Getting in and out of State College
Like many of you, I'm off to State College for this weekend's game.
Hoping someone who has recent experience can give some advice on the Saturday morning traffic.
We are staying in Dubois, which is west of State College and is normally about an hour drive to State College. How bad is the traffic in and out of State College on a game day? Similar to Ann Arbor? Worse?
I drive from the Birmingham/Bloomfield area for home games and the normally 45-minute drive takes about 1.5-2 hours if I leave three hours before the game starts...but only an hour if I leave my house just over an hour before game time.
How do the traffic patterns in and out of State College compare? How early should I leave Dubois on Saturday morning? I'm not really interested in tailgating, as I am going with my 14-year old son. Just want to be in my seats a bit before the game starts.
I know there have been a few threads regarding going to the Penn State game, but I didn't see anything that specifically addressed this issue. If I missed this, I apologize in advance.
Thanks...and Go Blue!
November 19th, 2015 at 12:53 PM ^
See if it's not too late. Tailgating there is cheap and awesome.
November 19th, 2015 at 12:57 PM ^
November 19th, 2015 at 7:45 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
November 19th, 2015 at 12:57 PM ^
November 19th, 2015 at 1:01 PM ^
We parked up by Damon's Grill. Found a sidestreet that just had cars parked on them and hoofed it. I regret it becuase as I said in the last post, tailgating looked like a blast there. I also had never seen Can Jam until State College. I've seen it since, but everyone plays it there.
November 19th, 2015 at 1:02 PM ^
get this straight. There is still an open and operating Damon's Grill?
November 19th, 2015 at 1:16 PM ^
November 19th, 2015 at 1:24 PM ^
no surprise there.
November 19th, 2015 at 1:31 PM ^
bad. I had a mind to head over there for a $21.00 half rack of sub-prime ribs.
November 19th, 2015 at 4:30 PM ^
Per their web site. Go figure.
For a while, Damon's was probably the best restaurant in my wife's home town--while is a frightening thought.
November 19th, 2015 at 1:10 PM ^
Heavy traffic in and around State College has been my experience also, but it has been a few years since I was last there and there were road improvements being done the last time I was there.
We have always gotten to State College early and waited several hours after games to leave. Parking for us seems to have always been in corn fields which can be a bit of a pain in the ass to navigate after dark. Someone associated witnh Michigan football, perhaps Sam Webb, has talked about the not so joyful experience trying to find his car after a game.
I have always found most of the Penn State fans that I have run into in State College to be fairly friendly. If you want some good ice cream, PSU has a dairy bar that is worth visiting right on campus.
November 19th, 2015 at 4:44 PM ^
You can't get there from here.
November 19th, 2015 at 12:59 PM ^
It takes you up to two hours to get to AA from BH/Birmingham area on game days? Really? What way are you going? I live a few minutes away from there and am annoyed when it takes me 50-55 minutes (traffic free, it's 40 minutes door-to-door for me).
November 19th, 2015 at 1:17 PM ^
We live near the Maple/Southfield Road area.
Takes 45 minutes without any traffic.
During peak times, it's taken 1.5 hours to get to Ann Arbor...especially for 12noon games when the traffic is compressed in a shorter time frame.
I've left my house at 2PM for a 3:30PM start and been in my seats by 3PM, however...so we've made a practice of leaving closer to game time as we are not avid tailgaters.
November 19th, 2015 at 1:20 PM ^
November 19th, 2015 at 2:16 PM ^
If you live off of Southfield Road, your best bet might be Southfield south to the freeway portion and then to hit I-96 west from there and avoid 696 and 275 altogether.
An example of how useful the Southfield can be - from where I live in Romulus, we take I-94 to the Southfield to the Lodge to Telegraph to Lone Pine to take the kids to museum at Cranbrook and we can get there in about 35 minutes in decent traffic.
November 19th, 2015 at 3:27 PM ^
Agree with this. The Southfield is often quicker. Getting on M-14 from 275 can be brutal on gameday.
November 19th, 2015 at 1:06 PM ^
a bizarre movie. I flat out don't get it. I recognize there is something about personal choice v. government control in there somewhere but it is so convoluted. Roger Ebert has a great review of that movie that is essentially "What the....?" Just as there is "Good Rudock" and "Bad Rudock," there is Good Kubrick and Bad Kubrick. To me, that is an example of Bad Kubrick.
November 19th, 2015 at 1:18 PM ^
that was the point. It wasn't supposed to make sense. Just Kubrick fucking with the viewer.
November 19th, 2015 at 1:25 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
November 19th, 2015 at 1:30 PM ^
I know who wrote the novel but Kubrick did adapt it and direct the movie.
And I think that genre is probably even stronger now than it was then, I just thought that Clockwork in particular was a bad one.
