Skate Parks in the Valleys

Sheldon Skatepark - Sun Valley

The Sheldon Skatepark is one of the boarding hubs of the valley. It even has an indoor mini-ramp! This spectacular skatepark is open from dawn until dusk daily; it's free to enter, and is also known as the South East Valley Skatepark. 

Address: 
12511 Sheldon St. 
Sun Valley, CA 91352 
Free

Santa Clarita Skatepark - Santa Clarita 

This concrete jungle is my personal favorite place to skate. The 40,000-square-foot space has bowls, stairs, and rails for exploratory skating. Two clover bowls, a U-shaped half-pipe, and a 10-foot square bowl are a few of the main attractions. Register online for "junior ride" from 8am-10am on Saturdays—where kids 12 and under run the park.

This park is unsupervised, so it is up to parents to monitor their kids. It's also minutes away from a bike park and pump track which share the parking lot in case kids want to get their BMX on after hitting the bowls. Open 365 days a year, from 8am-9pm, entry to this skatepark is always free. 

Address: 
George A. Caravalho
Santa Clarita Sports Complex
Santa Clarita, CA 91387
Free

P-Rod Skatepark - Pacoima 

Fans of X Games medalist and street skater, Paul Rodriguez (aka P-Rod) will love this skate plaza designed by the legend himself. It features plenty of stairs, rails, and other street skating obstacles, and is open from dawn until dusk daily. 

Address: 
10731 Laurel Canyon Road 
Pacoima, CA 91331 
Free

Verdugo Skatepark - Glendale

This awesome skatepark in Glendale offers kid-only skate time from 10am-12pm on Saturdays (14 and under). Hours for skating vary depending on the time of year, but generally, the skate park closes at 9pm and opens between 12pm-3pm (check the Glendale schedule for specific hours). Glendale offers a Friday Night Lights skate event with snacks, music, and prizes on the third Fridays in March, June, September, and December. 

The city also offers skateboarding lessons at this park, and while Verdugo Skatepark is free for Glendale residents, those who aren't local have to pay a small fee to skate. Admission is $4 for non-resident adults (17 and over). Kids under 17 are free, regardless of what city they live in. 

Address: 
1261 Canada Blvd. 
Glendale, CA 91208
Free for residents; $4 for adult non-residents 

Spohn Ranch - Castaic 

This creatively crafted skate park features benches for observers, drinking fountains, lights for night skating, and plenty of winding pathways leading to stairs, rails, and bowls. 

Address: 
Castaic Sports Complex
31230 Castaic Rd.
Castaic, CA 91384 
Free

Chino Skatepark - Chino 

This one is also a bit of a drive from LA proper but is a great spot for locals who live further inland. The Chino Skatepark is almost 30,000 square feet, with bowls, a street course, a flow course, a cloverleaf with a waterfall, and a pool featuring coping and tile. The park is open daily from 7am-10pm, but take note that the park doesn't open until 11am due to routine maintenance and cleaning on the third Wednesday of every month.

Address: 
Reuben S. Ayala Park 
14225 Central Avenue
Chino, CA 91710
Free

 
Skatepark photo courtesy of Culver City Local Government

Skateparks on the West Side 

Culver City Skatepark - Culver City 

Kids can practice their skills at this awesome park in Culver City and learn with the pros through Skateside lessons—a skateboarding program run by the city. The Culver City skatepark is open on weekdays from 8am-9pm, and then again from 12pm-5pm. On weekends, the park is open from 8am-5pm. 

Address:
9910 Jefferson Blvd.
(Northwest corner of Jefferson and Duquesne)
Culver City, CA 90232
Free

The Cove Skatepark - Santa Monica 

The Cove has 20,000 square feet of skating Heaven with an over-vert bowl, pool, rails, stairs, a Douglas Park rail, and more. This one isn't free; skaters have to pre-register online to enter. Thankfully, a day pass will only set you back $3 (for kids six and over) or $5 (for resident adults- $5.50 for non-residents). There is also a one-time $10 registration fee.

The Cove has quarterly pass and annual pass options for frequent visitors. BMXers are also allowed during special hours (Thursdays from 4:30pm-8pm are reserved for BMX bikers). Wednesday afternoons and Sunday evenings have adults-only hours—youths six and up are welcome to skate during all-ages hours. 

