Thousands of people come to the UW campus in Seattle to witness the iconic cherry trees in peak bloom. Plan your visit — and consider alternate modes of transportation. Campus visitors can expect significant traffic congestion, limited parking and street closures.
Take public transit
To avoid traffic and crowded parking, we recommend taking public transit to campus — we’re served by many bus routes and two Link light rail stations. The U District light rail station is the closest one to the cherry blossoms on the Quad; the University of Washington (Husky Stadium) station is also not far from the Quad.
Driving to visit the blossoms
Parking lots
Weekend
We recommend cherry blossom visitors park in the Central Plaza Garage on weekends; visitor parking is available on levels C02, C03 and C04 only. (Levels C01, C05 and C06 are restricted at times — see Visitor Parking page for details.)
Weekday
In addition to the lot listed above, the Padelford Garage, Lot E01 and Lot E18 are open on weekdays.
Hours and rates vary by location. The UW is a cashless campus. Payments can be made via the PayByPhone app or at pay stations that accept Visa and Mastercard.
Accessibility
The UW is committed to ensuring access and inclusion for all. There are two accessible entrances to the Quad, one at each end. Accessible parking is available in Lot N22, which is best reached via the East entrance to campus on Pend Oreille Road.
Street closures
Stevens Way NE between Memorial Way NE and Pend Oreille Road and Memorial Way NE south of Stevens Way NE will be closed to vehicle and transit traffic on peak bloom weekends. Dates to be announced.
Campus maps
This map highlights the best walking routes to the Quad from the recommended parking lots. From the C02-C06 parking lot walking to the Quad after surfacing onto Red Square is a direct northeast walkable path. The N20-N21 parking lots near Padelford are the next closest and are located roughly east of the Quad. There are a couple of different walking routes you can take around the various buildings to head west towards the Quad, including Padelford. Parking lots E01 and E18 are the largest parking lots available to visitors and are located on the eastern side of Montlake Blvd NE next to the soccer field and track. Two overpass walkways provide access to cross onto the main campus area. The E18 lot is more directly east of the Quad while the E01 lot is a bit more northeast. Weekend road closures exit along Memorial Way and Stevens Way, as described earlier on this page.
The following are downloadable PDFs for printing purposes. They depict the walking routes and parking locations on and near the UW campus that cherry blossom visitors can use, one of which is translated to Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese.
Download translated parking maps
Accessibility
The UW is committed to ensuring access and inclusion for all. Our access guide is our information hub to help community members with disabilities navigate the campus. It highlights accessible parking areas, walking routes, building entrances and other resources.
There are two accessible entrances to the Quad, one to the southwest between Savery Hall and Gowen Hall and one to the northeast between Raitt Hall and Miller Hall. The southwest entrance is closest to Red Square. The northeast entrance is closest to accessible parking, Lot N22.
To get to the Quad from Lot N22, take the pathway between the Communications Building and Clark Hall, then use the path between the Music Building and Miller Hall to enter the Quad.
A state-issued disability placard must be displayed when parking in Lot N22. Regular parking rates apply. See the Transportation Services website for more information on accessible parking at the UW.
Restrooms
Portable restrooms will be available near the Quad on select weekends. Dates to be announced. Restrooms in campus buildings are open to visitors during normal business hours on weekdays but closed to visitors on weekends.