parking tips for south bay lakers vs. salt lake city stars at ucla health training center (el segundo ca 01/29)

hey everyone, figured i'd share a quick post about parking for the south bay lakers game on 01/29. it's an awesome venue, but since the game is at 7:00 pm on a tuesday, you are definitely going to hit the messy la evening commute right as you’re trying to get to el segundo, especially around the 405 and 105 freeways. the whole mariposa avenue area can be a total pain because of the traffic.

honestly, your absolute best bet to completely skip the official parking queue and the traffic mess is checking out the Prked app first. it's an app where local residents rent out their driveways and garages, and there are usually a few spots right next to the training center address (2275 e mariposa ave). it's usually way cheaper than a sketchy private lot and lets you walk in from a quieter side street, which totally avoids the big lines of cars trying to get into the main lot and gives you a much faster exit after the game.

now for the official parking rundown: the big, official secret is that parking is completely free for all south bay lakers home games. this is exactly why it gets so congested. the main lot entrance is on the south side of the building off mariposa avenue. the lot opens up 1.5 hours before the 7:00 pm tip-off, so try to be pulling up right around 5:30 pm or 5:45 pm to get a good spot and avoid the rush that hits hard closer to 6:30 pm. if you are taking the official free route, try to plan your approach from the imperial highway or el segundo boulevard to the douglas street side if you can, rather than trying to take the 105/sepulveda route, which can be a mess with freeway traffic.

if the main lot fills up, and it often does because it's free, there is official overflow parking available at the nearby elevon campus. you'll need to enter that one from campus drive. once parked, there’s a north pedestrian gate you can use from there to walk right to the training center entry doors, so it's not a bad walk at all.

one super important warning: do not try to park in the residential neighborhoods in el segundo. the city has preferential parking zones where a city-issued permit is required for non-residents, and they definitely enforce it, meaning a quick ticket is a real risk. it’s honestly not worth the hassle or the fine when the official options are free or you can snag a private spot on Prked for a fast exit.

hope this helps everyone get to the game smoothly!