New York City Inline Skating Guide

Iconic spot directly underneath the Brooklyn Bridge that was extremely popular amongst aggressive inline skaters, boarders and BMX bikers, and was considered the iconic skateboard spot in the city until the actual skateparks started to pop up around town during the inline boom of the 1990s.

Unfortunately, the area was closed and fenced off in 2010, when NYC DOT started rehabilitation work on the bridge. It was supposed to re-open in 2014, but it wasn't until May 2023 that it partially re-opened.

City Parks Dept. facility located directly under the Manhattan Bridge and adjacent to Coleman Playground. The park is said to have been rebuilt/renovated in 2012. Also known as the Coleman Square Skatepark and as the Chinatown Skatepark.

The park has been very busy when I have skated by on weekend afternoons in 2018-2019, but except for the occasional skater on quad roller skates, seemingly everyone else was on a skateboard. There are some drainage problems and it is not uncommon for part of the park to remain wet for days after a good rain.

This is the one of two skateparks opened by the HRP trust since 2010. Also called the Pier 25 Skatepark, it is a skate "plaza" right alongside the river. Closest access is the N. Moore St. intersection on West St. It is also about three or four blocks north of Stuyvesant High School and Chambers St. Plenty of concrete ledges and such, but no ramps or pipes.

The park requires a helmet and recommends other padding, but the facility is unsupervised. Admission is free and the park is open 8 a.m. until sunset, year-round.

This is the first permanent skatepark opened (in May 2010) by the HRP trust after experimenting at a couple other locations to the south in Tribeca around Vestry St. and then further north at 30th St. near the heliport. This park is out on Pier 62 at 22nd St. by Chelsea Piers. Actually, this is the same pier where Chelsea Piers operated a skating rink and skatepark in the 1990s, but the new facility is publicly owned and there is no adjoining rink.

The facility is concrete and has a variety of skate toys, all designed to fit into an ovular shape with "natural" curves. The website has described it as "California-style".

The park requires a helmet and recommends other padding, but the facility is unsupervised. Admission is free and the park is open 8 a.m. until sunset.

Previously (or alternatively) known as the Riverside Skate Park.

The first of the new public skateparks to appear in the mid 1990s. It opened about Labor Day 1996 and for a while was one of only two public parks in the city, along with Mullaly in the Bronx. The park was renovated in 2013, but subsequently redesigned and rebuilt. The street course section opened in autumn 2020, but took another couple years before the separate concrete bowl was completed. The park had been called the Riverside Skate Park since it first opened, but with the 2020 renovation, it was officially renamed in memory of skateboarder Andy Kessler, who was a major force behind the original creation of the park.

In terms of the "three-tier" description of Riverside Park, the skatepark is on the lowest tier. It is immediately adjacent to the Henry Hudson Pkwy., but between the highway and the rest of the park rather than alongside the river. Enter the park at the stairs on Riverside Dr. at 108th St. and keep heading downward and toward the river. (Alternatively, enter at the 99th St. steps, then skate north and to the left.) The skate park is in the midst of a strip running from 101st St to 112th St. that includes basketball courts, beach volleyball courts and a softball diamond.

Like other city skateparks, admission is free. Full armor (helmet, kneepads, elbowpads and wristguards) and signed waiver are required. The park is open from mid April to late October, and perhaps into November if weather permits. Hours vary.

Small skatepark that opened in November 2017. The site is tucked away in the northeast corner of Thomas Jefferson Park, in between a couple basketball courts and the FDR, and right outside the south entrance of the MCSM high school. It's basically various skate toys in the midst of an asphalt playground, and our impression of the location in autumn 2024 was that it was looking a bit beat-up.

Also known as the 181st St. Skatepark.

A long time in the making, this skatepark opened late 2013 and is said to be the largest park in the city. It's a bit tricky to find because it's tucked away in an out-of-the-way location under a bridge. Head for the Washington Bridge at Amsterdam and 181st and look for a path on the south side heading down into Highbridge Park. Follow the path and you should find the skatepark underneath the Hamilton Bridge at 179th St. Unfortunately, there is a stairway and the path asphalt is not great, so you'll want to walk to the park and put your skates once you get there.

Small neighborhood skatepark, located at the west end of the park by the cricket grounds. No enclosing fence or other barrier, so skateable at any hour.

Small neighborhood skatepark, located in the middle of the park just north of the tennis courts and adjacent to P.S. 615. Opened August 2019.

Skatepark near the Manhattan Bridge that opened November 2016, located at what has been the informal "Fat Kid Spot" park. Obstacles are described as being "street-style".

