With the crowds Iowa State athletic events draw, it may be difficult to find a good place to park. While both Hilton Coliseum and Jack Trice Stadium have large parking lots, you have to arrive early to get a spot.

Hilton has a large parking lot on the south side that offers public and permit parking. Signs are setup around the lots, and people check parking passes before the game to ensure everyone is in the right spot.

Alec Garringer, senior in music education, is a regular attendee of football, volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball games. He said he arrives about an hour early to basketball games.

“I park in one of the public parking lots south of Hilton Coliseum,” Garringer said. He said he has not had trouble finding a parking spot at any of the basketball games he has driven to.

Because it is usually colder during basketball season parking as close to Hilton as possible is ideal.

While basketball games draw large crowds, more than 50,000 people have been in attendance at every home football game since the 2011 season.

While a lot of parking is available, most of it is for pass holders, and the other public lots are on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Garringer, who lives in West Ames, said his usual football routine is to “park on campus and then walk to the stadium.” He said CyRide is too crowded on game days and that it’s easier for him to get back to West Ames if he drives.

Jesse Lafler, junior in mechanical engineering, said he walks from his apartment to football and basketball games.

Jamie Pollard, Iowa State’s athletic director, discussed some parking expansion ideas in an open letter he wrote in December.

“We are working with campus officials to develop a comprehensive plan to capitalize on the space east of University Boulevard (across from the stadium) that will 1) increase and improve game-day parking; 2) provide more efficient and lighted space for campus recreation; and 3) further enhance the entrance to Iowa State University,”  Pollard said.

“This project has the potential to provide significant improvement to game-day parking and may include a pedestrian walkway over University Avenue (improving game day safety), relocation of RV parking to an area specifically dedicated to RVs (electrical hookups, lighting, permanent restrooms, etc.) and more prime surface parking for fans donating to the Cyclone Club.”

For more information, visit the Iowa State Parking Division or Iowa State Athletics website.