November 19th, 2015 at 1:59 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
November 19th, 2015 at 4:42 PM ^
Mad Magazine called it a Crockwork Lemon
November 19th, 2015 at 1:02 PM ^
November 19th, 2015 at 1:12 PM ^
It's basically like attending a game at the Overlook Hotel from The Shining.
November 19th, 2015 at 1:25 PM ^
even 7 AM. Dawn will be breaking by that point anyway, you won't be driving in the dark.
Take I-80 to the Bellefonte I-99 exit. Don't get off at Clearfield and come in off 322.
Given you're not tailgating, park in downtown State College. Will be a 1.5-mile walk to Beaver Stadium, but you get to see the downtown and the campus and the scene.
That also gives time for traffic to clear out-a-bit in the post-game.
There are extra security measures planned for the Saturday game, given what happened in France last Friday. That will likely slow stadium entry quite a bit, and is another reason to leave early.
Enjoy your trip!!!
November 19th, 2015 at 1:45 PM ^
Thank you for the advice. My 14-year old son will be thrilled about the early wake-up, but we'll make it work!
November 19th, 2015 at 4:48 PM ^
Thanks for the advice! We're staying in Clearfield and had been planning on heading out around 9:00 AM. Might up that an hour! I had already planned on taking 322 as I feel the backroads can be a better bet than major expressways when one can expect heavier than normal travel days
November 19th, 2015 at 10:00 PM ^
My daughter actually went to Penn State so I have travelled there often. Stay on I-80 to exit 162, I think that's Hwy220 (though a map says its I-99) - anyway that will take you directly to Beaver Stadium. You will be able to see the stadium from roughly 5 miles away as it sits up on a hill. It is all 4 lane and much faster than the twisty 2 lane roads. Plus MOST of the OOT traffic comes from the east ... so you'll see very little game day traffic.
Yellow lots are cheap - I pre bought parking passes at $10 per car (I think it's $20 on game day). Go early and you'll have zero problems. Plan to tailgate because no way you'll be able to get to any restaurant on game day (before or after the game).
November 20th, 2015 at 8:11 AM ^
Thank you to both NittanyFan and Indiana Blue for travel advice
November 19th, 2015 at 6:29 PM ^
November 19th, 2015 at 1:25 PM ^
We're also staying in DuBois on Friday night.
Is it best to avoid I-99?
We were considering taking route 322 to route 550 to take the back roads in for the last 10 miles; probably pretty scenic and might beat the traffic?
November 19th, 2015 at 10:01 PM ^
please see my post right above. I-80 to I-99 is absolutely the fastest way to Beaver Stadium. Like any venue - the earlier you get there the better !
Go Blue!
November 19th, 2015 at 1:32 PM ^
November 19th, 2015 at 1:33 PM ^
between I-80/I-99 vs. US-322/I-99 straight out of Dubois. I have relatives that live in State College, and have taken 322 over from Clearfield, and it's not terrible on a regular day. No idea how it is on gamedays. Keep in mind, 322 is a two-lane road most of the way from Dubois and hilly as hell. So if you don't mind feeling like you're going to fly off a cliff, you might give it a try. Either way, I would get there way earlier than you expect because traffic is a major concern no matter which way you go.
November 19th, 2015 at 1:52 PM ^
November 19th, 2015 at 1:57 PM ^
Good luck. If you park in the grass area be prepared to spend 60-90 minutes in your car going absolutely nowhere after the game.
November 19th, 2015 at 1:58 PM ^
would be brutal if after a loss.
November 19th, 2015 at 2:06 PM ^
The last time (2013) just about made me question what the hell I was doing with my life.
November 19th, 2015 at 2:17 PM ^
I went two years ago for the 4OT crapfest. I believe it was a 3:30 start, and we drove all the way from Detroit that morning. I don't recall the traffic being all that bad on the way in, but leaving was a different story. We stayed about an hour west, but it was a slow and painful drive, made worse by the outcome of the game.
November 19th, 2015 at 3:34 PM ^
Create a post tailgate after the game on the fields and wait it out.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
November 19th, 2015 at 5:03 PM ^
Hopefully you are celebrating a UM win and can hang around and gloat for a while.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
November 19th, 2015 at 3:36 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
November 19th, 2015 at 6:23 PM ^
November 19th, 2015 at 7:10 PM ^
we saw road signs that said "State College 4 Miles" and we were still in the woods and my Dad looked at me and said "we've driven 400 miles now --- are you SURE this is where this school is supposedly located?? Are you SURE you're reading that map right???"
Access into town is actually considerably better vs. 20 years ago.
November 19th, 2015 at 10:23 PM ^
Avoid the campus showers. Jerry likes to cuddle.