Vernonia, Oregon is the Best!
Enjoy these mediocre photos (except for the drone shot, which is not mine.) of what is now my favorite skatepark. You’re looking at a semi-new a park in sleepy little Vernonia, Oregon, built by Evergreen Skateparks. About an hour outside of Portland, Vernonia has less than 3000 people. The axe on the left side is a nod to its logging history. You can tell you’re riding an Evergreen skatepark if it’s got that moonscape feel with bits of coping sticking out of what might otherwise be a tribute to the best parts of 70’s era skateparks. This version features the usual connected low bowls, bumps, and berms with the addition of a pump track round the outside. But again, they’ve improved on the traditional pump track with subtle variations on either side, so you can ride the track multiple times in various combinations, hitting (or ignoring) obstacles along the way, reversing course without losing speed. So many combinations for fun. There’s also a medium sized, mellow bowl in the middle. I can’t tell you enough how much love this park. I can’t wait to get back there.
Evergreen isn’t known for the deep stuff, so if you’re craving vert you’ll have to look elsewhere. The same goes for street elements, present in small does but nowhere near being a street plaza. Still, in my mind this is a thoroughly modern skatepark. Keep your eyes peeled for the muscle cars (Superbird!) and the sweet Doberman’s next door. These pics don’t do it justice, you have to ride it. See more (and better!) photos in Evergreen’s gallery.
Sooo fun. The aerial view is hot..
It is a terrible place for what locals call “outsiders”. Many of the locals are related to each other and are actually hostile to anyone new coming in. A man walking across the bridge ran right in to a 2 year old outsider almost making him fall into traffic. The man stalked off , did not even apologize. Outsiders going into cafes are openly glowered at by locals and treated rudely by one waitress. The goal of many locals is to keep the town small. They say things like ” we don’t get many outsiders here” ( and with their manners they won’t get many more). Zero stars would be too good.
I’ve been there a handful of times and usually eat lunch in town too. Every experience we’ve had with the locals has been positive.
Try living there, some people are not so lucky. They can be nice to tourists, that is in their interest.