Six L.A. Skate Parks, Ranked by What the City Posts. Venice Comes Last.

Each park is judged on its own city page’s posted size, hours and lights, and none of the six mentions lights at all.

Pedlow Skate Park in Encino takes first place, and the margin is one number: 8,500 square feet. Of six skate parks on the City of Los Angeles’ own list, it’s the only one whose page says how big anything is.

The Department of Recreation and Parks puts 30 sites on its skate park list. Six are ranked here, judged on what each park’s own city page posts about the three things a skater needs before leaving the house: size, hours and lights. The other 24 aren’t ranked. On lights there’s nothing to rank anyway. None of the six pages mentions them.

1. Pedlow Skate Park, Encino

Pedlow’s page is the one the others should copy. It lists the 8,500-square-foot bowl with rails, plus a snake run and a half pipe. It posts hours by the month: in October it stays open until 7:30 p.m. every day, starting at 10 a.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. on weekends.

Entry is free. Skateboards and inline skates are welcome; bikes and scooters aren’t. It’s also the oldest of the bunch, according to the page, which says Pedlow was the department’s first skate park, dedicated Feb. 17, 2001. The first one built is still the best explained.

2. Stoner Skate Park, West Los Angeles

Stoner’s page posts hours, says it’s open seven days a week and lists every holiday closure through Christmas. Three of the six pages manage none of that.

The trouble is the hours themselves. The page gives 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. as “Regular Hours” and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. “During Daylight Savings.” Set that next to Pedlow, which trims its hours starting Nov. 1, and a skater is left to work out which Stoner schedule applies on a given evening. No size, no lights.

3. Watts Skate Park

The Watts Skate Park page posts hours, technically. For the park on East 115th Street, it says “Open from dusk to dawn,” then says it again under facility features.

Taken at its word, Watts is the one park on this list that opens when the sun goes down, on a page that never mentions a light. It ranks third because it posted something. What it posted is another matter.

4. Hansen Dam Skate Park, Lake View Terrace

Hansen Dam’s page has an address on Foothill Boulevard, a phone number, five photos and a “Facility Features” heading with nothing under it. No hours, no size. The photos are why it’s fourth: at least a skater can see the place.

5. Charmette Bonpua, South Los Angeles

The page for Charmette Bonpua at 5001 Rodeo Road, also listed as the Rancho Cienega Safe Spot Skate Spot, offers one photo, a phone number and the same empty features heading. Two names, zero hours.

6. Venice Beach Skate Park, Venice

Yes, that Venice. Last place sounds wrong for the most famous park in town, but the case is short: its city page lists 1800 Ocean Front Walk, one photo, an empty features heading and a phone number, (310) 396-6794. That’s fifth place minus the second name.

If you want Venice’s hours, the page’s answer is to call.

Which leaves the winner on a clock. Pedlow’s 7:30 p.m. closings run through Oct. 31. Starting Nov. 1, it opens at noon on weekdays and closes at 5:30 p.m. every day.

Source: City of Los Angeles, retrieved October 17, 2026. Other sources: City of Los Angeles (2), City of Los Angeles (3), City of Los Angeles (4), City of Los Angeles (5), City of Los Angeles (6), City of Los Angeles (7).