Wheels up!

Judkins Park Chona Kasinger

Seattle’s public parks have some fantastic skateboarding facilities. In West Seattle, Delridge Skatepark is big and varied, with an impressive bowl and large transition areas, while Roxhill Skatepark has a street plaza design that’s both fun and kid-friendly. Near Roxhill, Southgate Roller Rink offers a different kind of fun on wheels. In Beacon Hill, Jefferson Park Skatepark features multiple ledges and its own big bowl with deep and shallow ends. A couple of miles north, Judkins Skatepark’s quarter pipes are ideal for drop-ins and fly-outs.

There are also great options outside the park system. Seattle Center Skate Plaza puts you in the shadow of the Space Needle, and All Together Skatepark is the city’s only indoor skatepark. Looking for something a little edgy? Marginal Way Skatepark, under a viaduct in SoDo, is a DYI project built by local skateboarders that’s gained national acclaim for its creative design. For hair-raising rides and a dose of skate-punk spirit, there’s nothing else like it.

If cycling’s more your thing, try the Burke-Gilman Trail, or take a leisurely spin around Seward Park or Green Lake; the latter is next door to Lower Woodland Skatepark, which features a series of dirt jumps that thrill BMX riders. The city also has innovative cycling destinations particularly suited to children and families. At the Bike Playground at Dick Thurnau Memorial Park, kids just starting to ride can learn the rules of the road in a safe, fun setting designed just for them. And the Cheasty Greenspace at Mountain View has the park system’s only wooded off-road bike trail, a 0.8-mile loop.