About this Location

Facility Overview

The Parking Lot Payment Kiosk at UW-River Falls Pay Lot 2 (PAY2) is a central campus surface parking facility located at 520 Wild Rose Avenue in River Falls, Wisconsin. Operated by the University of Wisconsin–River Falls Parking Department, this open-air, paved lot provides essential pay-by-plate parking directly south of the vibrant University Center. Because the lot is completely open without overhead structures or multi-level ramps, it offers unrestricted vertical clearance, making it fully accessible for standard passenger sedans, crossover SUVs, lifted four-wheel-drive trucks, passenger vans, and specialized mobility-adapted vehicles.

The facility features clearly marked stalls, wide drive aisles for smooth maneuvering, and an automated electronic payment kiosk housed under a weather-protective shelter. Stalls are monitored around the clock through digital license plate enforcement, allowing visitors and campus guests to park legally with ease either by entering their plate details at the on-site kiosk terminal or paying via mobile web apps.

Prime Location & Nearby Attractions

PAY2 is strategically situated right in the heart of the UW-River Falls campus, offering unbeatable proximity to university amenities, academic complexes, athletic fields, and regional community venues:

University Center: Steps away (less than a 1-minute walk), housing the Falcon's Nest dining commons, Riverside Ballroom, Kinnickinnic River Theater, campus bookstore, and university meeting halls.
Academic Core: A short 2 to 4-minute walk to David Rodli Hall, Centennial Science Hall, South Hall, North Hall, and the Agricultural Science Building.
Falcon Center & Hunt Arena: Located approximately 0.4 miles south (about an 8-minute walk), hosting Falcon NCAA Division III athletic contests, ice hockey tournaments, and major community fitness facilities.
Melvin Wall Amphitheatre: A picturesque outdoor performance space within a 4-minute walking distance along the South Fork Kinnickinnic River corridor.
Downtown River Falls: Approximately 0.7 miles northwest (a 12 to 15-minute walk or 3-minute drive) along Main Street, teeming with local coffee shops, historic boutiques, taprooms, and dining spots along the Kinnickinnic River.

Access, Navigation & Transit Connectivity

Arriving at the PAY2 parking facility is straightforward from regional highways. Motorists traveling via Interstate 94 can take Exit 3 onto State Highway 35 South toward River Falls, follow Main Street, and turn east onto Cascade Avenue (WI-29). At the roundabout intersection with 6th Street, drivers navigate south onto 6th Street and turn right directly onto Wild Rose Avenue. The entrance to Pay Lot 2 is positioned on the south side of Wild Rose Avenue, immediately across from the University Center loading and pedestrian plazas.

Exiting the lot is equally streamlined, dispersing vehicles quickly onto 6th Street or back toward Cascade Avenue and Main Street without major bottlenecks. Regional commuters also benefit from nearby regional transit links, shared-ride taxi programs serving Pierce and St. Croix counties, and designated campus shuttle/rideshare drop-off zones along the Wild Rose loop.

Facility Amenities & Key Features

Automated Payment Kiosk: Centralized on-site pay station located under a covered shelter accepting major credit and debit cards.
MobilePay Connectivity: Contactless smartphone payment available by scanning on-site QR codes or texting UWRFPAY2 to 25023 for quick pay-by-plate processing.
Unrestricted Overhead Headroom: Fully uncovered surface parking suitable for oversized SUVs, commercial vans, and trucks with roof racks.
ADA Accessible Stalls: Clearly designated disability parking stalls situated near paved curb ramps and barrier-free pedestrian walkways leading into the University Center.
Campus Security & Illumination: High-efficiency overhead pole lighting, regular campus police patrols, and nearby university emergency call boxes.

Ideal For

Prospective Students & Campus Visitors: Families and guests attending campus tours, admissions interviews, and information sessions at the University Center.
Conference Attendees & Event Guests: Visitors attending lectures, seminars, banquets, and regional summits hosted in the Falcon's Nest or Kinnickinnic River Theater.
Commuter Students & Staff: Short-term parkers needing convenient hourly parking close to central lecture halls and dining facilities.
Falcon Athletics Supporters: Spectators seeking accessible parking within comfortable walking distance of campus sporting venues and student union events.

Visitor & Driver Tips

Parking regulations are strictly enforced 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year across all UW-River Falls lots. Because this facility uses digital pay-by-plate enforcement, make sure to take note of your exact license plate number before walking over to the payment kiosk or activating a mobile session. If using MobilePay on your phone, note that a nominal convenience fee applies, but the system allows you to extend your session remotely from your smartphone so you never have to interrupt a meeting or lecture to add more time. If paying with cash at the automated station, note that kiosks do not dispense change, so using exact currency or a credit card is strongly recommended.