25 Best Skateparks in America

In the annals of "So-Called Fads That Forever Changed the World", skateboarding ranks with rap music for its sheer piss-off-the-parents staying power. The sport art has come a long way in its 50+-year history, but it still might be the most beautiful when it's at its simplest: four wheels, a board, and a hard surface.

Of course, it's also pretty damn beautiful when somebody (company, town, private person) spends a ton of cash to make places where skaters can skate things built specifically for skateboarding. And that's where skateparks come in. They've been around for decades, but the past few years have seen a proliferation of new facilities around the world. And yeah, skateboarding defies ranking (despite X Games "medalists"), but we went ahead and ranked the parks anyway (let the debate begin!). Still, there's no reason you shouldn't visit all 25 and judge for yourself.

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Location: Lake Forest, Calif.
Type: Outdoor

You don't even need to travel to California to get a little joy out of this park. Hop on its website and the virtual tour will show off the skateparks's four bowls, street course, and the new 16-foot cradle. It's a tease but it may just inspire a trip to Orange County.

Location: Klamath Falls, Ore.
Type: Outdoor

Not all of Oregon's skatepark jewels are located in the Portland area. Far off the beaten path in Southern Oregon is Klamath Falls, where it's rumored that the employees of Dreamland all picked their favorite thing to skate and it was promptly built for them at this scenic park. There are numerous bowls and runs here, including a sick anaerobic bowl that is not for the faint of heart.

Location: Tigard, Ore.
Type: Outdoor

Another Oregon skatepark gem in suburban Portland, Jim Griffith Memorial is unique for a couple reasons: 1) it's got a dinosaur on the course, and 2) it's named after a former mayor of Tigard who was a staunch advocate for getting a park built in his town. Skateboarding is definitely not a crime in Oregon.

Location: Albuquerque, N.M.
Type: Outdoor

Alamosa has a great collection of creative ledge and bank combinations, and you might remember seeing Alex Olson skating here in Lakai's Fully Flared. The three-quarterpipe is also a unique feature to this often slept-on Southwest park.

Location: Ashland, Ore.
Type: Outdoor

Now into its second decade, Ashland is well-maintained and entering its skatepark middle age in style. As befits a scene once populated with downhill riders, it's a tremendously smooth park that's a great place to get a lot of speed and cruise about in. The Jersey barrier is a particular park favorite.

Location: West Linn, Ore.
Type: Outdoor

Yet another Oregon concrete wonderland, West Linn has an extensive contiguous bowl run plus enough street bits to keep the vert-averse happy. Not the prettiest park in the world, but a great stop on your tour of Portland area spots.

Location: Las Vegas
Type: Outdoor

If you're down to your last three dollars in Sin City, step away from the slots and get thee to the Hollywood Recreation Center on the far east side of town, where a very cool skate oasis (complete with fullpipe) awaits.

Location: Sarasota, Fla.
Type: Outdoor

An immense 30,000-square-foot concrete skatepark with a beloved (and much-ridden) skate course. The only drawback is the charge per day, although even that can be circumvented if you're a local (or in town for a while) with a six-month pass.

Location: Venice Beach, Calif.
Type: Outdoor

Skateboarding has gone on in Venice Beach for decades, and the former stomping ground of Jay Adams and Tony Alva came full circle last year with the opening of this concrete oasis amidst Venice's usual assortment of muscleheads and beach babes. Located right on the beach, the extensive street course is a great way to while away the afternoon, but don't forget your sunblock.

Location: Jacksonville, Fla.
Type: Outdoor

Kona's been around since the '70s and is the oldest private skatepark in the U.S. (a perfect place to take pops if he still rides). Take a nostalgic skate through the decades-old snakerun or head over to the newer street course for some more modern action.

Location: Battle Ground, Wash.
Type: Outdoor

Finished in 2006, the Battle Ground skatepark is one of Dreamland's biggest parks at 28,500 square feet. The bowl is for the brave, but the street course is for skaters from all walks of life. And yes, it's in Washington state, but yes, it's also just a stone's throw from the skatepark state, Oregon.

Location: Phoenix
Type: Outdoor

One thing you'll notice about the Pecos skatepark is that it's spread out. Plenty of room here, which helps in avoiding those painful collisions. The double kink handrail is a park favorite, and there are loads of ledges and quarterpipes throughout.

