Needles Skatepark | City of Needles, CA

The Needles Skatepark is located in Duke Watkins Park in the city of Needles, California. This is a really nice cement skatepark with some pretty unique obstacles and a cool layout. The flow and transitions are good for riding a longboard in the skatepark. The Needles Skatepark is a good skatepark for riders of any skill level because of the variety and sizes of the obstacles.

First Impression of the Needles Skatepark:

Woah, I’ve never seen a bowl like that.

Pros:
The Needles Skatepark has many smooth transitions, two separate bowls, as well as plenty of street obstacles.

Cons:
Desert winds can cause this skatepark to get dusty and therefore the cement can be slick.

Know Before You Go:
The Needles Skatepark is located within the Duke Watkins Park which also has shaded picnic shelters, a playground, and bathrooms.

Directions:
Click here to get directions to the Needles Skatepark.

UPDATE: The aerial image below is an updated view of the Needles Skatepark layout. Note that the fence mentioned and in the images below has been removed.

Riders Thoughts: Needles Skatepark

The Needles Skatepark is a great cement skatepark with many cool features and a few unique obstacles. As you skate around the smooth, flat perimeter of the skatepark you can make your way up and down some ramps, around the bowls, in and out between the fence. (Update: there is no longer a fence here.)

smooth transitions and banked turns at the needles skatepark

My favorite part about the Needles Skatepark is the amount of smooth transitions and banked turns found throughout the entire park. These smooth transitions and banked turns are what make longboarding in a skatepark so fun. The obstacles in this skatepark are not huge, but the layout and flow of the park make it great for riding a longboard in a skatepark.

Shred it Later – Pin it Now

save this needles skatepark article to pinterest

There are different transition types on almost every wall in the skatepark. This gives riders the opportunity to use many different obstacle types in a single run. There is enough variety to provide riders with plenty of directional choices and the ability to make long lines and easily cruise around.

The center of the Needles Skatepark features a number of cool boxes, pyramids, rails, ramps, and a number of great banked turns. The boxes are in the middle of the park surrounded by ramps, quarter pipes, and smooth vert. The boxes, rails, and stairs have prime placement for ollies and jump tricks that lead to grinds.

obstacles and layout at the needles skatepark

The most unique feature of the Needles Skatepark are the odd humps and lumps in the middle of the park. These humps provide riders with a smooth transitioned obstacle in the middle of the bowl area. This lumpy area splits up this side of the skatepark and provides riders with a great opportunity to use their body weight to pump their momentum and build speed. This area is also a good place for riders to start a run because it’s tall but the smooth transitions are not as dramatic as a steep drop in.

Checking Out the Bowls

The Needles Skatepark features two different stand alone bowls. The first bowl is a large bowl with three different pockets – two round pockets and one squared off pocket forming two banked turns. This large bowl is lined in complete coping and sits about 4-6 feet deep.

bowl lined with coping at the needles skatepark

The second bowl in the Needles Skatepark is a small-medium sized bean shape bowl. This bowl is deeper on one side than the other and provides riders with coping as well as a rounded smooth roll in transition into the bowl which made it easy to roll into this bowl with the longboard. This steep roll in provides riders with a great amount of speed as they shred the banked turns of the bowl.

coming out of the bowl at the needles skatepark

Wanna see it in action? Check out this video! You can see both in the skatepark in first person and then you can see me shred the skatepark on my longboard!

Overall, the Needles Skatepark is a great skatepark for all riders. Newbies will have plenty of opportunity to ride on flat ground and try small obstacles but the park also provides a number of gradual transitions giving riders a good place to learn more. Advanced riders will find plenty of great obstacles and a fun place to try new things.

Thanks for Reading!

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Interested in trying a longboarding in the skatepark? Or on the market for a new board for cruising? Check out our Lost Coast Longboarding Skate Shop to see the latest line up of our hand crafted longboards from Lost Coast Longboarding. Or contact us to get started with your custom longboard idea.