War Memorial Stadium (WY)

War Memorial Stadium occupies the northeast corner of Grand Avenue and 22nd Street on the University of Wyoming campus. Downtown Laramie is about a mile and a half west, the Hilton Garden Inn is north of the athletics complex and the Arena-Auditorium sits just south of the bowl.

Driving & Parking

• From Cheyenne or Denver
  Take I-80 west into Laramie, exit toward Grand Avenue and proceed east to 22nd Street. Denver and Fort Collins travelers commonly reach Laramie through US 287 before joining Grand.
• From the west
  Leave I-80 at Snowy Range Road, continue to 3rd Street, turn onto Grand Avenue and then left at 22nd. Event officers may override ordinary turns near kickoff.
• Lots open at 8 a.m.
  Wyoming's current plan opens football parking at 8 a.m. regardless of kickoff. Do not stage on public roads before access begins.
• Single-game parking
  Brown, VA, Summit View and High Plains RV have been sold through the ticket checkout process. Buy in advance and follow the credential's route; donor lots require the proper pass.
• Accessible parking
  Designated first-come spaces are available in AA, D, S, FA, H and Cowboy Field with a valid plate or placard. A Cowboy Field ADA shuttle begins two hours before kickoff and continues until 30 minutes after the game.
• Overnight and RV parking
  Overnight setup the preceding night requires coordination with the Cowboy Joe Club. RV spaces are reserved rather than improvised on arrival.

Public Transit

• SafeRide
  Wyoming lists its free, on-call SafeRide service for game days, open to visitors as well as the campus community. The stadium point is Gate 8.
• Downtown SafeRide point
  Riders traveling to or from downtown use the SafeRide office at 3rd Street and Garfield rather than requesting an arbitrary bar-front stop.
• Campus transit
  UW's Link and Express routes include the athletics district on normal service maps, but published schedules are weekday-oriented. Do not assume routine Saturday buses substitute for game-day SafeRide.

Rideshare (Uber/Lyft)

• Official location
  The current athletics guide places rideshare pickup between Gates 3 and 4, outside the ticket office on the east side of the stadium.
• Arrive before Cowboy Walk
  Team and pedestrian traffic intensifies on 22nd Street about two hours and fifteen minutes before kickoff. An earlier drop avoids the procession and closures.
• Postgame patience
  Demand is limited in a small city and spikes at the final whistle. Confirm the driver at the designated east point rather than walking into active traffic.

Wyoming tailgating spreads through virtually every athletics lot, but two rituals organize the day: the indoor Pepsi Pregame Fan Zone and Cowboy Walk. The indoor facility is especially valuable when Laramie's wind or snow makes a conventional asphalt gathering unpleasant.

Tailgating

• Pepsi Pregame Fan Zone
  The Indoor Practice Facility opens three and a half hours before kickoff with food and drink vendors, merchandise, children's activities, live music and nationally televised games. The Cowboy Joe Club member tailgate is also inside.
• Cowboy Walk
  Approximately two hours and ten to fifteen minutes before kickoff, the team leaves the Hilton Garden Inn, turns onto 22nd Street, passes Tailgate Alley and enters the McMurry High Altitude Performance Center.
• Tailgate Alley
  Reserved spaces can be accessed at 5 p.m. the day before a home game, with RVs and automobiles welcome. Availability is limited and Cowboy Joe Club requirements apply.
• General lot activity
  Grilling, music and nonalcoholic drinks are permitted throughout parking areas, but open-container privileges apply only to identified football lots.
• Alcohol window
  For kickoffs at 4 p.m. or earlier, permitted open-container activity begins at 8 a.m.; for later games it begins at noon. It ends at kickoff and covers beer, wine and malt beverages—not kegs or liquor.
• High-altitude preparation
  Alternate water with every alcoholic drink, eat early and use sunscreen. Visitors arriving from low elevation can feel symptoms before they realize it.

Pregame Bars & Restaurants

• The Library Sports Grille & Brewery
  A downtown favorite for house beer, burgers and pub food, with enough televisions to follow the early slate.
• Altitude Chophouse & Brewery
  Also downtown, Altitude offers house-brewed beer and a more polished menu that works for a Friday dinner or measured pregame meal.
• Born in a Barn
  Known for wings and inventive burgers, this casual downtown stop fills quickly on Cowboy weekends.
• Crowbar & Grill
  Pizza, burgers and craft beer make Crowbar a compact group option near the center of town.
• Pepsi Fan Zone
  When weather or timing is uncertain, the indoor zone is the most reliable way to eat, watch football and stay close to Cowboy Walk.

• Cowboy Walk
  Fans line 22nd Street and Tailgate Alley as the team walks from the Hilton Garden Inn into the High Altitude Performance Center. The band, spirit squads and brown-and-gold crowd turn it into the essential pregame moment.
• ROTC cannon
  Positioned near the southwest corner by Gate 1, the cannon fires during the national anthem and after Wyoming scores. Warn children and noise-sensitive guests before the first blast.
• “Ragtime Cowboy Joe”
  The fight song follows scores and major defensive moments, connecting the game to Wyoming's long cowboy identity.
• Steamboat mark
  The bucking horse-and-rider logo derives from the legendary bronc Steamboat and appears on the field, apparel and nearly every corner of the athletics complex.
• Border War and Bronze Boot
  Wyoming and Colorado State play for a traveling boot worn in Vietnam. The rivalry brings the loudest crowd and the most intense demand of the season.

