Long summer days followed by warm summer nights are a perfect recipe for squeezing in all the outdoor adventure available to Vancouver residents. From local lakes to the ocean beaches, from playgrounds to wilderness trails, there’s plenty to do for kids of all ages throughout the region this time of year. And while Vancouver is known for its sea-to-sky options for recreation (aka swimming and skiing and everything in between), it’s also home to a thriving and ever-growing skateboard culture.
For kids, teens, and plenty of adults, this is a sport that is both pastime and transportation, social activity and solo event, and almost any place – with the right safety precautions in place – can be an ideal location to skateboard. But if the cul-de-sac and the nearby school parking lot just aren’t providing enough of a challenge anymore, why not check out some of the local skateboard parks? Many have been built in consultation with local skaters to create ideal and engaging designs and layouts and there’s dozens available throughout the region. Here’s a round-up of some of the best skateparks in Vancouver and the surrounding areas.
Skateparks in Vancouver
Mount Pleasant Skate Park – Vancouver
Though smaller than many skateparks in Vancouver, the Mount Pleasant skateboard park at 16th Avenue and Manitoba Street, is a popular destination, especially for beginners. With 260 square metres of easy, plaza-style obstacles, including a bank to ledge, steel rail, and a fun box, this is a great place to practice the basics and and beyond.
Downtown Plaza Skatepark – Vancouver
Located near the southeast corner of Andy Livingstone Park, between Quebec and Union Streets under the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts, this street-style park was upgraded in 2011 and is a popular hot spot for advanced skateboarders. The 2,000 square metre facility includes curbs, embankments, replica rails, ramps, steps, and more, along with a variety of surfaces from exposed aggregate to brick and steel. In the summer, a skate host is onsite several mornings or afternoons each week to help with minor first aid needs, maintenance, and ensuring skatepark etiquette is maintained.
Quilchena Skate Park – Vancouver
Featuring more than 450 square metres of beginner to intermediate skateboard surface, the plaza-style obstacles in Quilchena Skate Park include ramps, rails, seat ledges, and more. The park is located at 4590 Magnolia Crescent in the northeast corner of Quilchena Park.
Kensington Skate Park – Vancouver
Located in Kensington Park right behind the Kensington Community Centre, by East 37th and Knight Streets, this large park incorporates more than 6,000 square feet with a pool-style bowl, nine-and-a-half feet deep at one end and five feet deep at the other. The park includes a mini ramp and amphitheatre-style ledges.
Leeside Skate Park – Vancouver
You’ll find skateboarding, BMX cycling, and more at Leeside Skate Park, which was named in memory of Lee Matasi, an aspiring artist and skatebeoarder who was killed in 2005. One of the most unique skateparks in Vancouver, the park is actually a tunnel, located under the Cassiar Street connector at the intersection of East Hastings Street and Highway 1. The seven-metre tall, 49-metre long abandoned tunnel has a dozen hand-built obstacles including grind poles, quarter pipes, and mini ramps.
Skateparks in Burnaby
Metro Skate Park at Bonsor – Burnaby
The skateboard park at Bonsor has a little bit for everyone, from those just starting out to advanced skateboarders. The park is divided into three zones: Metro square, for street-style skating; Bonsor Pipeline for full-pipe extreme bowl skating; and Dogleg Bowl for old-school park style (the latter is best for beginners.) A colourful wall covered in community art projects separates the skatepark from a nearby children’s playground area with swings and a climbing structure, as well as ledges for parents and caregivers to sit on.
Skateparks in Vancouver:
West Vancouver
Gleneagles Skate Park – West Vancouver
Located at Gleneagles Community Centre on Marine Drive, just south of the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal, this park is a popular destination for skateboarders on the north shore. An open bowl layout includes three interconnecting bowls ranging in depth, allowing skaters to choose a variety of speeds and challenge level. And bonus: there are dirt jumps and stunt zones for mountain bikers and BMX riders adjacent to the skatepark area.
Skateparks in Vancouver:
North Vancouver
City Skate Park – North Vancouver
One of the most popular skateparks in Vancouver, not just in BC but perhaps across Canada, City Skate Park is located at the corner of Highway 1 and Lonsdale Avenue, and is a massive 16,000 square feet in total. Considered unconventional in that it is designed as a “pure street park,” the area resembles an urban plaza complete with curbs, walls and ramps, as well as a skateable public art piece called The Wave.
Skateparks in New Westminster
Queen’s Park Skate Park – New Westminster
Located in the heart of New Westminster in Queen’s Park, the New Westminster skatepark features unique elements and a variety of transition styles, with a satellite peanut-style bowl and street-style elements that are ideal for a variety of ability levels. The park was designed in consultation with local youth and is intended to accommodate all ages, abilities, and wheels.
Queensborough Skate Park – New Westminster
An expansive 12,500 square feet in total, this park is located at the Queensborough Community Centre. It includes quarter pipes, banks and extensions with spaces that are intended for all skill levels, both on skateboards and BMX bikes. Bonus: there’s bathrooms and a bike-wash station.
Skateparks in Port Coquitlam
RailSide Skate Park – Port Coquitlam
The RailSide, Port Coquitlam’s outdoor youth park in Lions Park, is one of the largest outdoor youth parks in the country. Spread over two acres, the park features a skateboard area that includes a street park, an urban terrain area, a serpentine skate bowl, a 350-foot long fun track, green space, and more – along with basketball, hockey, and sports courts.
Skateparks in Surrey
Tom Binnie Skatepark – Surrey
The youth lounge of Chuck Bailey Community Centre opens directly onto the Tom Binnie skatepark, which has a magic carpet ride, volcano, wall gap, and the first use of skateable bedrock in the city of Surrey. There’s also a fully covered bowl for all-weather use and nearby sports courts for a variety of activities.
Fleetwood Skatepark – Surrey
Located at the Surrey Sports and Leisure Complex on Fraser Highway, the Fleetwood skate park is a plaza-style design with drop in, mini quarter pipe, slappy wall with rails, boxes, free standing rails, and a small amphitheatre with edges.
Tagged under: skateboards,skateboarding with kids,skateboarding,skateparks,skate parks,skateparks in vancouver
Category: outdoor-play,active,sports
