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.

Northeast Bend, Oregon skaters are stoked to get a new skatepark in Rockridge park, but not too stoked on the proposed Evergreen design, described as a “lunar landscape.” Here’s the thing, they just want a regular skatepark, and not a throwback to some terrain not really seen since the 70’s. I remember similar pushback to the modern snake run that was supposed to happen in Gabriel Park. In the end the design changed on the fly during construction and we got the best of neither worlds. However, Gabriel Park is still a fun park with a lot to offer. The Rockridge park design is unique, and would probably be a lot of fun to ride, but it won’t offer the typical skatepark experience. Northwest skatepark building companies have traditionally been on the forefront of unique designs and features, but there will always be those that just prefer predictable reliability. How do we balance the risk? Will locals adapt and enjoy? We won’t know for sure until it gets built. Would I want this if it was the only skatepark in my area? It probably wouldn’t be my first choice. In addition to an existing skatepark this lunar landscape, Bend is…

Pigeon Park in Hernando Mississippi, built by Evergreen Skateparks. Hard to believe it, but this is Mississippi’s first public skatepark.* It appears to be out in the middle of nowhere in a field. Maybe it was the only parcel of land the city was willing to part with. A nice setting nonetheless. 5 years in the making, thanks to local organizers and fundraising, and now it’s open. Wonderful. Video and still from Above Productions. (Update: Hard to believe because the video claim appears to be incorrect. Thanks to Joesf for pointing out another public concrete park already in existence in Vicksburg. This shouldn’t take anything away from Pidgeon Park. )

Evergreen Skateparks just finished a new park on the Blackfeet reservation in Browning, Montana. Thunder Park is yet another skatepark funded by Jeff Ament, and it looks like a fun one. Aside from the usual elements we’ve come to expect, there’s a moonscape-like mogul field reminiscent of some parks that were built in the 70’s, but you know, good.

Rain did not slow down the first pour of the newest skatepark in Portland. Billy Tavita Jasper and others on the Evergreen crew were hard at work. Please appreciate the new R.E.I. skatepark tent tarp which can not be deployed without a backhoe. G.V.K. out

You’re looking at a new Evergreen Skateparks skate spot that is included the brand new Khunamokwst Park being built in the Cully neighborhood of NE Portland. What is a Khunamokwst? It’s a Chniook wawa word that means “together.” It’s actually the first park in Portland’s system that has an indigenous name, and has a fairly routine pronunciation. The larger park is scheduled to open in Spring of 2015, and although the skate spot should be completed much sooner, it seems unlikely that the fences will come down to allow skating before the whole park is finished.

Evergreen Skateparks is working on a park in Browning, Montana on the Blackfeet reservation. The project is being sponsored by Jeff Ament. The park (Big o capsule replica included) is on track to be finished in mid to late October. Meanwhile, Evergreen is breaking ground on a skatespot near the Cully neighborhood in NE Portland on September 15th.

Here’s a couple of construction photos of the new skatepark in Milliken, Colorado being built by Evergreen Skateparks.

We went to the new skatepark in Happy Valley, Oregon last night. This detail of bizarro Rich captured in panorama mode actually does a good job of representing our disjointed session there. Not visible in this shot are the 30 some odd kids roaming the perimeter. Imagine your entire peripheral vision filled with kids on skateboards, scooters, wiggle sticks and bikes, all about to run into you. It was pinball city.

Evergreen Skateparks is making progress on the Happy Valley skate spot. It looks like it has a couple interesting features already. They are splitting the construction updates between Facebook and their official site.