Free lot parking for people attending Western Washington University sporting events on campus changes with the seasons, resulting in some confusion for fans.
There is plenty of free parking within a short walk to each field or court for all on-campus games and matches — if you know where to look.
Not only does the event location shift the free-lot designations, but construction projects also have an impact.
Here’s a guide to help you navigate sports event parking at Western for each season.
Winter
Until mid-February, Western’s men’s and women’s basketball teams are the only teams that will be playing on campus. All of those games are in Sam Carver Gymnasium, right in the heart of campus and just southwest of Red Square.
Two lots are available for fans attending basketball games to park.
Lot 19G, free to the public beginning one hour before a game is set to begin, runs parallel to Bob Ross Memorial Stadium — the field just north of the Wade King Student Recreation Center.
Access the lot by heading northeast on Bill McDonald Parkway, taking a left at the stoplight before the recreation center onto West College Way, then taking the immediate, somewhat-hidden right turn after the center while heading up the hill. From there, follow the thru road that brings you to 21st Street, take a right, and the lot is immediately below Parks Hall.
This lot has been rented out by the Western Athletics Department for the duration of the season as free parking for all fans headed to Carver Gym, as a replacement to the shuttle that used to transport fans from the southern lots, including C lots and others by Fairhaven College.
The C lots are the large parking areas mostly used by students on either side of Bill McDonald Parkway.
“[The shuttle] wasn’t being used as much, and we weren’t getting a break in pricing,” said Jeff Evans, Western Athletics’ communications director. “So you’re talking about a lot of money each night to run a shuttle from the C lots, so we decided to rent out the 19G lot, which is closer.”
Evans said he has not received any concerns or complaints about the lot overfilling. If overflow were needed, the north end of C lots is the next closest parking.
Lot 9G is for season ticket holders only, and a parking pass is required to park there. It is even closer to Carver Gym, and the only difference in accessing it is by taking a left onto 21st Street and following the road to the large lot just outside the SMATE building.
Both lots have multiple accessible parking spots, which do not require a parking pass, but are first come, first served. Season ticket inquiries are only available via phone at 360-650-6103.
Evans added there has been some confusion with the shuttle no longer being available, but he thinks it will get better with time and encourages those having trouble to reach out to the athletics department or check its website for further guidance.
“We’re thinking about possibly having ambassadors out and about walking and making sure, you know, people know where they’re going,” Evans said.
Fall and spring
Most other on-campus sporting events are on the south end of campus, at Harrington Field for men’s and women’s soccer, or at Viking Field for softball. Volleyball, which is also in Carver Gym in the fall, follows the same guidelines as basketball games in the winter.
No season ticket parking is available for these events, and all C lots become free, general parking one hour ahead of the event start time — even before 5 p.m. The athletics department rents out the lots, so fans don’t have to worry about being ticketed.
“We think it’s a good thing [for the department] to pay for free parking to have fans come to Carver Gym and to our events to have a good experience rather than just say, ‘Hey, come to campus, go find a parking kiosk and figure it out,’” Evans said. “That’s even more complicated.”
A full parking map, which shows the location of these lots on campus, is available on the Western Athletics website.
