Craig Ranch Skatepark in Las Vegas

Craig Ranch Skatepark is one of the best skateparks in Las Vegas! Las Vegas is home to a bunch of great skateparks – Anthem Skatepark being an area top contender. But the Craig Ranch Skatepark stands out from the others because it is a huge skatepark with unique obstacles and a really diverse layout. The skatepark features many different types of transitions which can give riders an opportunity to try different riding styles. Read on to get to know the layout and to learn what to expect when you visit the Craig Ranch Skatepark!

First Impression of Craig Ranch Skatepark

Wow, this skatepark is huge! When you first enter Craig Ranch Skatepark you see a cement paradise with unlimited potential.

Pros:
Open layout with great street and vert sections, numerous bowls to choose from. Great skatepark for anyone, beginners to pros.

Cons:
Can be VERY hot in the summer, but that’s to be expected in Las Vegas.

Know Before You Go:
Hours are 7am – 10 pm.

Directions:
Click here to get directions to Craig Ranch Skatepark

Also in the Area: Durango Skatepark | Mountain Ridge Skatepark | Anthem Skatepark | Wetlands Loop Trail

Riders Thoughts:

We have been to a number of the skateparks in the Las Vegas area and the Craig Ranch Skatepark is definitely one of the best. You’ll notice that I always ride my longboard in the skateparks and this particular skatepark is great for surfing the cement.

As I skated around the perimeter of the skatepark I was amazed with the large size of the skatepark and the variety of obstacles. Craig Ranch Skatepark seems to go on and on!

At first glance you can see at least four huge bowls, the dome of a cradle, boxes and ramps in every direction and unknown cement features in the distance.

Walking Tour of Craig Ranch Skatepark

If you walk straight ahead a few feet from the front gate to the hand railing you overlook three very deep bowls surrounded in full coping.

These bowls are for great for advanced riders because of their depth and the straight drop. The first of these bowls is kind of bean shaped with both a shallow and a deep end.

The bowl to the left is more of a clover shaped bowl. This bowl also has one end that is deeper than the other. The steep vert of this bowl makes it an advanced obstacle for experienced riders.

Moving on to the largest of these first three bowls which sits to the right as you walk in through the front gate. This very large bowl is surrounded in full coping and has a unique shape with many banked turns.

Again, this bowl is also a deep one with steep vert – a playground for advanced riders.

Craig Ranch Skatepark Street Section

Take a left at the main gate and you will come down a long mellow ramp past some cement boxes to a cement skate gazebo with ledges, ramps, stairs, and rails. This is a cool feature that street skaters will love.

The center gazebo has a long ramp with smooth transitions that goes almost all the way around. The ramp is broken up by a set of stairs and a rail. There are a number of boxes that protrude from the base. These boxes are great because the range of sizes allow riders to improve their skills gradually. All around the gazebo are cement ledges and ramps with boxes and a lot of shaded area for sitting.

Past the gazebo area is another great street skating section. This area drops in elevation by a set of stairs and some smooth transitioned ramps. This section is also accompanied by a cool little vert wall that becomes pretty tall when the floor drops.

I really enjoyed the smooth transitions all around the Craig Ranch Skatepark because it made it great for riding a longboard in the skatepark. This area is a great example because the smooth transitions made it so I could get up on the vert wall and wall ride instead of taking the stairs down.

Bowls and Ramps Along Back Wall

Along the long back wall of the skatepark there is a variety of bowls and ramps. These bowls are not your typical bowls because they have a very gradual flat decline. The transitions are smooth but more angled than rounded.

These bowls are very wide and gradually get deeper and deeper. The rounded corners are great for learning how to take banked turns. The gradual ease of the ramps is also great for riders to learn how to control a their speed in a skatepark. This area has a number of boxes, pyramids, and ledges.

The back side of the Craig Ranch Skatepark has some cool ramps that stick out of the ground.

Unique Bowl and Its Sections

The back right corner of the Craig Ranch Skatepark has a unique bowl with many different sections. There are several different ways to enter this bowl. You can drop in from the coping anywhere, but if you can’t drop in there are still a few different ways to get into this bowl. The back of the bowl has a long flat ramp with vert sides that gradually get deeper. Or there is a peninsula feature that is rounded enough to roll in from. There is also a steep roll in wall into the deepest part of this bowl. All of these roll in options really made this bowl a lot of fun when riding a longboard in the skatepark.

This bowl has a lot of banked turns and pockets that are great for pumping to build or maintain speed throughout the entire bowl. There is a rounded hump in the middle of the bowl that kind of serves as a separation when the park is crowded. But the smooth transitions of this hump can be used to maintain speed while transitioning between sides of the bowl. The front half of this bowl has a pair of “U” pockets that share a spine. These turns are great for building speed to take the other banked turns at a high speed. This bowl is not too deep but I think the flow is great and fast enough to launch me and my longboard over the coping and out of the bowl.

The Cradle Bowl

The large bowl in the middle of the skatepark is where you can find the cradle. This odd shaped bowl and the dome that sits above the ground makes it the most dramatic feature of the Craig Ranch Skatepark.

This is a really cool bowl because it is engineered for riders to quickly and easily build up speed for the cradle. This is a very fun bowl to ride a longboard in because of the steep wall with a smooth roll in.

This steep roll gives riders a lot of speed very quickly. The roll in puts riders in the perfect position to build more speed on the banked walls and then take the cradle while going fast.

I was excited to longboard in this bowl and I was happy to make it over the equator of the cradle on the first time!

Shred it Later – Pin it Now!

If you’re a skater and you find yourself in Las Vegas, bring your board because you have to check out the Craig Ranch Skatepark. This skatepark is great for anyone! The variety of obstacles and gradual changes in the sizes of these features will help any rider strengthen their skills. You will leave this skatepark a better skater than when you arrived.

This is not the only skatepark of this caliber in the Las Vegas area. If you like Craig Ranch Skatepark then you’ll also want to check out Anthem Skatepark in Henderson!

Thanks for Reading!

Thanks for reading our article about the Craig Ranch Skatepark in Las Vegas. We love taking the opportunity to experience new skateparks as we travel to new places. Check out the articles below to see some more great skateparks!

• Rhodes Skatepark in Boise
• Anthem Skatepark in Henderson
• Frisco Skatepark
• Volcom Brothers Skatepark in Mammoth Lakes

We live on the road full time and love checking out skateparks and new hiking opportunities! And to sustain our lifestyle we create hand painted longboards as well as design and screen print our own shirts. To see our latest lineup of hand crafted longboards and apparel head over to our Lost Coast Longboarding Shop!

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