Address: 
Memorial Park
1401 Olympic Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
$3-$5 entry fees 

Stoner Skatepark - West LA 

I know, the name of this one is a bit misleading. Stoner Skatepark is in Stoner Park, an equally family-friendly spot in the Sawtelle neighborhood. Large trees give this skatepark some welcome shade—and the entire design is surprisingly aesthetic. This accessible skatepark is open daily from 10am-7pm, though hours narrow to 10am-5pm during winter Daylight Savings, but closes for major holidays. 

Address:

Stoner Park
1835 Stoner Ave
LA, CA 90024
Free

 
Venice Skatepark. Photo by Majunznk/CC BY 2.0

Venice Skatepark - Venice

The legendary Venice Beach Skatepark is every skateboarder's dream. It has paved mounds, a sunken pool, metal railings, and a built-in audience! There are very skilled adult skaters here, so it's important to make sure that your child watches out for them. This skatepark is so famous, that you can even buy a branded tee shirt. 

Address: 
123 Venice Beach
Venice, CA 90291
Free

Westchester Skatepark - Westchester 

This skatepark is directly next to a playground, making it the perfect spot for kids to skate in the sun, and then play in the shade. It's more of a street plaza, with kickers, handrails, Hubbas, curbs, ledges, and stairs, and has overhead lights so it can stay open from 5am-10:30pm daily. 

Address: 
7200 West Manchester Drive 
Westchester, CA 90045
Free

Skateparks in Downtown and East LA 

Belvedere Skatepark - East LA 

This park is a little over 19,000 square feet and has a vert, a pool, and lots of transfers. Lights stay on until 9pm, and there is easy parking near the park. 

Address: 
4914 E. Cesar E Chavez Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90022
10am-9pm daily
Free

Lafeyette Skatepark - East LA 

This spot has a sweet origin story—it was designed in partnership with Rob Dyrdek and sponsored by Carl's Jr. as a part of Dyrdek's DC Shoes Safe Skate Plaza Foundation "Safe Spot, Skate Spot" initiative. Unlike most skate parks, this one is formally known as a "skate plaza." A skate plaza differs from skateparks in that it is designed to look more organic, with rails, bowls, stairs, and more elements found in a regular plaza or shopping center. The goal is to mimic a place where street boarders wouldn't normally be welcome, then invite the skaters to have at it.

Lafeyette Skatepark is guarded 24 hours a day to provide a safe spot for kids to play. 

Address: 
625 South Lafayette Place
LA, CA 90057
Free

Charmette Bonpua Skate Plaza - South LA 

Another Rob Dyrdek "safe spot, skate spot," this skate plaza in South LA is 10,000 square feet of real-world skating obstacles, perfect for practicing street skating. 

Address: 
Rancho Cienaga Recreation Center 
5001 Rodeo Rd. 
Los Angeles, CA 90016 
Free 

Skateparks in the South Bay 

Bixby Park - Long Beach 

Millennial skaters used to spend their days shredding in the bandshell at Bixby Park. When a tree limb crushed the bandshell in 2009, city planners gave skaters what they wanted: a true skate plaza where their wheels would be encouraged, not discouraged. The Bixby Park skate plaza is now a mainstay for skaters of all ages and stages in the South Bay. 

Address: 
Bixby Park 
130 Cherry Ave. 
Long Beach, CA 90802 

Lincoln Park Skatepark - Long Beach 

Ride past the giant penny (it's 15 feet tall) and head into Long Beach's oldest park to access a wonderful skatepark in the middle of the fun. Lincoln Park was recently renovated, so everything feels fresh and new. With a library, soccer fields, an amazing playground, a dog park, and workout equipment on-site, this is a great one-stop shop for teens and kids alike. 

Address: 
Lincoln Park
101 Pacific Ave. 
Long Beach, CA 90802

Manhattan Beach Skatepark - Manhattan Beach 

Spohn Ranch created this super unique triangular skatepark in Manhattan Beach with plenty of concrete to shred. It's only 6,000 feet in size, but the fun shape makes for a great ride. The park is open from dawn until dusk, and lights from the adjacent 

Manhattan Beach Skatepark 
3003 Redondo Ave. 
Manhattan Beach, CA 90026 

Redondo Beach Pier Skatepark - Redondo Beach 

Have you ever wanted to skate over the ocean? There is a Spohn Ranch skatepark on the Redondo Beach pier, so kids can skate while breathing in the salty air. This one is smaller at 9,000 square feet but features some pretty awesome ramps and rails.

Address: 
Redondo Beach Pier 
500 Fisherman's Wharf 
Redondo Beach CA 90277 

Top photo at Venice Skatepark by Maximum Panda/CC BY 2.0

This updated post was originally published on May 20, 2012.