Feature photo by theagent. Photo above by peterbaker.

California has an amazing range of skateparks. If you’re a skater and you’re travelling about, missing out on California would be like missing out on air and food.

Listed below you’ll find what are arguably the best parks the Golden State has to offer. There’s no specific order here – they’re all good - and they’re all free unless otherwise noted.

Santa Ana Skatepark

Street skaters take note. This 12,000 sq. footer has what you crave: fun boxes, ledges, pyramids, plus 11 and 7 stairs with rails and hubbas.

See it skated:

Benicia X Park

At a cost of $850,000 to build, the 20,000 sq. ft. Benicia park is sick. The street section has all the usual fare and flows into a quarter pipe area that waterfalls into a 9-foot bowl.

Map: skatespotter.com

See it skated:

Carson Warner Memorial Skatepark, Healdsburg

Located in an actual park, there are some shaded areas with benches and a deck. The skatepark itself is 20,000 sq. ft. with both a shallow and deep bowl connected by a spine. A nice sized roll in quarter pipe completes the package.

Map: www.carsonwarnerskate.com

See it skated:

Palm Desert Skatepark

If you can stand the heat, you’ll enjoy this park, which is split into 5,000 sq. ft. for beginners and 15,000 sq. ft. for everyone else. A nice snake run spits you out into a 7- foot bowl, plus all the basic street stuff. $5 entry fee.

Martinez Skatepark

If you’re a street skater, this may not be ideal with its limited street course, but the walls and bowl are all 7 feet and offer some nice clean speed.

See it skated:

Tanzanite Skatepark, Sacramento

16,000 sq. ft. of concrete designed by California Skateparks. There’s bowls as well as a damn fine 13-foot over-vert pocket. Rip it up.

See it skated:

Grass Valley Skatepark

Get your speed on at Grass Valley with its smooth as silk concrete. Not a ton of stuff for the street skater, but why not try the bowls?

See it skated:

Novato Skatepark

Novato’s 15,000 sq. ft. park has some nice coping and is just as smooth and fast as can be. There’s an open lawn area, and hey, Novato just seems nice and laid back.

Site: http://www.cityofnovato.org/index.aspx?page=541

See it skated:

Delano Skatepark

Don’t forget your helmet when you come to skate this 23,342 sq. ft. beauty. When the sun goes down, the lights come on for some night sessions.

Photo by bent_karma.

Mariposa Skatepark

Faster, faster, faster! This park has a snake run with a little decline to help with speed. 8,000 sq. ft. that pack a punch.

See it skated:

The Cove, Santa Monica

It ain’t free, but it’s 20,000 sq. ft. of assorted goodness. Come for the tranny skating – you won’t be disappointed. Resident $5, non $5.50.

Site: http://www.smgov.net/comm_progs/skatepark/

See it skated:

Volcom Skatepark, Costa Mesa

Beautifully smooth concrete, nice big transitions, a vert bowl, street stuff, all laid out in a 20,000 sq. ft. area.

Site: http://www.ci.costa-mesa.ca.us/recreation/skatepark.htm

See it skated:

Chino Skatepark

There’s a 3-leaf clover bowl, a 9 foot square bowl and more banks than Wall Street. Pads and helmets required.

See it skated:

Pala Skatepark

Shred the 9-foot deep kidney pool (6 foot shallow end) or take on the hybrid street section/flow bowl. 18,000 sq. ft. $5 entry fee.

Site: http://www.palaskatepark.com

See it skated:

YMCA Magdalena Ecke Skatepark, Encinitas

Home to the huge 2003 X-Games vert ramp, 37,000 sq. ft. of pools, pyramids, rails and a wooden street/flow course. $5 members/$10 non.

Site: http://209.200.114.27/pub/skate/

See it skated:

Ken Wormhoudt Skatepark, Santa Cruz

Legendary park architect Zach Wormhoudt gives skaters a 15,000 sq. ft. park with a crazy full pipe wave that leads into the bowls. The street course has all the fixin’s.

Site: http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/pr/parksrec/parks/skatepark.html

See it skated:

Lake Cunningham Skatepark, San Jose

56,000 sq. ft! A snake run, a full pipe, a downright insane vert wall, a flow course… this place is unreal. Five bucks.

See it skated: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvEDsFVd2jg

Photo by jess.stone.

Phil Shao Memorial Skatepark, Redwood City

In 1998, pro-skater Phil Shao was killed by a drunk driver. His memory lives on in this 13,000 sq. ft. park. Nice street section, a big bowl and the concrete is swell.

Sunnyvale Skatepark

There’s a nice big bowl, a whole whack of things to grind and some really smooth transitions between the bowls. Throw in the vert wall, stairs, and you’ve got a perfectly skateable 18,500 sq. ft.

See it skated:

Alameda Skatepark

Local skaters built this 15,000 sq. ft. park back in the day. It still holds up today with a good street section and a nice view of the San Francisco bay.

See it skated:

Mike Jones

Mike Jones is the author of numerous works of fiction and non fiction. His latest short film script "The Girl Who Cried Pearls" will be released in the fall of 2008. If you are interested in reading more of his work, you can do so at www.jonesmike.wordpress.com.