This is the first in a series of posts about how to park at UCSD, or arrive by other means.
Background
KiCon North America 2025 is being held in San Diego on Thursday May 29th and Friday 30th, preceded by a training day on Wednesday May 28th.
These events will be hosted at the Qualcomm Institute, located in the Atkinson Hall building on the campus of UCSD.
UCSD has a rather convoluted parking and transportation situation, which can easily waste a lot of time when you arrive, as you hope to avoid missing the beginning of training or conference sessions.
This series of posts is designed to help you choose a method to get to the venue with greatest likelihood of arriving in good time, with least anxiety, perspiration and googling.
Be forewarned that google finds a lot of out-of-date, wrong or incomplete results requiring correlating three or four different sources to figure out who is allowed to park where under what conditions.
Background background
I am not affiliated directly with the Kicad project, just an enthusiastic user (though Seth_h did provide some encouragement). I am also not affiliated with UCSD, though I used to work there some years ago, and know from past and current experience how challenging UCSD wayfinding and parking can be for new arrivals.
I did visit UCSD in the early morning of Weds May 21 to gather up-to-date parking and transportation intel, and indeed learned of some issues not discoverable from online sources.
UCSD Parking Permits system
-
UCSD has an elaborate system of parking permits, identified by letter, and parking lots, which display letters indicating which permit(s) is/are required for that lot.
-
You can avoid knowing much about this, because as a visitor you are only eligible to park in lots marked “V” (Visitor), or “D” (Discount).
- But even among “V” lots, some allow all-day parking, and others are limited to 3 hrs (or similar).
-
You could purchase a “V” permit, however for two or three days, it’s easier to use cash or credit card at a payment machine, located in the relevant parking lots.
-
There is an app (ParkMobile), but when I tried it, the login function was broken.
Summary Overview of Transportation and Parking Alternatives
This one map summarizes the top-level key points you need to know to decide on a first choice for arrival at Kicon 2025, and a backup plan.
CLICK TO EXPAND
Arrival strategies summary
1 and 2: Drive to campus and park
Be aware that parking on campus can be an ordeal, between the complex maze of parking permits of different types, parking lots and structures that accept different permits, and may have duration limits, and sometimes over-crowding of the lots that make parking hard to find during rush times (like early on weekdays). If you’re planning to park on campus, you will benefit from preparing.
TL;DR:
- $36/day using V spaces at Hopkins Structure, 6-10 minute walk to Atkinson Hall
- $5/day at off-campus lots P703-P705, with shuttle bus every 10 minutes + 6 minute walk. Or 30-minute walk.
3 and 4: Arrive by Trolley
The Trolley (San Diego MTS) Blue Line has a stop at the UCSD Central Campus station (6 minute walk to Atkinson Hall south entrance.)
So this could be a viable option if:
- You happen to be coming from somewhere on the Blue line.
- You do “Park and Ride” – drive to a convenient Blue-line station a few stops away from, park, then take the Trolley the rest of the way.
- You are coming from somewhere else on the Trolley system that connects to Blue line (that’s Green and Orange lines), and don’t mind the length of time it takes on two or more Trolleys.
5. Uber or Lyft or have someone drop you off
This will get you direct to Atkinson Hall fastest with least perspiration.
6. Accessible Parking
There are a couple of small lots with Accessible spots adjacent or nearly adjacent to Atkinsons Hall. But see later details.
1 Like
Venue itself: Qualcomm Institute in Atkinson Hall
-
Building name is Atkinson Hall
-
3195 Voigt Dr, La Jolla CA 92093
- (Do not confuse Qualcomm Institute housed inside Atkinson Hall, with the neighboring building Jacobs Hall, named after co-founder of Qualcomm, Irwin Jacobs, which might seem the more likely location for a Qualcomm Institute.)
-
https://qi.ucsd.edu/
-
https://qi.ucsd.edu/contact/
- Suggests: “Visitor parking is available in UC San Diego’s Hopkins Parking Structure (for more on visitor parking, see UC San Diego Transportation Services).”
- Hopkins Parking Structure is about a 6 minute walk away.
- [Graham’s comments:] This parking choice is reasonable for individual visitors. However, if 150-300 KiCon visitors appear at once, the available Visitor parking in that structure would likely be used up.
Venue Details
- Entrances to Atkinson Hall
- (It takes several minutes to walk around this building complex, so know which entrance you’re headed for in advance.)
- From the North side (opposite Franklin Antonio Hall)
- The South side is accessed via a short walk on pavement
- Picture: Making sure you're not a bot!
Campus map:
- University of California, San Diego | Campus Map
- Note especially the left filter panel. I suggest:
- First hit CLEAR
- [check] Addresses and Building Names
- Parking >
- [check] Parking Pay Stations
- Parking by Permit Type > [check] Visitor, Discount, Accessible.
- Transportation > Triton Transit (shuttle bus) > Regents Express (Green)
Google will find you several other campus maps, some very out-of-date with wrong parking info, and missing recent buildings.
1 Like
1. Hopkins Parking Structure
- Hopkins Parking Structure with “V” spots
- 9800 Hopkins Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093
- Voigt Dr and Hopkins Dr
- From I-5, approach via Gennessee Ave,
- to Torrey Pines Rd to UCSD Northpoint Driveway, which turns into Hopkins Drive
- Alternatively, approach via Voigt Drive, but that involves considerable slow driving through campus and pedestrians.
