Burnside Skatepark

Burnside Skatepark under the east end of the Burnside Bridge is one of the most famous skateparks in the world — not for its design (which was built incrementally by amateurs without a plan) but for what it represents. The DIY spirit, the community ownership, and the decades of continuity have made it a pilgrimage site for skateboarders. International pros visit regularly; local skaters who have been coming since the early 1990s are still there.

The park consists of bowls, banks, and transitions of varying sizes, all in grey concrete, with the constant rumble of bridge traffic overhead. It is free, open 24 hours, and can be observed from the Burnside Bridge pedestrian walkway. The Saturday Market operates directly across the street on weekends. Burnside is not a beginner park — the regulars are skilled and the etiquette is fairly strict.

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A story
Burnside Skatepark was built without permission. In 1990, a group of skateboarders began pouring concrete under the east end of the Burnside Bridge in a space that had been used as a dumping ground. The city initially threatened to demolish it but eventually gave up and incorporated the park into the city's bridge maintenance permit. The park has never received public funding; it is maintained entirely by the skate community and expanded by volunteers over the decades.

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