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The ice has melted and warm, sunny days are here again, which can only mean one thing: Break out the boards. There are nearly 70 skate parks in and around the metro area, according to SpeakEasy Skate, a Colorado skate park directory run by Denverite Damian Dixon. Skating that many parks could take awhile, though—which is why we sent 5280’s biggest skateboarding fan to pick his 10 favorites.
Ulysses Skate Park
Location: Golden
Strength: Foothills views
Build/Design: Team Pain Skate Park Design & Construction
Nestled against the foothills in Golden, this five-year-old, 27,000-square-foot park flows in a big loop and boasts the best views of any locale on this list. There’s a flat-trick-designated area with a manual box (a flat platform best used for practicing wheelie combinations) connected to the rest of the park by a tunnel with ‘GOLDEN’ carved in the roof, spelling the city’s name on the ground in sunlight. Through the gut of the park runs a big, slightly downhill carving bowl, with plenty of stairs, ledges, and quarter pipes around its edge. Pro tip: Park near the dog park and skate the nearly half-mile path along the fence to the skate park for a picturesque cruise, and catch sunset views of nearby Table and Lookout mountains in the evenings. Lights turn off at 10 p.m. 1201 Ulysses St., Golden 80401
Railbender Skate Park
Location: Parker
Strength: Street skating
Build/Design: Site Design Group
It’s just a half-hour drive to get to a street skater’s paradise: think ledges on ledges, stairs on stairs. This is the perfect park to learn how to grind, use manual boxes, ollie down ledges, and get comfortable on steep roll-in ramps. Opened in 2008, the park is 35,000 square feet of practice-perfect concrete. Try the smooth mini bowl toward the front of the park to hone your skills before hitting the enormous, complex bowl near the back. Lights come on at dusk and turn off at 10 p.m. 10543 Twenty Mile Road, Parker 80134
William McKinley Carson Park & Skate Park
Location: Greenwood Village
Strength: 2-in-1
Build/Design: Team Pain
Tucked away in William McKinley Carson Park, the 15,000-square-foot arena is hidden by trees away from the main road—obscuring the fact that it’s basically two parks in one. The first section is a moderately intricate bowl system, with roll-ins from each side so it’s accessible to skaters of different levels. On the other side of the park, you have an Olympic-level flow/street style section. The slightly slanted run is connected by two quarter pipes on either end, with multiple boxes, ramps, and rails. Just get there before the sun goes down—there are no lights.
6000 S. Quebec St., Greenwood Village 80111
Pioneer Park
Location: Commerce City
Strength: Unusual design
Build/Design: California Skateparks
Nearly every feature in this park is rounded, like a spiral, and looks like a crop circle from an aerial view. A roll-in path leads to a launching point up to the peak of the circle, surrounded by stairs and ramps lining it on either side. One can skate endlessly in circles and not get bored, hitting ledges, ollieing down stairs, or tackling the small, two-level bowl. The 20,000-square-foot park is surrounded by baseball fields and batting cages, and the top of the circle provides a 360-degree view of the surrounding areas. 5902 Holly St., Commerce City 80022
Denver Skate Park Downtown (D Park)
Location: Denver
Strength: Size
Build/Design: Architerra Group
At 60,000 square feet, D Park is the biggest skate park in Colorado. The signature features are massive roll-in ramps, which allow one to cruise breezily from one side of the park to the other. Near 20th Street is a section of small, connected bowls. Swing by the Little Raven Street side for a wide valley of roll-in ramps. The heart of the park provides stairs, ledges, quarter pipes, multiple levels to practice street skills, and four bigger bowls for carving. Despite its size, this spot can get crowded fast, so weekday mornings and afternoons are the best time windows. D Park closes at 11 p.m. when the lights turn off. 2205 19th St., Denver 80202
Don Anema Memorial Skate Park
Location: Northglenn
Strength: Flow park
Build/Design: Team Pain
Opened in 2011, the sea of desert-red waves known as Don Anema Memorial Skate Park is one of the best flow parks (specifically made for continuous riding without pushing) in the metro area. There are multiple unusual features, like arches next to gaps, so skaters can jump the gaps or simply roll over them. A spiral roll-in bowl sits tucked into the corner for a quick whiparound, and several manual boxes, stairs, ledges, and snake-like ramps allow for an even flow throughout. The larger bowl in the back of the park is the cherry on top of this skate park sundae, making Don Anema perfect for both practice and fun. 11801 Community Center Drive, Northglenn 80233
Discovery Park
Location: Wheat Ridge
Strength: Beginner friendly
Build/Design: Team Pain
The casual skate park’s overall lack of difficulty provides a low-stress practice paradise with striking views of the Front Range. There’s a three-section bowl on the south side of the 13,000-square-foot park, with gaps and roll-ins and several places to drop in, and toward the north side, a flow section lined with street skating features leads to a quarter pipe/standing ledge near the fence. With a manual box on the west side and pyramid on the right, skaters can get creative as they cruise from one side of the park to the next. 3701 Johnson St., Wheat Ridge 80033 (W. 38th and Kipling)
Thomas J. Slocum Memorial Skate Park
Location: Thornton
Strength: Street surfing
Build/Design: Team Pain
Since being remodeled in December 2021, the 25,000-square-foot arena hidden behind the Thornton Community Center has earned a reputation as one of the best flow parks in the area. The new surface may still be a little slick, but don’t let that deter you. The outside rim of the park is reminiscent of a mountain bike park or racetrack, with several up and down hills for pumping in a complete circle around the park. The middle of the park provides ledges, manual boxes, and rails. 2211 Eppinger Blvd., Thornton 80229
Arvada Skate Park
Location: Arvada
Strength: Take your pick
Build/Design: Team Pain
It can be a bit difficult to decide what to do at this 40,000-square-foot oasis for skaters. From the parking lot, turn left into the park and hit a valley of roll-in ramps, which lead to a flat-trick area at the base of a small bowl section. On the north side of the park is a long, snake-like bowl system of small hills and roll-overs. Head to the northeast corner for a skateable brick wall. Two circular platforms overlap each other for easy kickturns near the entrance. The ‘bullpen’ of the skatepark has a half-bowl system, several stairs and ledges, and an unusual, large ramp on an island to ollie on, roll up and down, and then hop back off. Lights stay on until 10 p.m. 12920 W. 72nd Ave., Arvada 80005
Curbside Skate Park
Location: Sheridan
Strength: Indoor training facility
Build/Design: Curbside Skate Park
Though spring is here, there will still be days with variable weather. Curbside Skate Park, the only indoor skate park in the Denver metro area, provides refuge from warm weather rain or haze. But the biggest strength of Curbside is its training programs. Opened in 2018, Curbside provides Saturday clinics led by veteran coaches, after-school programs every Tuesday and Thursday, and holds numerous camps and contests throughout the year. The 11,000-square-foot park is also free on the last Friday of each month from 4 p.m. to close. On top of all that, Curbside doubles as a full skate shop—you can even rent boards for the day and grab inexpensive snacks. The focus is on kids, but all are welcome. From $10 for a two-hour session; 3535 S. Irving St., Sheridan, CO 80110
(Read more: How to Learn to Skateboard (aka, Fall on Your Ass With Grace)
