So your summer tour of skateparks in California, Colorado or other skate park-friendly states fell apart because of the COVID-19 pandemic. You should be stoked. In the history of bad things, sticking close to home to skate isn’t among them when you live in Central Oregon, which is blessed with several good to great skateparks, from Bend to Madras and Sisters to Prineville.

Yes, it’s a good year for a staycation, but let’s use a different portmanteau: “skatecation.” If you have access to a vehicle, the skate parks of Central Oregon are all an hour or less from one another.

But remember: Phase 2 or not, defiant counterculture or not, we’re still in the midst of a pandemic, so keep practicing your social distancing as you practice and perfect your ollies, rock-n-rolls, nosepicks, back tails, feebles, sweepers and other tricks.

Ponderosa (x2)

Your skatecation begins at Ponderosa Skatepark, 1411 SE Wilson Ave., in Bend. The east side park is actually home to two skateparks: At the north end, the entrance is on 15th Street, you’ll find the oldest park in the region. Built in 1997 — the Jurassic Period as public skateparks are concerned — the somewhat dated north skatepark has a less-than-functional design, at least as compared to modern skate parks. It can be a fun diversion, and worth a peek as a historic relic, which Bend Park & Recreation District refers to as “Pondy.”

The newer Ponderosa Skatepark, located at the south end (entrance on Wilson) is a modern plaza design. Built in 2014 by Spohn Ranch Skateparks, Pondy 2’s banks, stairs, hubbas and rails are strong draws for street skaters. But with a small halfpipe and several quarter pipes, it can also keep so-called “transition” (as in a plane transitioning from flat to vertical, or somewhere short of vert) skaters happy. Scooters and inline skates are allowed, but are encouraged to head to the old park to stave off conflicts.

Nearby: If you need new bearings or a complete, or maybe just a T-shirt as a souvenir of your skatecation, stop by Solsk8s, the local skater-owned shop conveniently located a few blocks away at 484 SE Ninth St., #150. If you’re thirsty or craving a meal, Bevel Brewing and the food carts of 9th Street Village are adjacent to Solsk8s. Even closer to Pondy is Bend-O Bento Japanese Kitchen located a block west of the park at 1375 SE Wilson Ave., #105.

Rockridge Skatepark

Before you leave Bend, be sure to visit Rockridge Skatepark. Bend’s newest skatepark, Rockridge was built by Oregon’s Evergreen Skateparks in 2017 and is located at 20885 Egypt Drive, in northeast Bend. The 36.6-acre Rockridge Park was “designed with a minimal footprint to maintain over 60 % of the original terrain as natural space, which makes you feel like you’re miles outside of town,” according to the Bend parks district. Fortunately, the skatepark in its northeast corner is anything but natural. Its flowing concrete contours allow for endless lines, but be warned: It’s essentially one big bowl, and collisions are possible when it gets crowded.

Redmond Skatepark

Your skatepark tour continues northward to Redmond, home to Redmond Skatepark, 1604 W. Antler Ave., a significant step forward for Central Oregon on the skatepark front when it was built by Dreamland Skateparks in 2001. For years, Redmond was the go-to skatepark for skateboarders in Central Oregon, and Redmond remains a highly functional skatepark compared to some others from the early modern period of skate parks. It has a deep and steep T-shaped bowl (some call it the “skull bowl”), a snake run that runs downhill into a round bowl, a large L-bowl (three guesses as to its shape) and a small square bowl adjacent to small, street course with a ledge, handrails and other obstacles. A word to the wise: bring a broom.

Nearby: When in Redmond, some skaters go for the healthy option of Budo Bowls. Among the carts at General Duffy’s Waterhole, 404 SW Forest Ave., Budo Bowls is about a mile from the skate park and serves an entirely plant-based menu. Redmond’s relatively new Homestead Bike Pump Track, 124 NE Hemlock Ave., is also worth a quick stop if you have your bike in the car.

Madras Bike & Skatepark

Dreamland’s work had only gotten better by the time it built Madras Skatepark in 2005. The big square bowl boasts true vertical and is arguably the park’s most dramatic feature, with a steep shallow end that dangles off like a kite string. Other features include a spine, in which two quarter pipes back up to one another, with a small, shallow bowl on one side of it, and a street section with banks, rails and ledges on the other. Those who like bowls that are tight and challenging might enjoy the smallest bowl, the so-called amoeba bowl, given its shape.

Nearby: Pepe’s Mexican Restaurant, 742 SW Fourth St., is a delicious option as you head back south to explore more parks. Be warned, it’s popular and can get busy at peak hours.

Sisters Skatepark

Believe it or not, about eight years transpired before the next big skatepark was built in the area, but it was worth the wait. Sisters Skatepark, located directly behind Sisters Parks & Recreation District’s headquarters, 1750 McKinney Butte Road, was built with the help of a $10,000 Tony Hawk Foundation grant and designed by local skateboarder Daniel O’Neill. O’Neill, along with other area skaters, also put a lot of labor into its building and subsequent improvements. With its three bowls, the park is a transition skater’s dream: the smaller “flow” bowl, which sports a cradle, or clamshell feature in which skaters get upside down (briefly). Then there’s the challenging brown bowl, steep in pitch with a love seat, faux light fixture in the deep end and shallow-end stairs, it’s the area bowl most reminiscent of the kinds of bowls skateboarding originated in back in the 1970s. The last bowl is simply referred to as the big bowl, a world-class bowl with three sections ranging from 6-feet to 10-feet deep. There are quarter pipes, a skateable bench and other features that will keep street skaters happy, and O’Neill’s next goal seems to be getting a “slappy” curb installed. Sisters Skatepark is arguably the best skate park in Central Oregon, as one Salem-area skater proclaimed after visiting the newest park, Prineville, up next.

Nearby: If you have a few discs in your car, you’re right next to Hyzer Pines Disc Golf Course, a free, 18-hole course adjacent to the skate park, which makes for a nice walk amid the towering ponderosas of the area. There’s also no shortage of restaurants a mile and half away in downtown Sisters, including the tasty burgers and excellent shakes at ever-popular Sno-Cap Drive-In, 380 W. Cascade Ave. Popular among skaters is the pizza served up at Martolli’s of Sisters, 220 W. Cascade Ave.

Prineville Skatepark

A straight shot east on state Highway 126 from Sisters is Prineville Skatepark, the newest skatepark in Central Oregon, well worth the drive from whatever your starting point. Prineville, the third and last of Dreamland’s skate parks in the area, opened in September 2019 and packs a lot into a small area, with some of the smoothest concrete you’ll find this side of the Cascades. Facing the street is the large flow area, with an array of steep banks, pump bumps, quarter pipes with pool coping and more to keep a skater rolling. The bowl is a curious beast, with a tight, steep shallow end that requires you loose your trucks and carve, and a more forgiving deep end that will please any fan of transition skating. Finally, to the rear of the park is a small section that resembles a ditch on one side and a tight mini ramp on the wall facing it, with bowled-in quarter pipes at either end. It’s hard to explain. Just go see it, or better yet, skate it during your skatecation.

Nearby: If you’re up for burgers, fries and shakes, Tastee Treat, 493 NE Third St., is around the corner and a few blocks west of the park.