Bonus pick of the week: Rockridge Skatepark

Published 3:30 am Friday, August 13, 2021

If you’re looking for interesting terrain for skateboarding, consider Rockridge Skatepark. The newest of Bend’s three skateparks opened in the fall of 2017 and was built by Oregon-based Evergreen Skateparks, known for its so-called “moonscape” designs.

There is no set, standard design in skatepark building, and so each park is a concrete work of art that, ideally, addresses community needs while factoring in local skater input and the contracted builder’s ideas. Since communities began warming up to the idea of public skateparks about 20 years ago, the majority of parks built have incorporated elements appealing to different disciplines: stand-alone bowls and ramps for transition skating, rails, stairs and ledges derived from street skating. The better the features are tied together, the better their “flow,” which roughly means ease of movement across all the park’s features.

Evergreen’s moonscape designs vary from park to park, but they can generally be described as emphasizing flow. Rockridge is full of interconnected features — rolling “pump bumps,” corners and transitions — with a smattering of small quarter pipes and a rail on the surrounding deck. It is elegant, photogenic and fun to roll around in.

However, Rockridge is essentially one giant bowl, and during peak use, when experienced riders, beginners and scooter kids are all trying to ride, there will be cross-traffic issues and occasional collisions. That’s less likely in parks in Redmond, Sisters or Prineville, with their more discrete elements. But if you stay alert to other riders — or better yet, score it at sunset or when kids are in school — Rockridge is full of possibility.

Getting there: Rockridge Park is located at 20885 Egypt Drive, Bend.