The sign says it all as you walk up from the parking lot: “This facility was constructed by skateboarders with money raised by skateboarders for SKATEBOARDING ONLY” and it doesn’t take but only a few seconds to see the fruits of their labor. This isn’t just a skatepark to the people who skate here. It’s a temple. A place to worship gods of speed and fearlessness. It’s where people of all ages, sex, color, and backgrounds come to live romantic dreams of foolhardy risk and adventure. It’s a place where they challenge and conquer their fears. They are, for lack of a better word, gladiators. In this arena they don’t fight lions and barbarians they fight concrete and steel.
This 8,000 square foot feet of engineering genius was built by the only company that I know of that can honestly build dreams, Dreamland Skateparks. they’ve designed so many of my favorite places here in the Pacific Northwest. The heart and soul that was put into the construction of this skatepark is mind boggling and yet serene. I fall in love every time I see it or even think about it for that matter. Walking up the edge to drop in has me taking a deep breathe and hesitating. The way that the bowl wraps around and then swings back into the cradle flows like the very ocean only a few miles away. The fact that it’s a covered area just gleams perfection as it gives you a place to skate when it’s raining, which it does a lot in Oregon. Looking around you’ll find benches, picnic tables, and BBQ areas as well as a water fountain and restrooms close. I just can’t imagine a more perfect place to take my kids for a day.
Visiting the park you can see why it’s listed #3 on Complex.com‘s website and why Thrasher Magazine once billed it as the “gnarliest” skatepark in America giving a rating of “9 out of a possible 10” It’s settles into an area surrounded by trees and offers skating opportunities for people of all levels. I have wet dreams about this park and I dream about the day that I’ll be able to skate all of it. You’ll feel challenged, excited, and stand in awe at your surroundings. It’s one of those places where I can go to write, skate, or just hang out and feel at one with the Universe.
Don’t just take my word for it. Go see it for yourself.
You’ll find it at: From Hwy 101, turn east on NE 22nd St (Dairy Queen is on the NE corner of Hwy 101 & NE 22nd). Turn left immediately past the ball fields and you’re there!
Here’s a link to Lincoln City’s Satepark homepage.
