Skateboarding in Hood River

City: 

When the wind dies on your kite session, shower beneath the 90-degree water that has been baking in the dry sun from your portable camp shower, grab a fresh burrito and a bag of Rainier Cherries from the local stand at the northern edge of town and pull the skateboard out for some concrete surfing.

Difficulty: All levels and abilities

Season: The dry season begins in June and typically lasts into the Indian summer of September.

Fees: The park is free and open to the public all year long.

Getting There: Follow Cascade Street from downtown past the Wal-Mart and McDonalds and at the Subway, turn left on 20th Street. Keep left, down the hill and the park will be on your left at 20th and Wasco.

About the Skate Park: Dreamland Skateboard Parks have turned Oregon into a skateboarding mecca with their innovative use of cement to sculpt fluid skate parks. From the boys that founded Burnside in Portland, see how they are revolutionizing the sport with innovative designs, community redevelopment, and local government cooperation.

Hood River Skateboarding
Hood River Park I and II is a mathematical equation of constant motion; every feature has been designed with limitless combination of moves that connect to an infinite number of routes. This is a local skater's pride and joy with a mini bowl, a 12-foot vert ramp with 8-foot and 6-foot sections, a street course with a fun box, a 4-foot quarter pipe, side ramps and a dragon tail ledge.

The park is enormous and much bigger in possibility than size may show. The designers built the park with the community's input, from the local rider's skill level and growth potential to ecology concerns by nestling the park in and among and an old growth timber stand.

By Matthew White
For Oregon.com