How to get to Chase Field

Phoenix is a pretty straightforward place to navigate, even as a visitor. It’s overwhelmingly a driving city, and that will often be the easiest way to get around from many places. But we do have a light rail system that runs directly to downtown, and connects to Sky Harbor Airport and Tempe as well (but not Scottsdale). And if you’re staying downtown, you’re in a very walkable area, and you won’t need to worry much about transit logistics when it comes time to head to the ballpark.

So let’s break down how you can get around Phoenix from wherever you’ve chosen to stay so you can focus on baseball and all of the other fantastic things you’ll be doing in the Valley. 

Walking to Chase Field

If you’re staying at any hotel in the downtown area, you’ll likely be walking to the ballpark, since most hotels will be less than a 15-minute stroll from hotel to stadium. Downtown Phoenix is safe to walk around during normal human hours, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its occasional disturbances just like any other major urban area. Make sure you keep an eye on your surroundings, but you shouldn’t have any issues walking around downtown before or after a game. Phoenix streets are based on a grid system so navigation is easy.

Getting to Chase Field by Light Rail

Phoenix’s light rail is an above-ground transit system with all stations located at street level (you just walk onto the train from the stops on the street – there’s no “station” to enter first). Fares are $2.00 for a single ride and $4.00 for an all-day pass, and the ticketing machines are right there at every station. But even though there’s no turnstyle you need to pass through, make sure to buy your ticket, because Phoenix does have transit police on the trains, and if you can’t produce a valid ticket when asked, they can write you a $50 ticket AND can make you get off of the train to buy a ticket before continuing your trip. So save the embarrassment and time delay – buy your $2.00 fare!

Within the downtown area, the light rail splits into separate eastbound and westbound tracks, so the station you arrive at may be a block or two north/south or east/west of the station that you will later depart from. We know this can get a bit confusing so we’ll break it down. 

Most people riding the light rail will be arriving from the east, since that’s where both the airport and Tempe are located. The stop closest to Chase Field traveling westbound is 3rd St./Washington, which is one block north of the ballpark. But when you’re leaving the ballpark to go back east, you’ll board the train at 3rd St./Jefferson, which is right on the street in front of the ballpark.

If you happen to be coming to the ballpark from the west or north, then the instructions are just the opposite: you’d arrive AT the ballpark at 3rd St./Jefferson in front of the stadium, and you’d return to your starting point by going westbound from 3rd St./Washington, one block north of the park. 

There’s only a couple of hotels that would put you north/west of the ballpark, like the FOUND:RE or Cambria, or if you’re coming from Roosevelt Row. These are all a 25-30 minute walk to Chase Field, so jumping on the light rail would make sense. But if you’re anywhere else in downtown Phoenix you’ll be within a 15-minute walk from the stadium, so riding the light rail likely won’t be necessary. But if walking isn’t an option and you’re not interested in taking the light rail, then a quick rideshare is also a good option.

The most surefire way to make sure your light rail ride runs smoothly is to download the Valley Metro App. In the app you can purchase passes, plan your trip with step-by-step navigation, and track your light rail train. 

Note: There is a park & ride located at 38th St./Washington near Sky Harbor Airport where you could park your car and then hop right on the light rail to downtown. But we can’t imagine how it would help anyone go to Chase Field. If you’re staying in Tempe, you can just take the light rail directly to downtown, which would be faster than driving, parking, and riding. If you’re staying in Scottsdale and have a rental car, the money you’d save by doing Park & Ride (and paying for a roundtrip ticket on the light rail) is negligible.

Is the light rail safe?

Phoenix is very much a car city. The reality is that most people who own a vehicle will drive everywhere, but the light rail is an affordable and safe option. It’s a pretty clean system, it’s always above ground, so there’s no dark tunnels or shady underground stations. Really… it’s a perfectly decent and acceptable way to get around, if it goes to where you need to be. It’s just that the only people who use it are pretty much people who don’t have a car. 

