Getting to the BNP Paribas Open: Parking, Gates and Rideshare

Parking at the BNP Paribas Open is free, which surprises people who have paid to park at every other event of this size.

The complications are elsewhere: which gate you need, which entrance your ride can actually use, and the fact that the hotel shuttles are not for everybody.

Where it is

The Indian Wells Tennis Garden is at 78-200 Miles Avenue, Indian Wells.

Every set of directions the venue publishes routes you the same way: get to Washington Street, then go west on Miles Avenue. From Palm Springs that is Highway 111 east to Washington, north to Miles. From the I-10, in either direction, exit south on Washington and turn west on Miles.

If a navigation app tries to bring you in some other way during the tournament, Washington to Miles is the route the venue itself gives.

Parking is free

General parking is free, in the General Lot, accessed from Miles Avenue. For public parking you want Gate 7 off Miles.

That is the whole thing. No pre-purchase, no tiers, no app.

Two exceptions worth knowing:

• Accessible parking requires a current DMV-issued placard, sticker or plate, and it is reached through Gate 9 on Warner Trail — not Miles. Spaces are first-come, first-served and cannot be reserved. Wheelchair users are directed to the WC lot, also via Gate 9.
• BMW drivers get complimentary preferred parking in a dedicated lot, but passes have to be reserved in advance. Whether the programme is running in a given year is worth checking.

There are bike racks at the North and East gates.

Dropping off and rideshare

There is one designated zone for Uber, Lyft, taxis and private cars, and it is near the North Gate. Access is through Gate 10 off Warner Trail, and the tournament is blunt that no other drop-off or pickup is allowed.

When you come back out, you meet your ride at the canopy marked Drop Off Area.

Gate 10 on Warner Trail is also the drop-off for guests who need it but do not have an ADA placard.

The short version: Miles Avenue if you are parking, Warner Trail if someone is driving you.

The shuttles are not for everyone

The tournament runs complimentary shuttles from a list of partner hotels — and this is the catch — only for guests who bought a hotel package through the tournament. Your hotel key is your boarding pass and the driver will ask for it.

Staying at a partner hotel on a normal booking does not get you on the bus.

Shuttles drop and collect near the East Gate, with one exception: the Spotlight 29 Casino route uses the north pick-up instead. Service runs until an hour after the last match.

There is no public park-and-ride, and no bus route with a published stop at the venue. If you are not driving and not on a hotel package, rideshare to Gate 10 is the answer.

Getting in

Pedestrian entry is through the North, South and East gates. Gates open an hour before the first match — 10 a.m. for the day session, 4:30 p.m. for the evening, 9 a.m. on qualifying days.

The bag policy is strict and it is the thing that slows people down:

• One clear bag, no larger than 12 by 6 by 12 inches, or a one-gallon clear freezer bag.
• Plus a small clutch or purse no bigger than 4.5 by 6.5 inches.
• No outside food or drink, no glass, no umbrellas, no laptops or tablets, no professional cameras or tripods, no selfie sticks, and — a good one to remember at a tennis tournament — no personal racquets.

There are storage lockers with USB charging at the East Gate, the North Gate, and centrally by Stadium 3, which is the fix if you turn up with something you cannot take in.

The venue is entirely cashless and all tickets are digital, so the two things you actually need are a phone with charge and a card.

Leaving

The grounds close an hour after the last match finishes, so there is no particular rush once a session ends.

The tournament publishes no guidance on the best time or route to leave, and neither does the City of Indian Wells, so anyone who tells you there is an official trick is making it up. What is true is structural: everyone parking uses the same Miles Avenue lot, and everyone being collected uses the same Warner Trail canopy. Both of those empty faster if you are not in the first wave out.

More guides

• The BNP Paribas Open guide
• Indian Wells Tennis Garden
• What to eat at the tournament
• March in Palm Springs
• Breakfast in Indian Wells

Gates, lots and policies are set by the tournament and change from year to year. Everything here was checked against the tournament’s and the venue’s own sites; confirm before you travel.