Parking Options for Race Day, March 22nd
Below are the parking options for the 2026 Bakersfield Marathon. This year, due to our increased number of participants, parking will continue to be split between the Kern County Museum and Bakersfield College.
PLEASE NOTE: Chester Ave. is CLOSED from the Garces Circle past Columbus this year due to concerns over pedestrian safety and busing access on race day. This is new, so PLEASE check the maps below to determine your best parking access and driving route on race day. There will be multiple electronic signs at major intersections to help guide you to the Bakersfield College and Kern County Museum parking lots on race day.
KERN COUNTY MUSEUM PARKING
Full Marathon runners, Legacy runners, Sponsors, and finish line volunteers will park at the Kern County Museum on race day. Kern County Museum parking lots open at 4:00 AM and close at 4:00 PM. Please determine your best route using the maps below, as we have identified the least-impacted routes on race day that avoid any closures related to the race. Volunteers will be in the parking lots to guide you to the open lots, so please pay careful attention to their directions.
VIP Race Day Bib Pick Up DOES NOT give you the ability to park at the museum.
Carpooling is HIGHLY encouraged.
BAKERSFIELD COLLEGE PARKING
Half Marathon, 10K, and 6K runners, along with spectators, will park in either of the two Bakersfield College parking lots shown below. Bakersfield College parking opens at 4:00 AM, and the last bus from the Kern County museum back to the Bakersfield College Parking lots leaves at 3:00 PM. Please take note, the Northeast (NE) parking lot at Bakersfield College is closed from 7:00 AM -10:00 AM due to the parking lot being run through for the Full Marathon race. The Southwest (SW) lot by the softball/baseball fields does not close at all during the day. Please determine your best route using the maps below, as we have identified the least-impacted routes on race day that avoid any closures related to the race. Volunteers will be in the parking lots to guide you to the open lots, so please pay careful attention to their directions.
Buses will pick up from the Southwest (SW) and Southeast (SE) corners of Bakersfield College's campus on University Ave, as shown on the maps below. We understand the delays experienced last year with busing, so we have drastically increased our number of buses to ensure a smoother race-day experience. Additionally, we have added more restrooms at both Bakersfield College parking lots.
Carpooling is HIGHLY encouraged.
It is recommended that runners arrive at the Kern County Museum at least 1 hour prior to their posted start time to account for traffic delays and bussing, as necessary. Please take note that once the races begin at 7:02 AM, there will be controlled access to the Kern County Museum through 40th Street, including our buses. Bakersfield Police Officers will allow access as the route becomes clear and between races.
