UC Santa Cruz is located on Monterey Bay in central California about 75 miles south of San Francisco, 45 miles north of Monterey and Carmel, and just over the coastal mountains from Silicon Valley and the San Jose International Airport.

Directions to the UC Santa Cruz Campus:

From Oakland: Take Interstate 880 South to San Jose, where the freeway becomes Highway 17. Continue on Highway 17 South to Santa Cruz. As you enter the city of Santa Cruz, follow Highway 1 North (toward Half Moon Bay) along business Highway 1 (Mission Street). Travel approximately 0.8 mile southwest along Mission Street to Bay Street in Santa Cruz. Turn right on Bay Street and proceed up the hill to the main campus entrance.

From San Jose: Take Highway 17 South to Santa Cruz. As you enter the city of Santa Cruz, follow Highway 1 North (toward Half Moon Bay) along business Highway 1 (Mission Street). Travel approximately 0.8 mile southwest along Mission Street to Bay Street in Santa Cruz. Turn right on Bay and proceed up the hill to the main campus entrance.

From San Francisco: Take Highway 101 South or Interstate 280 South to Highway 85 South. Take 880 South (which becomes Highway 17) to Santa Cruz. As you enter the city of Santa Cruz, follow Highway 1 North (toward Half Moon Bay) along business Highway 1 (Mission Street). Travel approximately 0.8 mile southwest along Mission Street to Bay Street in Santa Cruz. Turn right on Bay and proceed up the hill to the main campus entrance.

From Sacramento: Take Interstate 80 West to the exit for Interstate 680 towards San Jose. In San Jose, Interstate 680 becomes Interstate 280 North. From 280 North, take Highway 17 South. As you enter the city of Santa Cruz, follow Highway 1 North (toward Half Moon Bay) along business Highway 1 (Mission Street). Travel approximately one mile southwest along Mission Street to Bay Street in Santa Cruz. Turn right on Bay and proceed up the hill to the main campus entrance.

From Los Angeles: Take Interstate 5 North. Take Highway 152 West, to Watsonville. Take Highway 1 North to Santa Cruz (toward Half Moon Bay). On Business Highway 1 (Mission Street), travel approximately 0.8 mile southeast to Bay Street in Santa Cruz. Turn right on Bay and proceed up the hill to the main campus entrance.

Parking On Campus

It is important that you follow campus parking rules so that your visit will not be spoiled with a parking ticket. Parking lots are kept to a minimum to avoid cutting trees and, consequently, spaces are not easy to find.

Your goal will be to find parking close to the Interdisciplinary Sciences Building (ISB; 5C on the map) where the Dept. of Astronomy and Astrophysics is located.

Complete information about all parking options can be found at the red kiosk near the main campus entrance at the intersection of Bay and High Streets. As you enter campus along Bay street, you can pull over and park at the red parking kiosk visible on your right. The kiosk, which is open 7AM - 8:30PM M-F, provides parking permits, maps and other help for visitors.

Campus Map with Parking (pdf)

Here is a brief review of some of the parking options:

1. It is important not to park in undesignated spaces or parking spaces designated for disabled or other specialized uses.
2. If you arrive on Saturday or Sunday, you can park for free at some lots including lots 128 and 114 (at 5C-6C on the map) or in the six-floor Core West Parking Structure (Lot 112 at 4C on the map). From these lots the Interdisciplinary Sciences Building (ISB; 5C on the map) is only a few minutes walk.
3. Free parking is always possible, spaces permitting, at the North Perimeter Parking Lot (Lot 150 at 3A on the map) which is about a 5 minute walk from the ISB.
4. If you arrive on a weekday before 8:30PM, the most straightforward process is to purchase a daily parking permit at the parking kiosk. A $5 all-day parking permit allows you to park at any of the A or B parking spaces shown in yellow on the parking map (see the second page of the map for details). To get your permit, you will be asked to show your driver's license and car registration. Your permit should be prominently displayed so that it is visible through the front window of your car. In our experience parking spaces are always available in the six-floor Core West Parking Structure (Lot 112 at 4C on the map), particularly on the upper two levels. When parked, you can take a elevator down to floor 2 and walk to the Interdisciplinary Sciences Building (ISB; 5C on the map) in about 2-3 minutes. Depending on time of day and luck, you may find parking spaces at lots 128, 114, 164 or 165 which are closer to the ISB. Some more convenient yellow lots (like 121) have only a few 20 minute spaces or spaces reserved for elite campus staff and administrators.
5. If you arrive after 3:30PM on a weekday, you can get a "night" parking permit (N) for $2 either at the kiosk or from a machine on the second floor of the Core West Parking Structure (Lot 112 at 4C on the map). N permits are valid at any A or B space until 7AM the next day. Lots 112 (Core West Parking Structure), 128 and 114 near the ISB allow N permit parking.
6. If you are coming on a weekday for a very short visit to the Interdisciplinary Sciences Building (ISB; 5C on the map), you can search for an available space with a parking meter. Meters accept quarters and charge $1.25 per hour. Lots with meters closest to the ISB are 128 and 112 (second floor of the Core West parking structure). There are not very many metered spaces and students often park in them during a class.

Information for Colloquium Speakers

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