Rodgers Family Skate Plaza
Rodgers Family Skate Plaza, generally referred to as Apex Skatepark, is the most accessible park in the triangle. It has options for vert, bowl, rail/ledge, stair, and flat-ground skating. With a variety of things to skate, both beginner and experienced skaters can be using the same obstacles in completely different ways. But due to the accessibility, along with the fact that it is located near various neighborhoods, it’s not uncommon for parents to let their kids roam free. Perhaps the biggest obstacle at this park is trying not to run into a wandering toddler. The popularity of this park is also evident during any time that’s not early in the morning. If you aren’t good at navigating your way around other skaters, this park probably isn’t the best choice. The best times to come would either be very early or very late, which is no problem because this park has overhead lights around the area. Overall I rate this park a 7/10.

Durham Skate Park

Durham Skate Park is frequently overlooked. Located on the outskirts of downtown Durham, this skatepark has everything a skater would want; a big but mellow bowl, plenty of ramps and transition, rails and ledges, stair sets, and some well-designed obstacles that take creativity to skate. However, the flow of this park isn’t very impressive, at times it can even seem confusing as to why some things are placed where they are. Durham Skatepark also is one of the only skateparks in the area that hosts somewhat frequent competitions and events. Manifest Skate Shop, the only skate shop in Durham, is usually the one running these events and they encourage everyone to come and show support any way they can. Durham Skatepark is probably the most unified and accepting skatepark someone can go to. I rate this park an 8/10.

Graveside

Graveside is one of Raleigh’s only D.I.Y. skateparks. With construction starting around five years ago, it has become a common favorite amongst skaters not only in Raleigh, but all over North Carolina. Graveside is a park that is not recommended for someone learning how to skate. Since it was built by skaters who knew exactly what they wanted to skate, the obstacles at this park are definitely on the difficult side. The whole park is on a flat lot so it relies mostly on ramps and rails which were all made by the community. Graveside is one of the fastest growing parks with new additions coming in all the time. This makes it all the more saddening that it was announced to be getting torn down within a year. Due to the skatepark being located on private property, there’s nothing to be done about the apartments set to be built on the land it lays on. I rate this park 9/10.