Shaded Seats at Mountain America Stadium

Mountain America Stadium, formerly Sun Devil Stadium, is home to the Arizona State Sun Devils. It’s well known for its desert backdrop and energetic crowds. Given the intense Tempe heat and abundant sunshine, football fans can use this guide along with the stadium’s seating chart to find shaded seats at Mountain America Stadium.

Where Are the Seats in the Shade and Sun at Mountain America Stadium?

As a general rule, the seats in the shade at Mountain America Stadium:

• South End Zone: Early-afternoon shade
• West Sideline: Mid-afternoon shade on the Sun Devils’ home side

And the seats in the sun at Mountain America Stadium are mainly:

• East Sideline: Sun soaked on the away team’s side
• North End Zone: Sunny for much of the day

Sun Devils games at Mountain America Stadium usually kick off locally at 5:00 PM or 7:30 PM. Occasionally games start as early as 1:30 PM or at various times in mid-afternoon. For specific details about shaded sections at different start times, please continue reading.

Mountain America Stadium Orientation to the Sun

Mountain America Stadium is situated in an off-axis north-to-south orientation. By noon, the sun is high in the sky over the southeast corner near the end zone. Over the course of the afternoon, it curves and dips behind the west side of the stadium, where it eventually sets. This configuration generally makes the west side of the stadium the “shade side,” while the east side is the sunniest.

The graphic below shows the approximate hour-by-hour position of the sun throughout the day on September 1st.

Click or tap to see a seating chart for the next event at Mountain America Stadium

Seats in the Sun and Shade at Early Afternoon Mountain America Stadium Games

Mountain America Stadium is designed with bowl-style seating at field level and an upper deck along the sidelines. The Carson Student-Athlete Center was added to the stadium and provides a physical wall at the back of south end zone sections. The stadium uses a straightforward section numbering system, with single- and double-digit sections at field level, club seats in the 100 level, and the upper deck in the 200 and 300 levels.

Shade is extremely limited at Mountain America Stadium early in the afternoon. When the Sun Devils kick off at 1:30 PM, the sun is high above the south end zone. The Carson Student-Athlete Center provides a barrier and casts a shadow over seats behind the south end zone. Sections 38-42 are among the few shaded at this time of day. These are typically part of the student section. For those willing and able to splurge, club seats and suites on the west side of the stadium are covered by the upper deck and therefore shaded. Pick a seat as far back in these sections as possible for maximum access to shade.

The sunniest seats are on the sidelines and behind the north end zone. Sections 12-33, 208-214, and 310-316 will get blasted by the Arizona sun early in the afternoon. Mountain America Stadium does not have a roof or canopy to cover the seats, so if you’re attending a day game, bring your best personal sun protection because you’ll probably need it!

During an early afternoon game, seats behind the south end zone are some of the few that receive any shade.
Credit: Sun Devil Stadium by Beyond My Ken (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Seats in the Sun and Shade at Late Afternoon and Evening Mountain America Stadium Games

When the Sun Devils kick off at 4:00 PM or later, shade at Mountain America Stadium is much more abundant. By this hour, the sun has rotated to the west side of the stadium and is in its final descent toward sunset. It’s low enough in the sky that sections on the west side of the stadium are generally shaded.

Shade seekers should focus on Sections 4-10 at field level and Sections 201-207 and 301-309 in the upper deck. The press box is on the west side of the stadium, so upper-level seats are among the first to become shaded as the press box casts a shadow over adjacent seats. Club seats and suites on the west sideline are all safely shaded. However, those on the east side may get a blast of late-day sun, because covered seats are not necessarily shaded seats.

The sunniest seats are on the east (away) side of the stadium. Sections 25-33, 208-214, and 310-316 are squarely in the sun until around sunset, when the shade line crosses the field and begins to reach these seats. Seats at field level will become shaded first, followed by the 200 level, and finally the 300 level just before sunset. Even though seats behind the south end zone benefit from early-day shade, they move back into the sun as it rotates around the stadium. End zone seats may start a late afternoon game either in the sun or the shade, depending on the time of year.

By late afternoon seats on the west side of the stadium (where the photo is taken) are shaded while those on the east side (across the field) are sunniest for the longest.
Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire

Ready to buy shaded seats at Mountain America Stadium?

Use the individual game links or click or tap here to see the upcoming game list for Mountain America Stadium.