• World War II memorial purpose
  The stadium and fieldhouse were built as a living memorial to Wyoming residents who served in World War II, giving the “War Memorial” name meaning beyond sports.
• 7,220-foot elevation
  The sideline graphics advertise the highest FBS stadium in the country. The thin air affects visitors, kickers and the visual identity of Jonah Field.
• WYO Sports Ranch Club
  The west-side club provides more than 3,000 square feet of climate-controlled space, two bars, a buffet and five single-game party suites.
• Brown & Gold Outlet
  The rebuilt west concourse includes a 1,532-square-foot team store, supplemented by merchandise points on the east side and in the Indoor Practice Facility.
• McMurry High Altitude Performance Center
  The football facility closes the north end and supplies the team's game-day entrance point after Cowboy Walk.
• Mountain end zones
  The 2023 FieldTurf Vertex CORE field uses mountain imagery in its end zones and “7220 Feet” graphics along the sidelines.

History & Notable Moments

• Opening and dedication (1950)
  Wyoming beat Montana State 61–13 in the first game, then defeated nationally ranked Baylor 7–0 at the formal dedication one week later.
• Arizona State upset (1972)
  A 45–43 victory over No. 11 Arizona State remains one of the building's signature early wins.
• First night game (1988)
  Permanent lights debuted before a national television audience as Wyoming defeated BYU 24–14.
• “Safety Dance” (2016)
  A late safety gave Wyoming a 30–28 upset of No. 13 Boise State and triggered one of The War's wildest celebrations.
• Texas Tech comeback (2023)
  Wyoming erased a 17-point deficit and won 35–33 in double overtime, a modern showcase for altitude and crowd pressure.
• Renewed west side (2025)
  More than 25,000 saw the reconstructed spectator side make its football debut in a 31–7 victory over Northern Iowa.

The stadium is a straightforward north-south rectangle with tall sideline grandstands, the High Altitude Performance Center in the north and the video board in the south. The west side is the newer home side; the east retains the Wildcatter premium structure. The reduced 25,500 capacity and tighter chairbacks create a more comfortable but still intimate bowl.

• Lower west chairbacks
  Approximately 3,000 wider chairback seats provide increased legroom, direct access to the rebuilt concourse and a close home-side view.
• WYO Sports Ranch loge
  The west side includes 216 premium loge seats connected to the climate-controlled club and its food-and-beverage program.
• East sideline
  Traditional seating faces the rebuilt west tower and catches more of the afternoon weather. Upper rows reveal the surrounding ranges.
• Wildcatter Stadium Club and Suites
  The upper east premium area contains 12 suites and 256 indoor club seats with protected sightlines.
• Student seating
  Students enter at Gate 3 and generate their densest standing atmosphere near the band. Use the current ticket map because allocations can shift.
• South-end experience
  Seats near the video board and cannon receive the sharpest blast after scores and the most open exposure to wind.
• Accessible seating
  Wheelchair and companion locations are available on the upper and lower west and lower east. Golf-cart assistance operates from four concourse ramp entrances.
• Elevator access
  Elevators serve the lower east Wildcatter lobby and lower west press-box area, but credentials or an elevator pass may be required. Ask event staff rather than assuming general use.

Wyoming operates concessions on every level and both sides, with beer points on each concourse. The renovated west side added faster layouts and modern restrooms, addressing two of the old stadium's most noticeable limitations.

• New west stands
  Rebuilt counters on the wider concourse are the best place to experience the renovation's improved flow and gathering space.
• East-side stands
  Conventional concessions remain available on the lower and upper east, useful when west-side lines surge.
• South-end service
  Wyoming specifically lists kettle corn and beer in the south end, convenient for fans seated near the video board.
• Fan Zone vendors
  Food and drinks in the Indoor Practice Facility allow visitors to eat before entry and avoid carrying prohibited items to the gate.
• Premium service
  The WYO Sports Ranch Club includes a full buffet and two bars; Wildcatter and suite packages have their own terms. Verify what a ticket includes.
• Mountain weather
  Warm food and drinks become disproportionately appealing during cold dates. Purchase before halftime if snow drives the entire crowd indoors.

• Wyoming permits clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bags and clear backpacks no larger than 12 by 6 by 12 inches.
• A one-gallon clear plastic freezer bag is also permitted. Each guest should carry only the minimum necessary.
• One small non-clear clutch no larger than 5 by 7 inches may accompany the clear bag.
• Medically necessary items receive an inspection exception. Contact athletics in advance when an accommodation or unusual device is required.
• Blankets and loose clothing may be carried without a bag, an important allowance in Laramie's weather. Folding umbrella-style strollers are permitted only when they fit under the seat.
• Coolers, large purses, ordinary backpacks, camera bags, weapons, artificial noisemakers and other prohibited items must remain outside. The ROTC cannon is the stadium's noisemaker.
• Every bag is subject to search. Check the current game-day guide before leaving home, particularly if construction closeout or a special event changes a gate.