Location: Moorpark, Calif.
Type: Outdoor

A newer park in the western end of the San Fernando Valley in sunny Southern California, Moorpark's bowl is one of the best. The street course and snakerun are top notch, as well.

Location: Milwaukee
Type: Indoor

Two world-class indoor skateparks for Wisconsin. Those snowy winters aren't so bad when you can skate 4Seasons parks year-round.

Location: Lawrenceville, Ga.
Type: Indoor

Just outside Atlanta is the enormous, year-round Woodward skatepark, famed for its summer camps. It gets crowded on occasion, but with a little patience, all you need is a helmet and a few bucks to unlock hours of enjoyment.

Location: Newberg, Ore.
Type: Outdoor

The state of Oregon has the most skateparks in America, and Chehalem Park has been called "The Best Skatepark on Earth" by skateoregon.com. That might be taking things a little too far, but we'll call it one of the most unique parks in the world, with one-of-a-kind obstacles like the curvy dragon rail and a volcano-like quarterpipe with a 360 degree spinning "puck" on top.

Location: Kettering, Ohio
Type: Outdoor

Located in suburban Dayton in the heart of the heartland, this is the first public skate plaza designed by Rob Dyrdek. No transition here, but it's ideal for street skaters. This was one of the first skate plazas in the USA, plus it's open from dawn 'til dusk and is free of charge.

Location: Orange, Calif.
Type: Indoor and Outdoor

Probably the best place in Southern California to see veteran pros such as Christian Hosoi, Jeff Grosso, and Salba. Vans has been making skateboard shoes for decades and in 1999 decided to make a premium skatepark in Orange Oounty. With the re-creation of the famous Upland combi-bowl and a massive wooden street course, this park does not disappoint.

Location: Tampa, Fla.
Type: Indoor and Outdoor

S.P.O.T. has been having annual pro and am contests in its park since it opened in 1993, and it's been featured in loads of videos over the years. The course is constantly changing to adapt to the evolution of skateboarding (including an annual redesign of the street course for the Tampa Am), and with both pro and beginner courses, it has a lot of something for riders of all levels.

Location: Louisville, Ky.
Type: Outdoor

Famed for its 24-foot concrete full pipe, this public park has been around since 2002, and it has two awesome features that set it apart from a lot of other parks: it's open 24 hours a day and it's free. A true jewel in the Midwest, it's easy to see why people travel hundreds of miles to skate this place.

Location: San Jose
Type: Outdoor

Bob Burnquist may have made this park famous in the Aero Bubbles chocolate bar TV commercial, but Cunningham is much more than some marketing suit's idea of skate culture. It's got a plethora of bowls to choose from and you can even try your luck doing a loop on the full pipe. And if you make that, who's to say you won't see local legend Steve Caballero there?

Location: Philadelphia
Type: Covered Outdoor

Similar to Burnside in Portland, FDR skatepark was created by a few enthusiastic skaters with a hunger for some concrete in the Philadelphia area. Famous for its July 4th jams, FDR is a common stop for skateboarders traveling up or down I-95 along the East Coast. The park is vast and there are loads of different obstacles to skate, and there's a good chance you might see Bam Margera tooling around as well.

Location: Lincoln City, Ore.
Type: Partially Covered Outdoor

More like five parks in one, Lincoln City continues to get bigger and better. It's currently the largest park in Oregon and was designed by the guys at Dreamland. It seems like every year or so the skatepark enters a new phase and gets an upgrade with new concrete. Thrasher magazine has even dubbed it "The Gnarliest Skatepark in the World."

Location: Portland
Type: Covered Outdoor

It's in skate magazines, Tony Hawk video games, and is considered the quintessential skatepark by countless pros. Burnside was created in 1990 by a few Portland skaters with a hunger for a proper park in their town. After years of dealing with numerous bureacratic arguments and roadblocks with the city, Burnside was approved as an official public park and a permanent part of the Portland skate scene. Arguably the most famous do-it-yourself skatepark, Burnside has expanded and developed over the past 20 years and is now recognized by skaters all over the world.

Location: Denver
Type: Outdoor

Located right on the Platte River just north of Downtown Denver, this massive and scenic park has bowls for every style and skill level, plus an extensive street course with ledges, hubbas, banks, and hips. It's open from 5 in the morning to 11 at night, with lights for when the sun sets over the Rockies.