For this blog, I wanted to write a little bit about my local skateparks. There are several good ones if you happen to live in the Bay Area, and I’m going to talk about my top 4.
Note: Although I will be using a little biker to mark these spots (they don’t have a little skateboard!), many of them are not BMX-friendly. If you do choose to ride your bike there and the police come (which happens a lot, actually. You’d think they might have better things to do…) they’ll most likely just ask you to leave. They might, however, give you a ticket which totally sucks, so be careful.
First, my fave, is Millbrae skatepark. It’s pretty basic so if you’re an advanced skateboarder, you may not be interested, but for someone like me it’s perfect 🙂
Millbrae is a very open skatepark, with transition along the western edge. The rest of the park consisted mostly of wooden pyramids and banks, and nothing is too steep or too tall. It’s not the most respected park in the community because of these things, but they are what make me as a less experienced skater prefer this to many other skateparks in the area.
My second favorite would probably be Redwood City Skatepark, or officially known as Red Morton Park. Aside from the great community (if you spend enough time there and meet a few people, you’ll always run into someone you know), it’s just an overall nice park. It’s all cement, and has a nice big bowl for slightly more experienced skaters. Bikers also frequent this park, even though like Millbrae, they’re not technically allowed.
The next park is one of the largest in country, located in San Jose.
Lake Cunningham Skatepark is 68,000 square feet, with a little something for everyone from beginners to experts. It’s brand new, so everything is still incredibly smooth. It costs $5 to get in, and they require you wear a helmet, elbow pads, and knee pads. If you don’t have any I believe they rent them too, but… personally, I’d bring my own. They have BMX only hours, too, which are posted on their website.
Finally, I want to mention Ramp Rats. It’s a bit of a drive, but it’s the only indoor park around so in the winter, sometimes you don’t have a choice.
It’s not terribly huge, but it’s got variety. They have a pretty big box which is good for bikers (who are actually allowed here, all day every day), and a small halfpipe for less experienced skateboarders. Overall, the vibe is chill (they have couches on the top of their big drop in!) and it’s a cool place to spend an afternoon. There’s even In-N-Out and Subway within walking distance.
Now that summer’s on the way these are all great (free!) places to hang out and have fun! So check them out.
Check out these parks and a ton more at the Cali Skatez link in my blogroll!
Xtremethings 