Like any other public transportation in a major metropolis, the light rail can have the occasional disturbance from unhoused or inebriated individuals. As long as you’re not riding the trains at really awkward times of the day, you should be fine. Just like anywhere though, stay alert of your surroundings and take the proper precautions. 

Phoenix’s light rail does not offer 24 hour transportation like some other major cities, but it should be running during the hours before and after a ballgame. Check out the link we’ve included here to see the most current light rail schedule.

Driving to and parking at Chase Field

If you decide to drive to Chase Field, the team has partnered with ParkWhiz so you can easily pre-book a parking spot. The closest options are the Chase Field garage, located at 401 S. 4th St., or the Jefferson St. Garage located at 333 E. Jefferson St. You can expect to pay between $25-$35 depending on the opponent and day of the week. 

If available, we think the garage at 55 N. 1st Ave. offers the best value. It’s usually cheaper than the official garages in the area and is only a 10-minute walk from the stadium. Other lots are available as cheap as $15 on some days if you don’t mind walking a little further. Like we said, downtown is safe, so if you want to save the money, the extra walking is just a matter of more time, not any safety issues.

You can download the ParkWhiz app or buy parking directly from the DBacks website. Interestingly, the SpotHero app offers spots in local garages too, but most of them are different from the garages on ParkWhiz. So if you want to comparison shop, take a look at both.

Parking on game day is readily available. The garages still should have plenty of drive-up availability, and cash lots are located around the ballpark if you don’t mind a little walk. Most lots will be south of the stadium between 2nd St. and 7th St., or east of the stadium between Washington and Jefferson. These will only save you a few bucks though, so unless you want to park closer to a specific bar or restaurant, there’s no reason not to use the parking apps – they’ll likely save you time and headache on gameday, even if they’re a couple of dollars more.

Phoenix is a major metropolitan area so traffic can become a headache during rush hour. For weekday night games (usually 6:40 pm local time starts), you’ll want to give yourself at least 75 minutes coming from Tempe to drive to the stadium, park, and enter through security. 75 to 90 minutes should be plenty of time coming from the Old Town area, while 90 minutes to 2 hours should be plenty of time coming from North Scottsdale. Weekend traffic isn’t usually bad on the freeways so you can lop 15 to 30 minutes from the above suggested travel times, but check for other local events happening that may clog up the roads. You might end up at the ballpark a little early if traffic is light, but we think it’s better to budget in more time than being rushed on gameday. Plus it will give you some time to do a lap around the ballpark and explore.

Taking a taxi/rideshare to Chase Field

Chase Field has two official rideshare pickup/drop-off locations:

• 5th street North of Washington
• Jackson Street East of 9th Street

The 5th Street location is closer to the stadium, but both spots can get pretty crowded after games depending on what else is happening in the area.

The Footprint Center is located right next door and their website lists additional rideshare pickups at:

• 1st Street/Jefferson (Footprint Center Plaza) 
• S 2nd Street (The Ryan) 
• S 3rd Street (Phoenix Convention Center)
• E Jefferson Street (Hotel Palomar/Arrogant Butcher)

If none of these options work or if surge pricing is in effect, you can walk to one of the many hotels in the area (Home2Suites, Moxy, & Residence Inn/Courtyard are the closest) and order a ride from there, or pop into a local watering hole (we recommend Majerle’s or Bar Smith as they are open well after gametime on most days) for a drink and wait for prices to decrease.

Bottom Line

Getting to Chase Field is a breeze no matter what part of the Valley you’re coming from. Traffic in Phoenix can be a hassle to fight through, so make sure you plan on extra time for reaching the ballpark if you’re arriving by car during rush hour. Rideshares are plentiful all around Phoenix, while the light rail provides an affordable way of reaching the stadium if you’re located near a transit station – just make sure you double check the direction of your train. If staying Downtown, you’ll find the area safe and easily walkable. 

All in all, getting to Chase Field should be pretty easy, but your choice of travel method will largely depend on what else you’re doing while you’re in Phoenix and whether you rent a car.