- There are two entrances.
- The entrance on the east side (Hopkins Dr.) enters the bottom floor. So allow time to circulate up the structure 6 times, while competing with other parkers.
- The convenient Level 6 entrance on the south side (Voigt Dr.) is closed due to construction (2025-05-21).
- Structure has 90 Visitor spots, located on Level 7, the top floor
- 2025-05-21 Check: About 30% occupied at 8:30am. KiCon Attendees could absorb the remaining ~60 spots. Hence the need for alternatives.
- There is a payment machine next to the elevator. $36/day for “V” spots.
- 5 minute walk to Atkinson Hall (not counting getting out of the structure)
- Accessible spots: L2 has 5, L5 has 1, L6 has 16, L7 has 4
Other “V” lots
According to info on University of California, San Diego | Campus Map there are several “V” lots near to Atkinson Hall.
- However, they all appear to have a 3-hour limit.
P502 special note: Some UCSD docs (notably act.ucsd.edu/maps) refer to this enticing lot directly north of Atkinson Hall. However, it has been built upon (Franklin Antonio Hall.)
1 Like
3 & 4.Taking the Trolley to UCSD
The Trolley (San Diego MTS) Blue Line has a stop at the UCSD Central Campus station (6 minute walk to Atkinson Hall south entrance.)
So this could be a viable option if:
- You happen to be coming from somewhere on the Blue line.
- You are coming from somewhere else on the Trolley system that connects to Blue line (that’s Green and Orange lines), and don’t mind the length of time it takes on the Trolley
- You do “Park and Ride” – drive to a convenient Blue-line station, park for free, then take the Trolley the rest of the way.
Park-and-Ride stations south of UCSD
-
Nobel drive station, just two stops south of campus
- 3449 Nobel Drive 289 parking spots
- SDMTS page says: “Often full by 8am on weekdays Other nearby parking options include Balboa and Tecolote”
- My 2025-05-21 survey did indeed find the official Transit parking area (one floor of the parking structure) full at about 9:15 am.
- I’m assuming the rest of the parking area for retail customers is time-limited.
-
Balboa Avenue station, three stop south of campus
- 3690 Morena Blvd 227 parking spots
- My 2025-05-21 survey found this lot full at about 9:20 am
-
Tecolote Road station, five stops south of campus (My safe-bet recommendation.)
- 1364 W Morena Blvd 279 parking spots
- My 2025-05-21 survey found plenty of spaces at about 9:30 am, with the entire south parking lot almost empty.
- Warning! Currently, Google Maps has the wrong driving directions for “Tecolote Road Station”, leading you into an industrial backwater on the wrong side of the tracks.
- Instead, tell Google Maps to navigate to 1350 W Morena Blvd, San Diego, CA 92110
- Actual entrance to parking is at the west end of Vega St.
Park-and-Ride station east of UCSD
- Park in structure on West side of UTC Mall ($15 or $20/day?), and catch trolley at the nearby UTC station.
Trolley general information
- Fares
- Park and Ride
- Trolley Schedule:
- You will need to prepare to be able to take the Trolley
- Ways to Pay | San Diego Metropolitan Transit System
- Supposedly can pay with contactless credit card.
- Otherwise use some aspect of “Pronto”
- Install Pronto App or
- Obtain “Pronto card”,
- Pay some additional to charge it up with funds for your trips.
- It can also be topped up later at kiosks at Trolley stations.
1 Like
5. Drop-off
You could have yourself delivered direct to Atkinson Hall by Uber, Lyft or a friend.
It’s difficult to stop on Voigt, so you may want to pull into Engineer Lane, into parking lot P503 to give yourself a moment to get out of the car.
If it needs mentioning, unlike some campuses, there are no special restrictions against driving around on campus at UCSD. But there can be a lot of pedestrians at some times.
1 Like
6. Accessible parking
I am by no means an expert on this subject, but I’ll post this map that distills data from several sources:
.
In my 2025-05-21 survey, in the most convenient lot, P503, the Accessible spots were all occupied. The others are at some distance.
The UCSD Transportation page “Accessible Parking” (link below) says:
If you have a Disabled Person (DP) placard or license plate, you can park in these spaces without a UC San Diego parking permit:
– Handicap-accessible spaces designated by the wheelchair symbol, found in every UC San Diego parking lot
– Metered spaces (no fee required)
– Spaces marked S, B or A (see below for exception)
A: Faculty; B: Staff and Grad Students; S: Students. So you can find these spots in almost all parking lots, as long as the lot isn’t full.
If you are in need of Accessible parking adjacent to Atkinson Hall, it might be a good idea to contact UCSD Transportation Services:
Thanks for the awesome level of detail, much appreciated. Note that the transloc app seems to have live shuttle locations
1 Like
@TomKeddie Nice!
To try out transloc when not local: In the Transloc app, to view the shuttle between “D” lots and UCSD Central Station:
- Settings > Agency Preferences > “Triton Transit UCSD” > Visible [enable]
- Maneuver the map to the UCSD campus,
- … then hit the “Load routes for this area” button at the top of the app screen
- All the Triton routes should appear.
- At the bottom of the app screen, uncheck all but “Regents Express” (Green).
Heads up about incorrect info at:
and other pages…
