Driving Directions and Parking at UI Stead Family Children's Hospital

• Cedar Rapids 25
• Davenport 55
• Dubuque 75
• Waterloo/Cedar Falls 80
• Marshalltown 100
• Des Moines 110
• Chicago 220
• Omaha/Council Bluffs 245
• Mason City 170
• Madison 175
• Rochester 200
• Milwaukee 260
• St. Louis 260
• Kansas City 290
• Sioux City 300
• Minneapolis 300

1. Take Interstate 380 South
2. At mile marker 0, Interstate 380 South becomes Highway 218 South
3. Take Highway 218 South for 3 miles to exit 93 (Melrose Avenue)
4. Turn left onto Melrose Avenue
5. Take Melrose Avenue for 2.4 miles to 5th stoplight at Hawkins Drive
6. Turn left onto Hawkins Drive, and the Hospital is immediately on the right
7. Follow signs to valet parking or appropriate parking ramp

1. Take Interstate 80 West to exit 242 (1st Avenue Coralville)
2. At stoplight, turn left onto 1st Avenue
3. Take 1st Avenue for 1.3 miles to 4th stoplight at 2nd Street (US Hwy 6)
4. Turn left onto 2nd Street
5. Take 2nd Street for 0.4 miles to 1st stoplight at Hawkins Drive
6. Turn right onto Hawkins Drive
7. Take Hawkins Drive for 0.6 miles, and the Hospital will be on the left
8. Follow signs to valet parking or appropriate parking ramp

1. Take Highway 218 North to exit 93 (Melrose Avenue)
2. Turn right onto Melrose Avenue
3. Take Melrose Avenue for 2.4 miles to 5th stoplight at Hawkins Drive
4. Turn left onto Hawkins Drive, and the Hospital is immediately on the right
5. Follow signs to valet parking or appropriate parking ramp

1. Take Interstate 80 East to exit 239A (Highway 218)
2. Take Highway 218 South for 3 miles to exit 93 (Melrose Avenue)
3. Turn left onto Melrose Avenue
4. Take Melrose Avenue for 2.4 miles to 5th stoplight at Hawkins Drive
5. Turn left onto Hawkins Drive, and the Hospital is immediately on the right
6. Follow signs to valet parking or appropriate parking ramp

Two airports serve the Iowa City area with commercial passenger service.

The Eastern Iowa (Cedar Rapids) Airport is located two miles west of I-380, approximately 20 miles north of Iowa City. Car rentals are available at the airport.

The Quad Cities (Moline, Illinois) Airport is located approximately 55 miles east of Iowa City on I-74 just off I-80. Car rentals are available at the airport.

Patient Parking Pass

Patients can receive one free pass for use in Hospital Parking Ramps 1, 2, 3, and 4 (does not include valet) per day. This pass can be used by another person who is driving the patient, but it is not for other visitors to use.

How do I get a Patient Parking Pass?

1. Ask the clinic at check-in or the unit clerk at time of discharge
   Or
2. Print a single use pass at home ahead of time from your MyChart account.
   • Under “Visits” select “Appointments, Visits, Admissions”
   • Click “Patient Parking Pass.” Print it out and bring it to your visit.
3. For admitted patients, the nursing staff will provide the patient one pass on the day of discharge.

Simply scan the parking pass at the pay-in-lane machine when you exit the ramp; it’s good for one exit from any of the following four Hospital Parking Ramps (does not cover valet).

Valet parking services are offered at two locations.

Main Entrance

• Most convenient to access Elevators A through H
• Hours: 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday

Pomerantz Family Pavilion

• Most convenient for Elevators I through M
• Hours: 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Valet parking is $15 (flat fee) and can be paid by cash, check, MasterCard, or Visa.

Patient Visitor Parking Pass Booklets are available to limit parking cost for prolonged patient visits. These five pass booklets are valid for one pre-paid exit each from Hospital Parking Ramps 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Go to our Visitor Parking Pass Booklet page for pricing and additional information.

For people without a Patient Parking Pass:

• Up to 30 minutes: Free
• 31 minutes to an hour: $0.60
• Each additional hour: $1.20
• Maximum daily rate and/or lost ticket rate: $20

A higher hourly rate will apply for vehicles that enter the ramp between 5 and 9 a.m. Monday through Friday and stay longer than three hours. 

Parking can be paid by cash, check, MasterCard, Discover, or Visa.

All fees go directly to UI Health Care Parking and Transportation which uses them to support the necessary operation, maintenance, and investment in the parking infrastructure at the Medical Center on the University Campus available to patients and visitors.

Lot 43 (behind Kinnick Stadium)

Free on weekends and holidays, and daily between 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m., unless closed for a special event.

Hawkeye Commuter Parking Lot (about 2 miles from the hospital)

Visitors can get a permit to park here for free, about two miles away. Before parking in the lot, get your permit at the Main Information Desk or the UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital Information Desk. Validation of a clinic appointment or hospital stay/visit is required to obtain the permit.

The no-fare (free) UI CAMBUS routes Hawkeye-Hospital and Hawk Lot Hospital make regular trips from there to the West Campus Transportation Center (connected to the hospital by skyway). 

Are there any limits to how long the patient’s vehicle can stay in the ramp?

There is no limit.

What if someone else is driving the patient to the campus and parks in the ramp, can they use a patient pass?

The patient can use the parking pass whether they are driving or not.

What if a patient has multiple appointments in one day, leaves, then returns for another appointment. Do they need a new pass each time?

Each pass can only be used once, but the patient can get a new Patient Parking Pass for each appointment. 

May I get a free parking pass if I stop in to pick up a prescription?

No, free parking passes are for patients receiving outpatient, procedural, surgical or inpatient care at our hospital.

However, parking in a hospital ramp is free for the first 30 minutes and only $0.60 for one hour. Or, you may skip the trip altogether and use our prescription mail-order option.

Many of our pharmacy products can be shipped directly to you with no mailing costs.

For more information: Prescription Mail Order Service

Can friends and family get copies of the patient’s parking pass to use?

No, the pass is only for patient use. However, visitors can purchase a Visitor Parking Pass Booklet with five passes that limit the maximum daily parking costs to $6.