Bay Park's Emptiest Trolley Lot Was Built for December

"It's important to recognize that park-and-ride facilities are not designed solely for average daily demand," Mark Olson, MTS director of marketing and communications, told the San Diego Union-Tribune in late August. He was explaining why trolley lots that look half empty on a Tuesday stay that size. Comic-Con, Padres games, concerts and festivals were his examples.

Bay Park has a clear case of this on Morena Boulevard. This summer, MTS opened a 145-space park-and-ride lot at the Clairemont Drive trolley station. In late August, the Union-Tribune reported it was only about 10% full on typical days. Over the same period, the lots at the Tecolote Road, Balboa Avenue and Nobel Drive stations were filling completely at peak times. On an ordinary weekday, the closest new trolley parking for much of Bay Park is the quietest on that stretch of the line. The holiday weeks through Dec. 28 are the kind of peak MTS built it for.

A Lot Sized for the Busy Nights

MTS opened the lot on June 15, 2026. The agency called it a free parking option and said SANDAG built it as part of the UC San Diego Blue Line extension. MTS lists the address as 2680 Morena Blvd. The station sits just south of Clairemont Drive along Morena, and MTS says riders can reach downtown from there in less than 20 minutes.

MTS said the extra parking was "expected to be especially popular during high-demand periods tied to major events," and it urged riders to use it for special events as well as weekday commutes. Across the whole system, the nearly 6,000 MTS park-and-ride spaces were running at about 60% during peak hours as of late August. At about 10% on an ordinary day, the Clairemont Drive lot had a lot of open space waiting for the busy nights.

Holiday events fill those spaces. Between now and the end of December, the region's biggest gatherings are a stadium in Mission Valley, a park festival and two evenings on the bay. Each one is a trolley ride from Morena Boulevard, and in each case, parking near the venue is the hard part.

The Calendar, Station by Station

Three of those dates are at Snapdragon Stadium, and that route needs the most planning.

Three Stadium Dates, One Transfer at Old Town

From Clairemont Drive, Snapdragon Stadium takes two trains. Ride the Blue Line south to Old Town Transit Center, which serves both the Blue and Green lines, and change to the Green Line. MTS's Holiday Bowl page directs fans to take the Green Line to Stadium Station. Snapdragon Stadium's event calendar lists San Diego State Football on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 6:30 p.m. and the SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 23, at 4:30 p.m. The Holiday Bowl is set for Monday, Dec. 28, at 2 p.m., and this year marks the 47th edition.

The transfer costs nothing extra if you pay with PRONTO. MTS says one-way PRONTO fares include unlimited transfers for two hours, so the Blue Line and Green Line legs count as one fare. A cash fare covers a single ride on one trolley line with no transfers, so paying cash means paying twice on the way to Mission Valley.

The Union-Tribune piece shows how other San Diegans already use this kind of setup. It describes an Escondido resident who often parks at the Tecolote Road station and rides the Blue Line to Padres games downtown. On a busy stadium night, Clairemont Drive gives a Bay Park household the same trip from a lot with far more room.

Balboa Park and the Bay Without Parking Downtown

The other two holiday events take you south of Old Town. On those nights, parking downtown or in Balboa Park is hardest to find.

December Nights runs Friday, Dec. 4, from 4 to 10 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 5, from noon to 10 p.m. The City describes it as a free holiday festival. MTS's December Nights page sends riders down the UC San Diego Blue Line to City College. From the City College Transit Center, a Park Blvd. shuttle runs free on both days. Trolley fares still apply.

The 56th San Diego Bay Parade of Lights is on Sundays, Dec. 13 and Dec. 20, starting at 5:30 p.m. Its route passes the Embarcadero and Seaport Village. Organizers recommend taking the UC San Diego Blue Line or the Green Line to Santa Fe Depot, a short walk from Harbor Drive. Riders need to pay with PRONTO. From Clairemont Drive, that is a single Blue Line ride with no transfer.

Saturday's December Nights and both parade Sundays fall under a weekend fare rule that helps families. Under its Family Weekends promotion, up to two children age 12 and under ride free with a fare-paying adult on Saturdays and Sundays.

What the Evening Costs, and the One Parking Rule

The fares on MTS's current fare chart are simple to add up:

1. Adults: $3 one way on the trolley. The PRONTO day pass caps at $7, so a $6 round trip never reaches the cap.
2. Seniors 65 and over: $1.50 one way with accepted proof of eligibility, and the day pass caps at $3.50.
3. Riders 18 and under: free with a Youth PRONTO card or Youth PRONTO app account.
4. Children 5 and under: up to two ride free with any paying passenger, on any day.
5. Thanksgiving and Christmas: under Holiday Friends Ride Free, one paying rider can bring a friend free for the entire day.

Here is how that works on a typical outing. Two adults from Bay Park going to the Holiday Bowl pay $12 round trip, Old Town transfer included. Two seniors going to the Parade of Lights pay $6. On both nights, parking at Clairemont Drive is free. MTS runs Saturday or Sunday service schedules on Thanksgiving and Christmas and posts the details on its holiday services page closer to each date.

The lot has one rule worth knowing before a long day out. MTS limits station parking to 24 hours, and vehicles left longer can be ticketed or towed. RVs and campers can't park overnight. That gives plenty of time for a 2 p.m. kickoff or a 10 p.m. December Nights closing. It doesn't cover leaving a car there over a holiday weekend away.

In late August, MTS officials told the Union-Tribune they expect use of the Clairemont Drive lot to grow steadily.

Kathleen Westwood has lived in San Diego since 1972 and follows changes like this one along Morena Boulevard closely. If a holiday gathering this year brings up questions about a family home in Bay Park, she is glad to talk them through with you, at your pace. Request a confidential consultation and home valuation whenever the timing feels right.