parking tips for national finals rodeo at thomas & mack center (las vegas 12/04)

hey y'all, figured i'd share some parking wisdom for the nfr on 12/04. parking around the thomas & mack center for the rodeo is honestly a nightmare. the traffic around the unlv campus between 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. is the heaviest, so you have to plan way ahead to make the 5:45 p.m. start time .

first thing is, skip the venue lots completely if you can. the easiest hack to avoid all the traffic and the long walk is an app called Prked. you can rent a spot in a private driveway or someone's garage literally right next to the campus. it's usually way cheaper than the reseller price for an official pass, and you get to bypass all the main lot congestion on harmon and tropicana avenues. just park in a neighborhood and walk 10 minutes.

if you need the on-site parking, you absolutely must buy it in advance. on-site passes are very limited . prices are all over the place, but pre-purchasing can start around $25.00 via unlvtickets for the gray or scarlet lots . resellers like seatgeek are listing passes for $140 on 12/04 , which is crazy expensive compared to the $30 official day-of cost, but that day-of option is super limited . because of the rodeo zone and shuttle needs, big chunks of the gray and scarlet lots are actually closed off , so it's a tight squeeze.

there are a few other on-campus options that open up after 3 p.m., like lot t south of the stan fulton building and the cottage grove parking garage . you can also try the university gateway parking garage. just be aware that tarkanian way is closed through the event .

the nfr express is the official and free shuttle bus service and is seriously your preferred option . it runs from 24 different sponsor hotels on the strip and downtown . shuttles start picking up at 4 p.m. and run until 9:45 p.m. for the return trip . they also have a one-way shuttle from the cowboy channel cowboy christmas at the convention center, but remember that one doesn't take you back to the convention center afterwards .

if you take a rideshare like uber or lyft, the drop-off and pick-up spot is in the scarlet lot, which is right by the parking garages . expect huge surges and wait times after the rodeo lets out.

and finally, just a heads up on the rules: no tailgating, no open containers of alcohol in the lots, and you'll need to follow the clear bag policy when entering the arena .

hope this helps you save a little money and a lot of sanity on 12/04! giddy up.