Skate parks are becoming more mainstream, and the parks are turning what is called “extreme” sports into a legitimate sports challenge.
These parks are used by skate boarders, BMX riders, self propelled scooters and inline skaters.
Texas has also become part of the craze and has a lot of nice parks for the adventurous.
Whether it be a bowl park, a street plaza park, or a combination, there is one for every taste in the Lone Star State.
Here are five of our favorites.
Texas Ski Ranch in New Braunfels
The park is a huge water sports area just off I-35, and about 30 minutes from Austin.
The park has 70 acres of water sports of all kinds, and of course it has a large skate park.
The park is 15,000 square feet of street course park.
There are jumps for every skill level, with transition rails, ramps, rails, half pipes, fun boxes all made of steel and concrete.
You may also learn to skateboard here with clinics and camps.
There are skate board, inline and bmx competitions regularly.
Private lessons are also available.
You may pay a small admission to the skate park, or a larger price for the entire park.
There is cable wakeboarding, boating, snowboarding, paintball and other fun activities.
North Houston Skate Park
This is a city owned park, located at Kuykendahl at Rankin Roads in Houston.
Admission is free, but helmets are required and you must sign a waver.
It is open daily, with 20 acres of bowl and street park layouts.
The skate park is billed as the largest one of its kind in the United States, and with 78,000 square feet of skating area, it may well be.
It is connected to the city’s greenway of hiking and biking areas, and a BMX park opened recently next door.
It is largely a street style park that simulates an urban environment.
There are stairs, rails and benches. There are also plenty of bowls.
Heath Eiland and Morgan Moss BMX Skate Park
This park is operated by the City of Austin parks and Recreation department, and combines the worlds of BMX racing with a skate park.
Skaters and bikers will enjoy steep ramps, rails and bowls.
There is also a plaza or street style area with lots of steps and rails.
The park was opened in 2015, and is being utilized by all ages and skill levels.
There are two pieces of outdoor art that skaters may also play on, which adds to the unique quality of this park.
This park is located in the central part of the city.
Alliance Skate Park in Grand Prairie
The Alliance Skate Park in Grand Prairie, a suburb of Dallas, has indoor and outdoor skate park facilities, so you are not limited by the weather.
There is a skate shop here for all your skating needs.
Private lessons, as well as camps and clinics are offered throughout the year.
The park is mostly a bowl type park, but has some quality street type skating options.
There are regional competitions here, and it is a privately owned operation.
Lakeland Hills Skate Park in Dallas
This park is operated by the city of Dallas and focuses on skaters.
It was designed by professional skateboarder Dorian Tucker and has fun and skill in mind.
This one is a street type structure and may be more geared to the experienced skater.
It is ok for all skill levels, but it is more geared toward the experienced and somewhat skilled skate boarder.
It is open daily and free to use. It does not have many amenities, but it is hard to beat for pure skate boarding excitement.
image credit: Texas Ski Ranch Facebook page
