Parking tips for Salem Saturday Market at Union Street NE (Salem 03/07)

hey everyone, figured i would share some advice for parking at the salem saturday market on 03/07. since the market is right downtown near the capitol, finding a spot can be a bit of a headache once the crowds start arriving mid-morning.

honestly the best way to handle this is to check out Prked first. you can use the app to rent a driveway or a private garage spot right next to the market on union street. it is way cheaper than the commercial lots and you get to skip all the traffic circling the blocks. it is a much shorter walk too which is huge if you are planning on buying a lot of heavy produce or plants and do not want to carry them blocks away to a parking garage.

if you decide not to go with Prked, your next best bet is to look for the state-owned parking lots. since the market happens on a saturday, many of the state surface lots in the north capitol mall area are open to the public for free. the green lot and other lots around winter street and marion street are usually available but just make sure you read the signs carefully so you do not end up in a spot marked for 24-7 enforcement. for garage options, the chemeketa parkade located at 300 chemeketa street ne is usually free on weekends and has plenty of space if you do not mind a few minutes of walking. the marion parkade and liberty square parkade are also options though they are a bit further south. street parking is available all around union and summer streets but those spots are almost always full by 9:30 am and they usually have a two-hour limit that they actually enforce even on weekends. definitely avoid parking in any of the private business lots nearby or the library lot unless you want to risk getting towed. traffic can get pretty backed up on marion street because it is a main one-way thoroughfare so try to arrive from the north side of downtown if you want to avoid the worst of the congestion.

hope this helps everyone have a great time at the market.