Getting to Ball Arena
Colorado Avalanche · Denver, CO
Ball Arena has its own light rail station — Ball Arena/Elitch Gardens, on four RTD lines — which makes it one of the few venues in this data where the train goes to the building rather than near it. Driving is organised around Auraria Parkway and the numbered streets off it, and the lots open three hours before an event.
Tips & Fan Reports
Park by Ball Arena early and walk over. Uber or Lyft after late games can be rough. If you are staying downtown you can walk but it is about 20-25 minutes. The RTD train is another option.
Advance parking is sold through Ticketmaster once you have bought event tickets.
The adjacent RTD bus stop is at 9th Street and Auraria Parkway.
The MallRide is free and connects Union Station to the 16th Street Mall — currently running on 15th and 17th Streets during reconstruction.
Parking lots open three hours before the event, and all Toyota lots take credit and debit cards.
The station is named for the building: Ball Arena/Elitch Gardens, on the D, E, H and W lines.
Ways In
- Driving
- From the south, take I-25 North toward Denver and exit at 210B for Auraria Parkway, merge onto Auraria Parkway, then turn left onto 7th, 9th or 11th Street to reach the arena grounds. From the north, take I-25 South, exit 212B toward downtown, turn left onto Speer Boulevard and right onto Chopper Circle at the second light. From downtown, head west on Speer Boulevard to Auraria Parkway, turn left, then right on 7th, 9th or 11th Street.
- Public Transit
- The Ball Arena/Elitch Gardens station is served by four light rail lines — D, E, H and W — and you can walk straight into the grounds from it. An RTD bus stop sits adjacent to the arena at 9th Street and Auraria Parkway, served by multiple routes. The free MallRide shuttle runs the 16th Street Mall, currently on 15th and 17th Streets during reconstruction, connecting to Union Station.
- Rideshare
- Uber/Lyft drop-off is on Chopper Circle near the main entrance. Post-game pickup zones are marked. Expect 10-minute waits and moderate surge after games.
- Walking
- On foot the arena is reached by the multi-use Cherry Creek Trail and the shared-use sidewalk along Auraria Parkway.
Colorado Avalanche Travel Gear
Clear bags, ponchos, and packable layers for getting to the gate.
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How We Checked This Page
Every section below names the source it was read from and the day it was read. Where we could not reach a published figure, the page says so rather than presenting an estimate as a checked fact.
- Getting there
Ball Arena parking/directions and public transportation pages on ballarena.com
- Transit
RTD 16th Street FreeRide: "You don’t need a ticket and there’s no fare, just hop on board!" RTD has renamed the Free MallRide to 16th Street FreeRide; it runs Union Station to Wade Blank Civic Center Station every 4-12 minutes. RTD’s 3-Hour Pass is $2.75 for its fare-charging services.
- Lodging
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