $1.30 with a 10-hour limit sit on the 300 block of South First, the 300 and 400 blocks of North Ashley, the 300 block of West William, the 400 block of South Ashley, and the 700 block of Packard.
Via a2dda.org
Library Lane structure
$5.00 after 3 p.m., out by 6 a.m.The one flat rate downtown, and it applies from 3 p.m. onward, which lines up with a night game rather than a noon one. Pair it with FootballRide and an evening kickoff costs about $8 all in.
Via a2dda.org
When to get there
Check the kickoff time the week of the game, because the lots key off it: university lots open at 8 a.m. for a noon kick and at noon for a 3:30 or evening kick, and the golf course opens at 7:30 a.m. for daytime games and noon for night games. Television sets those windows about a week out. For the paid lots the opening time is the arrival time on a big opponent, since prices at both golf courses are already set higher for the games people travel to. If you are hunting a lawn spot, earlier is the whole strategy, because the blocks nearest the stadium fill first and there is no way to reserve one.
Getting out after
Two of the biggest lots make you leave whether you want to or not. The university requires every vehicle out of its lots within two hours of the end of the game, and the Ann Arbor Golf and Outing Club tows anything still there two hours after. FootballRide only runs about an hour after the game, so the shuttle plan and a long postgame do not mix. The version of this day that ends calmly is the downtown one: the walk or shuttle back puts you where the restaurants are instead of in the Main Street queue.
Tailgating rules
Where you park decides what kind of tailgate you get, more than at most stadiums. In university lots your vehicle and your entire setup have to fit inside one 8 foot 9 inch by 18 foot space, tailgating may not spill into an empty space next to you, and drive lanes stay clear at all times. Pioneer is the bigger scene, with tailgating allowed in the auto zones as long as the aisles stay open and tents stay within 10 feet by 10 feet.
Two rules worth knowing before you buy. Tailgating in a prohibited area voids a university permit with no refund, and the university states plainly that lot activities can be regulated by the university, the city of Ann Arbor, or the state of Michigan, which is why rules here move more than they do at a stadium with one operator.
Via ltp.umich.edu
Questions, answered
- How much does parking cost at Michigan Stadium?
- Stadium lots cost $60. Cheapest: a downtown structure at $1.80 an hour plus $1.50 each way on FootballRide, which is the plan almost nobody writing about this recommends. Closest: the Ann Arbor Golf and Outing Club, directly across from the stadium, $75 or $85 depending on who Michigan is playing. Best with kids: FootballRide, which drops at Gate 2 and skips the walk in entirely. Best for tailgating: Pioneer High School across the street, $80 and up on the day, where the tailgate scene is the point. Worst plan: driving in without a permit assuming you will buy a university lot spot at the gate, because most of those lots are sold to season ticket holders before the season starts.
- Is there free parking near Michigan Stadium?
- There is no reliable free parking near Michigan Stadium. The cheapest options are listed above.
- What time should I get to a Michigan game?
- Check the kickoff time the week of the game, because the lots key off it: university lots open at 8 a.m. for a noon kick and at noon for a 3:30 or evening kick, and the golf course opens at 7:30 a.m. for daytime games and noon for night games. Television sets those windows about a week out. For the paid lots the opening time is the arrival time on a big opponent, since prices at both golf courses are already set higher for the games people travel to. If you are hunting a lawn spot, earlier is the whole strategy, because the blocks nearest the stadium fill first and there is no way to reserve one.
- Can you get to Michigan Stadium without a car?
- Ann Arbor is the rare college town where the shuttle is the actual answer rather than the consolation prize, because the stadium is hemmed in by houses and the city runs a dedicated football service into Gate 2. FootballRide: $1.50 one way.
Prices on this page are 2026 season rates published by each operator, except where the page says otherwise. The two golf courses price by opponent, so confirm your specific game rather than assuming last week's number.
The university does not publish a day-of-game price for its own sales lots anywhere we could find, and the commercial parking sites that do quote numbers make money when you book through them. We would rather tell you that than repeat their range as fact.
The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority notes that different rates may apply for special events, and posts flat event pre-pay rates for big shows. We could not confirm whether football Saturdays trigger one, so treat $1.80 an hour as the normal rate and check the sign at the entrance.
Ann Arbor banned RV parking at the Pioneer lot in 2022 under the city fire code. Older guides still send RVs there.
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
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Dispatch Sports, “Parking at Michigan Stadium: Michigan Wolverines Gameday Guide.” Checked 2026-07. https://dispatchsports.com/college/michigan/parking
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