Facility Overview

Bison Lot 27 is a dedicated surface parking facility situated directly alongside Yellowstone Hall on the western residential edge of the Montana State University (MSU) campus in Bozeman, Montana. Serving predominantly residential students, campus visitors, and eventgoers, the lot features an organized, open-air asphalt layout designed for straightforward maneuvering and effortless stalls access. Because it is an outdoor grade-level lot without an overhead deck or height barriers, Bison Lot 27 provides limitless vertical clearance. This makes it an ideal parking option not only for standard sedans, compacts, and crossovers, but also for full-sized pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles, ski racks, rooftop cargo boxes, and high-roof adventure vans that frequently navigate the Gallatin Valley.

Prime Location & Nearby Attractions

Positioned right by Yellowstone Hall—one of MSU’s premier modern residence halls—Bison Lot 27 offers exceptional pedestrian proximity to central student life, collegiate athletics, and recreational hubs. Notable destinations within short walking distance include:

• Brick Breeden Fieldhouse: Located approximately an 8- to 10-minute walk south, hosting MSU Bobcat basketball, indoor track and field, major concert tours, expos, and community events.
• Bobcat Stadium: Situated about a 12-minute walk southeast, serving as the roaring epicenter for NCAA Division I FCS Bobcat football and championship athletics.
• Student Wellness Center & Marga Hosaeus Fitness Center: Just a 5- to 7-minute stroll east, featuring climbing walls, courts, swimming, and workout facilities.
• Rendezvous Dining Pavilion & Miller Dining Commons: Less than a 3- to 5-minute walk, offering extensive on-campus dining, coffee bars, and casual eateries.
• Strand Union Building (SUB): Around a 9-minute walk across Centennial Mall, housing the campus bookstore, bowling alley, student ballrooms, and public food courts.
• Museum of the Rockies: Located less than 1.5 miles east (about a 5-minute drive or 20-minute walk), famous worldwide for its extensive dinosaur paleontology collections and planetarium.
• Historic Downtown Bozeman: Approximately 1.5 miles northeast, reachable in under 7 minutes by car or bus, featuring historic Main Street shops, craft breweries, art galleries, and acclaimed restaurants.

Access, Navigation & Transit Connectivity

Accessing Bison Lot 27 is straightforward via Bozeman’s primary arterial corridors. Drivers arriving from Interstate 90 can take Exit 305 onto North 19th Avenue, drive south to West Lincoln Street or Kagy Boulevard, and head east toward 11th Avenue to enter the residential hall district. Internal campus connector roads provide clear ingress and egress, facilitating smooth transitions even during morning class rushes. Egress following peak athletic events is streamlined thanks to rapid access back out to 19th Avenue, which bypasses congested central Bozeman roads.

For non-driving travel, Montana State University is fully integrated into the Streamline Bus system—Bozeman’s zero-fare public transit network. Multiple Streamline routes service stops along 11th Avenue and the nearby Strand Union Building hub, offering complimentary rides to Downtown Bozeman, the Gallatin Valley Mall, Bridger Bowl transfer points, and Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) connectors. Extensive paved paths also connect directly to the Gallatin County Regional Park trail network.

Facility Amenities & Key Features

• Open-Air Surface Parking: Level, well-graded asphalt lot with high-visibility stall striping and generous turning radii.
• Unrestricted Headroom: Zero height limitations, accommodating lifted trucks, overland vehicles, roof boxes, and gear-loaded racks.
• Automated License Plate Recognition (LPR): MSU parking management utilizes digital LPR virtual permits, eliminating the need for physical hangtags or dashboard decals.
• ADA Accessible Stalls: Clearly marked accessible spaces located conveniently close to Yellowstone Hall paved entry ramps.
• Campus Safety & Lighting: Equipped with overhead LED pole lighting and integrated within the MSU University Police emergency blue-light phone patrol perimeter.
• Mobile Payment Options: Short-term and visitor spaces across campus support frictionless digital payment via the MSU Parking Portal and ParkMobile app.

Ideal For

• Yellowstone Hall Residents & Guests: University students living on campus holding valid Bison residential permits, as well as friends and family moving in or visiting.
• Bobcat Sports Fans: College football and basketball spectators looking for convenient parking within walking distance to Bobcat Stadium and Brick Breeden Fieldhouse on game days.
• Campus Conference & Event Attendees: Visitors attending lectures, academic symposiums, high school state tournaments, and summer camps hosted at MSU facilities.
• Outdoor Recreation Enthusiasts: Visitors heading out for day hikes, skiing, or fishing in Hyalite Canyon who need a solid staging spot near south Bozeman.

Visitor & Driver Tips

MSU Parking Services actively enforces parking regulations Monday through Friday between 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM during the academic year. If you do not possess an annual Bison residential permit, ensure you purchase a daily visitor pass online via the MSU Parking Portal or utilize hourly metered visitor zones nearby to prevent citations. During MSU Bobcat home football games, campus parking lots south of Grant Street and near athletics facilities transition to special gameday operations or permit restrictions—always check gameday signage before parking. In winter months, keep an eye out for posted snowplow removal notices to ensure your vehicle is not relocated during routine campus plowing operations.