Getting reliable USC vs Maryland parking in Los Angeles takes some planning. Space around the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is tightly regulated on game days. When the USC Trojans host the Maryland Terrapins at the Coliseum on November 21, 2026, tens of thousands of college football fans will flood into Exposition Park and University Park. Big Ten games always make event parking tricky in this part of town, made worse by ongoing construction in Exposition Park and regular backups along the I-110 and I-10 interchange. Knowing where to park, what you'll pay, and how to dodge the worst post-game jams will keep your Saturday from going off the rails.

Where to Park for USC vs Maryland: Exposition Park Game Day Parking vs. Campus Garages

Fans without season-long donor permits cannot use the on-site Exposition Park lots. Instead, you'll need to park in official USC campus garages north of Exposition Boulevard or book private off-site spaces along Figueroa Street. The main public options include official USC campus parking structures: the Downey Way Structure, Figueroa Street Structure, McCarthy Way Structure, Jefferson Structure, and Grand Avenue Parking Center.

The on-site surface lots and garages inside Exposition Park—the Pink, Yellow, Green, Gold, and Blue structures—are reserved for Trojan Athletic Fund (TAF) donor permit holders. You can't pay cash at the gate or buy drive-up access here for USC home games. Show up at an Exposition Park entrance without a physical donor pass or mobile credential, and traffic officers will turn you right back out onto the street.

Can You Pay Cash for LA Coliseum Parking on Game Day?

No. Official parking at the Coliseum and on the USC campus is completely cashless. If you're parking in a university facility, pay using the Text2Park pay-by-plate system on your phone, or head to the credit-card Pay-by-Plate kiosks on the ground floor of each garage.

Here is how Text2Park works:

1. Pull into any participating campus garage and find an unmarked stall.
2. Find the five-character location code posted on signs near the stairwells and elevators.
3. Text that code to 25023 to get a secure payment link sent to your phone.
4. Put in your license plate number and card details, then pay before leaving the garage.

These garages use automated License Plate Recognition (LPR) cameras. If you don't start your parking session right away, campus enforcement will write you a steep ticket.

What Is the USC vs Maryland Parking Cost on Campus and at the Stadium?

Drive-up parking in official USC campus garages costs a flat $50 per car, plus a $0.50 processing fee through Text2Park. That rate covers the full day, and garages stay open well after the final whistle. The rate is the same across all university-run decks open to the public.

If you want to secure a campus spot beforehand, USC offers a small batch of advance single-game permits through JustPark for $60.50. Drive-up is technically ten dollars cheaper, but garages closest to the stadium fill fast, so paying a bit more ahead of time buys you some certainty.

What Time Do Lots Open for USC Football Gameday Parking at LA Coliseum?

Campus garages, public drive-up facilities, and campus tailgate zones open six hours before kickoff. When games start early in the morning, gates never open before 6:00 AM.

South Los Angeles and the Figueroa corridor get congested quickly, so plan to arrive four or five hours before game time. The worst traffic consistently hits between two hours and 45 minutes out from kickoff. By then, LADOT has one-way street closures in place and starts turning drivers away from full structures.

Official USC Campus Parking for Coliseum Events vs. Off-Site Private Parking

Deciding between an official campus deck and an off-site private lot comes down to your budget, how far you want to walk, and how fast you need to get home.

Campus structures like Downey Way and McCarthy Way put you right next to campus festivities in covered, well-lit facilities with active security patrols. The catch is leaving. Post-game exit times range from 45 to 90 minutes because of heavy foot traffic along Exposition Boulevard and LADOT routing restrictions. You also cannot make left turns into or out of university decks on game days.

Private lots, garages, and neighborhood spots listed on services like SpotHero, ParkWhiz, or Prked can save you money and give you an easier route out. Booking a spot near the Coliseum on Prked (which holds the top spot on Trustpilot across both the Parking Garage and Parking Lot categories) or grabbing a space on SpotHero along South Figueroa or Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard runs roughly $20 to $45. Private locations a few blocks north or east let you steer clear of the main Exposition Park crowd and hop directly onto I-110 ramps or downtown surface streets.

Can You Tailgate Out of Your Car in USC Parking Structures?

No. Tailgating from your car, bringing lawn chairs into the stalls, grilling, and drinking alcohol are banned inside USC parking structures. Campus safety rules prohibit barbecues, open flames, generators, and canopies in every university deck.

Tailgating takes place on USC's main campus lawns, picnic-style. The university runs this under specific tailgating regulations:

• Advance Permits Required: Groups must book a specific lawn plot online at least three weeks before the game. Unreserved setups aren't allowed.
• Setup Schedule: You can start setting up six hours before kickoff, not a minute sooner.
• Walk-In Gear Only: Cars cannot drive onto campus paths or lawns. Park in a garage, then haul your canopies, tables, and coolers out to your reserved spot.
• Kickoff Shutdown: Tailgates must shut down and pack away by kickoff.

Tailgating out of a vehicle is strictly for select Exposition Park surface lots, like the Green Tailgate Lot, and is limited to upper-tier Trojan Athletic Fund donors with dedicated passes.

Should You Book USC vs Maryland Parking in Advance?

Booking ahead is the safer move. Drive-up garages frequently fill up 90 minutes before kickoff, leaving late arrivals stuck idling on surface streets. For late-November Big Ten matchups, having a confirmed space eliminates the stress of rolling up to "lot full" signs.

To park in an official campus garage, you can reserve a spot at the USC Shrine, Royal, or Flower Street structures via JustPark for $60.50. If those are gone, look for an off-campus private driveway or commercial space on Prked, or check ParkWhiz listings along Figueroa. Reserving ahead gives you a mobile barcode and a guaranteed entry point.

