Photos by NAU Athletics and Lloyd Brown, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.57
Walkup Skydome 1701 S San Francisco St Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Year Opened: 1977
Capacity: 10,000
Swing Your Axe, You Lumberjacks!
Northern Arizona University (NAU) was founded in 1899. It offers more than 180 different degree programs at the undergraduate level. The student body at NAU has just over 28,000 students. The school’s campus is located just south of downtown Flagstaff, AZ.
The athletic teams at NAU are known as the Lumberjacks. The football program at the university got its start in 1915. For most of those years, the school was a member of the Frontier Conference, which was made up of schools in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. That all changed when the program joined the Big Sky Conference in 1978 at the FCS level of college football. Over the years, the Lumberjacks have made the FCS playoffs six times (1996, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2013, and 2017).
The football home of the Lumberjacks since 1977 has been the on-campus J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome. It is named for a former NAU school president who led the school from 1957- 1979. The stadium is the third domed stadium in the Big Sky Conference and only one of eleven universities in the country with a domed football venue. At one time it was the largest wood-span structure in the country at a roof span of 500 feet and a height of 142 feet above the field. Now it only trails the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, WA. One built-in advantage to the Walkup Skydome is its location. It is built at the highest altitude (7,000 feet) of any stadium in the FCS and the second highest altitude of any stadium in the NCAA (the University of Wyoming basketball stadium in Laramie is the highest). This takes any visiting team a while to catch their breath! The stadium formerly had a capacity of 16,000, which was downsized to 10,000 during a 2011 renovation. This downsizing was due to the installation of 21-inch wide seats… and we all know how big lumberjacks are! The Skydome also hosts the Lumberjacks basketball program and NAU’s track and field program.
Food & Beverage 2
The concession stands at the Walkup Skydome provide a very limited menu of stadium standards. This includes hot dogs, pretzels, nachos, BBQ sandwiches, popcorn and candy. Pepsi brand sodas are sold at the concession stands.
Atmosphere 4
The seating bowl at the Walkup Skydome is very compact, as the dome design can span only so far. This means that any of those 21-inch seats will give you a view of the action. Unlike most stadiums, the NAU student section (aka The Lumberyard) gets the seats in between the 40’s on the west side of the field. Some alums may be irritated about that, but hey…. they were in those same seats when they were students. Having the students at midfield is very strategic due to the amount of noise they can make to support the Lumberjacks, while making communications much more difficult for the visiting team. Having a dome helps concentrate all that noise as well.
The REALGRASS ™ playing surface features the NAU logo at the fifty-yard line, with the end zones featuring the blue and yellow colors of the school.
The Walkup Skydome features an excellent electronics package to keep the fans updated on the game developments. There is a 42’ x 24’ videoboard that constantly shows replays and closeups of game related activities. It is flanked on both sides by a pair of 24’x13’ axe-shaped statistics boards that are updated after each play.
Another feature that is hard to miss in the Walkup Skydome are the many banners that hang over the stands on both sides of the field. They salute the various sports championships won by any team or individual at NAU.
Speaking of atmosphere …… the Walkup Skydome maintains a constant and comfortable 72 degrees…. No matter how cold it is outside!
Neighborhood 4
The NAU campus is located just south of downtown Flagstaff, AZ. The area immediately around the Walkup Skydome is the NAU campus, so a short drive is needed to get to restaurants, hotels and other attractions. It is important to know that Flagstaff has been ranked as the #3 Best College Town in the USA by the American Institute of Economic Research. We can understand why, as the Flagstaff area averages 287 sunny days a year. It also has the backdrop of the San Francisco Peaks in the distance. The city also offers some great breweries, including Lumberyard Brewing, Mother Road Brewing and B66 Brunch, Brew and Barbeque. Flagstaff also has a stretch of the iconic Route 66 running through it.
Flagstaff is also a great jumping off point for the Grand Canyon (75 miles away), Sedona (30 miles away) or Phoenix (150 miles away). In 30 minutes, you can be at the Snowbowl Ski resort as well.
Fans 4
Lumberjack fans get the gameday started early as the fan tailgate lots open six hours prior to the kickoff. There are some terrific spreads of food and wonderful entertainment in this area. The students have their own tailgate area in a different section of the campus. The team comes through the tailgate area 2 hours prior to kickoff, with the Lumberjack band and the cheerleaders helping to cheer them on.
Once inside the dome, there are several unique spirit activities to enjoy. Shortly before the game, a member of the spirit squad takes an axe to a stump at the 50-yard line. This really gets the noise up and fires up the team. Louie the Lumberjack is the team mascot, and he makes his appearance at this point. Another tradition that fans love is the sawing of “tree cookies” by a member of the NAU Forestry Club on the home sidelines after a NAU touchdown or field goal. A tree cookie is a narrow round cut of a tree trunk. This gets the fans’ attention, as the sound of the chainsaw is deafening.
Access 3
It is very easy to get to the Lumberjack games from the I-40/ I-17 interchange.
Directions from the I-40/ I-17 interchange: Take exit 341 (McConnell DRIVE. Turn right onto West McConnell Drive. Turn right onto East Pine Knoll Drive. In 121 feet turn left, then a short right into the gameday parking lot. Shuttles will transport you to the dome and bring you back after the game.
There are separate concourses for each side of the field. They do not encircle the field, so make sure when you enter the Skydome to head to the appropriate concourse for your ticket location. The concourses mirror each other as far as services such as concessions, team stores, restrooms, etc.
Return on Investment 3
You do not have to be a lumber baron to afford a Lumberjack game. Tickets are sold as either reserved seats ($20) or general admission seats ($13). Reserved seats are between the 40’s on the east side of the field, while general admission seats go from the goal lines to the 40’s. NAU students attend for free as part of their student activity fee.
For the most part the parking nearest the dome is reserved for the season ticket holders. Free parking is located down the hill from the stadium. However, the school has shuttles from the free parking lot to the stadium throughout the gamedays.
Extras 5
Since opening in 1977 the Walkup Skydome has hosted one Division II playoff game, three FCS playoff games, two NIT basketball games, four Big Sky Conference Basketball Tournaments, and ten Big Sky Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship Meets.
For many years the Walkup Dome was used as the preseason home for the Phoenix Cardinals. It still is used as the preseason training site for the Phoenix Suns.
The first home game of the season includes the Running of the Freshmen event. The entire freshman class at NAU takes part in this. They run the length of the field before heading to their seats in the student section. Many freshmen say this is their fondest memory of their first year at NAU.
The rivalry game each season is the NAU vs Southern Utah game. The winner takes home the Grand Canyon Trophy.
The large lumberjack statue next to the ticket office makes a great photo op.
Final Thoughts
The Walkup Skydome provides a very comfortable environment to enjoy NAU football. The dome helps to amplify the crowd noise, making it difficult for the visiting teams to communicate and call plays. But to paraphrase Monty Python… they’re the Lumberjacks, and that’s okay!
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