Skatepark that opened the start of 2024, although the Parks Dept. doesn't seem to have hosted an official opening event until July. The park is located directly across Van Brunt from the Tesla dealership. It's not clear what official hours with an attendant might be, if there's an attendant at all. We have several times rolled in in the late evening, but the gates do eventually get locked for the night.

Addition of a skatepark was part of the plan for a complete renovation of the park playground area alongside Gershwin Jr. High School, which began 2019. We haven't heard yet what progress has been made on the skatepark.

A mostly concrete outdoor skatepark that opened in summer 2001. This is a public park, and admission is free. At one time the schedule seemed to differentiate between skateboard and BMX times. When we've skated past on weekend afternoons in recent years, users were split about half and half between skateboarders and scooter riders.

The skatepark is on the north side of Owl's Head Park. Easiest access is to head to the corner of Colonial Rd. and Wakeman Place, then follow the bikepath into the park about a hundred yards. Alternatively, head for the corner of 68th St. and Shore Road and take the bikepath north past the dog run.

Street-oriented skatepark of about 10,000 sq feet that opened late 2023 in the playground adjacent to Brooklyn Collegiate School.

Neighborhood park that underwent reconstruction after being closed for many years to facilitate subway work. When it re-opened in May 2018, it included a small skate area. Very small.

Public skate park that opened in summer 2008 alongside a new soccer field. Area is about 6000 square feet. It is located about a block north of Allerton Ave., and there is a loop off the Bronx Park East bikepath that passes alongside.

Also known as the Throggs Neck Skatepark. Small city Parks Dept. skatepark tucked away behind MS 101 in the far eastern Bronx.

This park just across 164th St. from new Yankee Stadium was in the early 1990s the only place in the city that could be called a skate park. On chilly autumn mornings, you could find kids sneaking in and wiping the dew off the decrepit mini-ramp so that they could get a few runs in before the gates were opened and a line formed.

The park has been renovated at least twice since then, including early 1998 and late 2003. Neither renovation has catered to inline skaters, and a visit in late 2016 suggests that the park users are almost entirely BMX type bikers. However, the Parks Dept. website as of 2024 indicates Mullaly is only open during the school year, and not during the summer

Note: The larger Mullaly park was renamed Rev. T. Wendell Foster Park in 2021, but the skatepark remains known as Mullaly.

New skatepark opened September 2018 after the neighborhood park underwent reconstruction.

Opened in 2010 and located across the street and south of the old Yankee Stadium site — and four or five blocks south of Mullaly Skatepark. Mostly open air, with just a small part under the elevated subway tracks. The site is all concrete, so there are ledges and such, but no ramps or pipes.

New skatepark opened August 2019.

Large public skatepark originally built in 2010 for a skateboarding competition. Located about a quarter mile south of the Unisphere and adjacent to the old New York State Pavilion.

Public skatepark that opened summer 2003. Located at the Greenhouse basketball courts.

Located on the border between Ozone Park and Woodhaven, about a mile south of the Forest Park facility. Outdoor public skatepark that opened in summer 2013. Basically a "skate plaza" with various features.

An outdoor public skatepark that opened in September 2004. Local skaters and boarders were able to contribute suggestions during the design process, and it's always been busy with skateboarders when we have skated by. There are ten ramps and several rails. Open mid April to mid October.

Reputedly the only indoor skatepark in the city, located about a mile south of the Staten Island Ferry landing at Richmond, and just around the corner from the Stapleton train station. Privately owned facility of about 8000 square feet that opened in 2012. The owners decided to open the spot after the city messed up Ben Soto Skatepark.

Public skate park that opened in April 2005. However, the city Parks Dept. removed and threw out all the equipment in April 2011 saying it was no longer in acceptable condition. A few rails and ledges were reported to have been left in place, but that's it.

Public skate park that opened in 2015 adjacent to Faber Pool and close to the Bayonne Bridge.

Publicly owned outdoor park that opened 2002. About 11k square feet, open to boards and inlines but no bikes. ID and protective gear required. Website also says proof of residence required, without indicating whether non-residents can use the park at all. Located about 2 miles south of the Baldwin station on the LIRR.

Free public outdoor skate park almost all the way to the east end of Long Island. Located on Moores Lane about a block north of Front St. and about 3/4 of a mile from the Greenport train station.

Publicly owned park that opened May 2004. About 9k square feet.

Entry fee and season pass pricing varies depending on whether you are a local resident.

Outdoor park. Over 14k square feet. Open seven days a week weather permitting, and open after dark. Located about a mile east of the Port Jefferson Station on the Long Island Rail Road.

Formerly located in New Jersey but now moved just barely across the border into Rockland County, close to I-87.