If you read our article on San Francisco’s role in the history of skating, you’re already attuned to how integral the Bay Area was and continues to be in skateboarding culture. While the skating legends of old had to make do in parking lots and corporate plazas, their younger disciples can avail themselves of the countless skate parks now peppering San Francisco and its neighboring areas.
Here are some of the Bay’s best skate parks at which skaters of all skill-levels and ages can hone their skills and channel their inner Tony Hawk.
See also: Rage Against the Machine at These Best Underground Bay Area Punk Venues
City View Skate Park
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1177 W Redline Ave
This famed East Bay skatepark sits right next to what used to be Alameda’s Navy Base, and affords skaters stunning panoramic views of the Alameda waterfront, the San Francisco skyline, and the Oakland ports.
Lake Cunningham Action Sports Park
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2305 S. White Road
This sprawling South Bay concrete playground is the largest skatepark in the entirety of California (taking up over 68,000 square feet). Even more impressively, some of it isn’t even a skatepark: adjacent to the skatepark is a Bike Park, equipped with various pump tracks tailored to different skill levels, a dirt jump zone, and even a slopestyle zone. The skatepark is, of course, equally well-designed, with a full pipe, cradle, and a daunting vert wall for the most daring riders.
SoMa West Skate Park
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Valencia and Duboce
Tucked under the Central Freeway in the SoMa district, this graffiti-adorned SF spot is the go-to for local riders. Though some of its drop-ins are formidable, the seasoned riders who frequent this spot are very amicable folks who’ll happily assist novice skaters. The park was also constructed with the aid of Tony Hawk himself!
See also: A Crash-Course On The San Francisco Bay's Punk Culture And Its Most Prominent Bands
Potrero del Sol Park
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2827 Cesar Chavez
The Mission’s Potrero del Sol is San Francisco’s largest - and oldest - skatepark, boasting multiple massive bowls for drop-in practice and an abundance of graffiti art and murals. Hit this spot up in the mornings to avoid the crowds and having to wait your turn to drop in.
Balboa Skate Park
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Ocean Avenue and San Jose Avenue
If you’ve acquired a few too many scabs from sliding on rough concrete after a nasty bail, fear not; Balboa is the city’s new all-wooden skatepark just south of Twin Peaks. You’ll find plenty of parents monitoring their future skate legends here, so don’t worry about veteran onlookers silently judging your lackluster ollies.
Berkeley Skate Park
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711 Harrison Street
Clocking in at a whopping 18,000 square feet, Berkeley Skate Park is by no means a Lake Cunningham, but still offers more than enough bowls, boxes, and ramps for Berkeley’s lively skate community. The park even boasts a course with street features, which will please the street purists out there. After a sick sesh, go catch a punk show at 924 Gilman, which is just a few blocks away!
See also: Awaken Your Inner Music Geek At SF's Best Alternative Independent Record Stores
Photography by: Jan Kopřiva/Pexels