How Far Is the Walk from USC Campus Garages to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Parking Areas?

Most USC campus garages sit between 0.6 and 0.9 miles from the Coliseum gates, which works out to a 12- to 20-minute walk.

You'll head across Exposition Boulevard into Exposition Park, passing the Natural History Museum and California Science Center on your way to the turnstiles.

• Downey Way Structure: About 0.6 miles (12–14 minute walk to Gates 19 and 23).
• Figueroa Street Structure: About 0.6 miles (12–14 minute walk to Gate 1).
• McCarthy Way Structure: About 0.7 miles (14–16 minute walk to Olympic Plaza / Gate 33).
• USC Shrine Structure: About 0.8 miles (16–18 minutes through the center of campus).
• Grand Avenue Parking Center: About 0.9 miles (18–20 minute walk). USC runs a free shuttle from Grand Avenue to Pardee Way on campus, running continuously from three hours before kickoff and picking back up at the start of the fourth quarter.

Is ADA Accessible Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Parking Available Without a Permit?

Yes. Drivers with a valid government-issued disability placard or plate can use ADA-accessible parking at the Coliseum, but spaces are first-come, first-served unless you hold an advance donor pass.

Placard holders can use ADA spots in USC campus decks like Downey Way and Figueroa for the standard $50 rate. Since these fill fast, try to get there right around the six-hour mark when lots open.

USC runs a post-game ADA shuttle for fans with mobility limitations. It leaves the Coliseum about 45 minutes after the game ends and runs passengers back to university garages. For drop-offs, drivers can pull onto Exposition Park Drive from South Figueroa Street at West 39th Street. Traffic gets thick quickly, so early arrival matters.

Where Is the Designated Rideshare Drop-Off for LA Coliseum Parking Areas?

Before kickoff, rideshares can drop off along Exposition Park Drive via South Figueroa Street. Once the game ends, though, Exposition Park enforces a 45- to 60-minute vehicle blackout. Ubers, Lyfts, and regular passenger cars cannot enter the area around the stadium during that window.

To get a ride after the game:

• Leave through Gate 19 or Gate 23 on the north side.
• Walk north to Exposition Boulevard, then head west toward Vermont Avenue.
• Meet your driver at the rideshare pickup zone on Vermont Avenue between Exposition Boulevard and Downey Way.
• Or, keep walking north through campus and call your ride from Jefferson Boulevard. Drivers can access those east-west streets without getting caught in the stadium mess.

Is Street Parking Legal Near Exposition Park for USC Football Gameday Parking?

Street parking around Exposition Park and USC isn't practical on game days. The city enforces Preferential Parking Districts (PPD) through the nearby residential areas, particularly west of Vermont Avenue and south of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Park in those neighborhoods without a resident permit, and LADOT will ticket or tow you. Meters on commercial stretches like Figueroa and MLK Jr. Boulevard carry two-hour caps and often flip to temporary tow-away zones on game days to keep lanes clear. Skip the gamble and stick to campus garages or pre-booked private stalls.

Why Private Residential Driveway Parking Near LA Coliseum Is One of the Smartest Options

Street parking may be blocked off by local permits, but renting a private driveway or yard directly from a neighborhood resident is an effective workaround. Residential spaces right outside Exposition Park offer walks that rival campus garages, and getting out afterward is far easier.

• West of Vermont Avenue (Menlo Avenue, Leighton Avenue, Browning Boulevard): Driveways on streets like Menlo, Leighton, and Browning sit just 0.3 to 0.5 miles west of the Coliseum, putting you 6 to 10 flat minutes from Gates 19, 23, or 28. Compare that to decks like Downey Way, where leaving means sitting in a line of cars for up to an hour and a half while pedestrians cross Exposition Boulevard. West of Vermont, you pull straight out onto the street and drive west on MLK Jr. Boulevard or Vernon toward Normandie, Western, or Crenshaw, or head north straight to the I-10 without crossing the crowd.
• South of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (West 40th Place, West 41st Street, South Hoover Street): Homes south of MLK on West 40th Place, West 41st, and South Hoover are 0.3 to 0.6 miles away (a 7- to 12-minute walk) from Gates 1, 4, and the peristyle at Gate 33. Heading south from here leads you right down Hoover or Figueroa toward Vernon and Slauson, avoiding the LADOT pedestrian zones completely and putting you right onto the I-110 south onramps.

Prked is the simplest way to book these private driveways, running between $25 and $40 compared to the $50 to $60 for campus decks. The platform has a 5.0/5 rating on Trustpilot across 750+ reviews. You can check reviews for individual hosts beforehand, park on private property rather than an open garage floor, and pay ahead of time to keep things straightforward.

What Is the Best Metro Station for LA Coliseum Parking Alternatives?

Taking Metro is often easier than driving. The simplest route is parking at a Park & Ride lot along the Metro E Line (Expo) and taking the train straight to either the Expo Park/USC Station or the Expo/Vermont Station. Both stops leave you within a five-minute walk of the stadium gates, sidestepping vehicle traffic entirely.

Good Metro Park & Ride stations include:

• Culver City Station or Expo/Sepulveda Station: Handy if you're coming from West LA, Santa Monica, or the South Bay, with garages right at the platforms.
• Atlantic Station (East Los Angeles): Good option when arriving from the San Gabriel Valley or eastern suburbs.
• Sierra Madre Villa / APU Citrus Stations (A Line Transfer): If you're coming from Pasadena or the Foothills, take the A Line into downtown (7th St/Metro Center) and walk across the platform to catch the E Line.

One-way Metro fare is $1.75 with a TAP card or phone wallet. Trains on the E Line leave every six to eight minutes right after the game, making it an easy way to save money and skip the parking garage scramble entirely.