Best seats at Gies Memorial Stadium: closest, shadiest, covered and highest

Closest to the field: Section 105, front row 143 ft from midfield. Shadiest for day games: Section 223, 6 minutes of direct sun per game on average. Every pick below is measured, not rated: front-row distance and row heights from USGS lidar of the stadium, sun minutes from NOAA sun positions. Tap a section for its rows and seat views.

Which Gies Memorial Stadium seats are closest to the field?

Section 105, front row 143 ft from midfield. Distances run from each section's front row to midfield, measured from USGS lidar of the stadium.

Section	Where	Front row to midfield
Section 105	lower level, east, sideline	143 ft
Section 106	lower level, east, sideline	144 ft
Section 127	lower level, west, sideline	147 ft
Section 104	lower level, east, sideline	147 ft
Section 126	lower level, west, sideline	149 ft

Which Gies Memorial Stadium seats are in the shade for day games?

Section 223, 6 minutes of direct sun per game on average across the 9 day-game starts we model (11:00 am, 2:00 pm, 2:30 pm on Oct 24, Nov 6, Nov 21). Sun minutes are per seat over the whole game, from the stadium's lidar shape and NOAA sun positions, averaged over the section's rows.

Section	Where	Direct sun per game
Section 223	balcony, west, sideline	6 min
Section 224	balcony, west, sideline	10 min
Section 225	balcony, west, sideline	11 min
Section 231	balcony, west, sideline	13 min
Section 226	balcony, west, sideline	13 min

Which Gies Memorial Stadium seats get the most sun?

Section 207, 184 minutes of direct sun per game on average across the same day games. Sit here for warmth on a cold day; bring sunscreen and a hat in summer.

Section	Where	Direct sun per game
Section 207	balcony, east, sideline	184 min
Section 206	balcony, east, sideline	183 min
Section 205	balcony, east, sideline	177 min
Section 208	balcony, east, sideline	177 min
Section 204	balcony, east, sideline	171 min

Which Gies Memorial Stadium seats are covered from rain?

No section is fully covered; in Section 109 you are under the deck above from Row 42. 18 sections have at least some covered rows. Covered rows also stay out of direct sun.

Section	Where	Covered rows
Section 109	lower level, east, sideline	From Row 42
Section 108	lower level, east, sideline	From Row 42
Section 107	lower level, east, sideline	From Row 42
Section 106	lower level, east, sideline	From Row 42
Section 105	lower level, east, sideline	From Row 42

Where are the highest seats at Gies Memorial Stadium?

Section 207, top row 118 ft above the field. High rows show plays develop and the whole field at once; they are also the furthest from the action.

Section	Where	Top row above the field
Section 207	balcony, east, sideline	118 ft
Section 206	balcony, east, sideline	118 ft
Section 205	balcony, east, sideline	118 ft
Section 204	balcony, east, sideline	118 ft
Section 203	balcony, east, sideline	118 ft