Skateboarding throughout Southern California quickly became the rage in the early 1950’s after surfers started skateboarding on pieces of wood they had screwed roller skates to (well those are the rumors anyway). Although skateboarding seemed popular out of the gates it took a decline in interest pretty soon after it was discovered. Jump forward to the late 1960’s and early 1970’s when the introduction of urethane wheels happened, skateboarding began gaining popularity again.

In 1976, the Carlsbad skatepark near San Diego opened to the public and it was one of only two skateparks in the entire world at that time! So you could say San Diego is one of the birthplaces of skateboarding. Since then, San Diego has built some of the worlds best skateparks and continues to lead the way in skatepark innovation.

The city of San Diego also has a healthy population of professional skateboarders that call it home so don’t be surprised to see your favorite pro’s shredding one of the many skateparks in the area. You might even bump into them at one of these local skate shops! Okay, enough jibber jabber, let’s get to this list! Here are the best skateparks in San Diego.

9 Best Skateparks In San Diego

Linda Vista Skatepark

Linda Vista Skatepark is one of the largest skateparks in San Diego at nearly 35,000 square feet. The skatepark which was completed in 2018 was designed by SITE Group Inc and constructed by California Skateparks.

This skatepark has a great mix of obstacles from street to transition and I guarantee your mind will be blown with how cool it actually is. It features a large street plaza with all the ledges, rails, and hubbas you could ever want along with a snake run, flow bowl, vert bowl, backyard bowl, and a full pipe for all you transition skaters.

Robb Field Skatepark

Robb Field is a 40,000 square foot skatepark located in Ocean Beach right beside the San Diego River bike path. It is the first skatepark constructed and operated by the City of San Diego. The design of the skatepark had input from Tony Hawk and some other top professionals. It features a street section with ledges, several handrails, blocks, octagon volcano, and also has a combination bowl.

Alex Road Skatepark

Alex Road Skatepark (also known as Prince Park) is a 22,700 square foot skatepark designed by Grindline Skateparks and constructed by California Skateparks. This skatepark features a street section with ledges, rails, hubba, and an A-frame. As for transition there is a snake run and three bowls. There is something for everyone at this skatepark. Keep in mind this is a popular skatepark that can get crowded on a regular basis.

Park De La Cruz Skatepark

Park De La Cruz Skatepark is a 19,000 square foot skatepark in San Diego designed by Kanten Russel and constructed by California Skateparks. Although this skatepark is on the smaller side compared to others in San Diego it still has all the obstacles you could want. It features manual pads, an a-frame with rails and flat gap, ledges, rails, two euro gaps, stair set, backyard pool, and a flow bowl area with a spine. This is one really cool skatepark that we highly recommend checking out!

Lemon Grove Skatepark

Now this is a real mini skatepark if we have ever seen one. Lemon Grove Skatepark (designed and constructed by California Skateparks) is only a mere 3,500 square feet. Don’t let the size of this skatepark fool you though as it is loaded with street obstacles including ledges, stair sets, rails, and quarter pipes. If you are a street skater you will really appreciate this skatepark.

Rancho Penasquitos Skatepark

Rancho Penasquitos is a 23,000 square foot skatepark that underwent renovations in 2014. It now features a variety of obstacles including a multi level plaza with stairs, handrail, grind box, hubbas, ledge, manual pad, and a San Francisco style Pier 7 manual pad.

The middle of the skatepark also has more street obstacles such as a multi height ledge, rail, euro gap, and a twelve foot rail. The transition skaters were not totally forgotten about here with some medium size transition on offer, a spine ramp with transition hip, and multi height quarter pipes with a bowl corner.

Poway Skatepark

Poway is a 12,000 square foot skatepark designed by Wormhoudt Inc and constructed by California skateparks. The skatepark has some great obstacles and plenty of transition that includes a reservoir section, a snake run leading into a square bowl, and also some really nice bank ramps. As for street obstacles there is a cool multi ledge and manual pad, curved ledge, rails, and a hubba. One of the other nice things about this skatepark is that it is pretty mellow and doesn’t get too crowded.

Encinitas Skatepark (Poods)

Encinitas Skatepark also known as (Poods) is a 33,000 square foot skateboarding wonderland. This massive skate plaza mainly consists of street inspired obstacles including countless ledges, manual pads, hubbas, rails, stairs and banks. Transition skaters were not forgotten and can enjoy the backyard pool-style bowl. Poods is a super popular spot for pro skateboarders to warm up and practice lines so don’t be surprised to see mind blowing tricks going down here.

Washington Street Skatepark

Washington Street is a DIY skatepark started by local skateboarders in 1999. This was a reaction to officers who were issuing tickets and incarcerating skateboarders for skating in the city of San Diego. They wanted to create a space where they would be left alone by the law.

Like most DIY skateparks, Washington Street had its issues with the city trying to tear it down as construction of any type on public property without permits is deemed illegal. The local skateboarding community managed to raise enough awareness about their project that eventually the city had to listen to them. After years of hard work, fund raising, and jumping through hoops for the city, this DIY skatepark was deemed legal in 2002.

Always remember to respect the rules of the skatepark and do not enter if the gates are locked. If you would like to donate to the Washington Street skatepark and contribute to its upkeep you can do so here.

Alga Norte Skatepark

Alga Norte Skatepark which opened in 2014, is a 23,000 square foot facility surrounded by classic California desert-scape. The transition section has two big bowls, one is combi-style, and the other is a pool with a deep and shallow end, steps, tile, and pool coping.

The street course is really nice and consists of numerous flat ledges and manual pads, out ledges, hubba ledges, bump-to-ledge, handrails, flat bars, up-gap, bank-to-bank, camel humps, volcano, quarter pipe with a doorway, and quarter pipes with a hip.

Chicano Park Skatepark

Located under Coronado Bridge is a rad skatepark that was established in 2015. Chicano Park Skatepark started out as a DIY but was lucky enough to receive some funding from Tony Hawk’s foundation which improved the space immensely.

There is now a mix of street obstacles that include an A-frame with a rail, bank ramps, manual pad, ledges, quarter pipes, pump bump, slappy curbs, and an iconic low-rider quarter pipe obstacle. Although there aren’t many features here, it’s still one of the best skate spots in San Diego.

La Colonia Skatepark

La Colonia Skatepark was designed by Site Design Group Inc and constructed by California Skateparks. The 5,000 square foot facility has a variety of street elements such as a four-sided China bank, two-three stairs and a four-stair, bump-to-flat-bar, pole jam, down ledges that can be skated as up-ledges, camel humps, flat gap, and quarter pipes.

You Might Also Like:

• Best Skate Shops In San Diego
• 30 Best Skateparks In California
• Best 10 Skateparks In Los Angeles
• Best Skate Plazas In Los Angeles

READ NEXT

8 Reasons You Should Start Skateboarding Today

Are you thinking about hoping on a skateboard and having the most fun you can on four wheels but you are still on the fence?…

Skateboarders Guide To X Games In Ventura

X Games California 2023 is coming to Ventura from July 21 to 23, so be sure to mark your calendars. This action-packet event is perfect for…

Best Skateboarding Movies Of All Time

Are you wondering what the best skateboarding movies of all time are for a little skateboarding movie marathon? Well lucky for you we have compiled…