Hit the deck and get ready to roll in Sacto

From the start, Sacramento has been home to some of the biggest names in the sport: John Cardiel, Brandon Biebel, Omar Salazar, Matt Rodriguez, and Stefan Janoski.

Sacramento is also home to some of the best skate parks in the country, making it a prime destination for skaters across the map. Our city has been featured in internationally distributed videos and magazines. Just in time for summer, we've compiled a list of the best places to skate around town.

Granite Skate Park, located off Power Inn Road, is one of the largest skate parks in the country. At 45,000 square feet, this place is truly massive. There are bowls for all levels of skaters, ranging from three to 15 feet. "Good for bowls and transfers," says ARC student John Bechtel. The park also features a street course featuring stair gaps and ledges. "It's great for all levels, and has a nice street area too," says Bechtel. Truthfully, anyone can find something to skate here. The only real downside to the park is its crowds.

For a strait street-style course, the Mather Field skate park offers a great combination of stairs, rails, ledges, quarter-pipes, and transitions. It all flows well and isn't crowded if you get there in the morning to early afternoon. The five-stair gap and its hip-high rail is the most challenging obstacle at the park being that it is long and has little starting space, but it doesn't prove impossible to gain ample speed to clear.

"It's a pretty well rounded skate park, especially for street skating," says Folsom Lake College student Alex Dilley, "it never gets too crowded. I really like the ledges too, they're pretty clean."

On those blisteringly hot summer days, the Epic Skate Park in Rocklin offers a fully air-conditioned indoor course. At over 36,000 square feet, this place is huge, and offers a bit of everything. This place is really clean and has tons of ledges, gaps, and even a giant wasabi dish that you can skate. The bowls are wooden and flow really nicely. This place does have a steep entrance fee of $12 per two hour session, and pads are required, but overall, it's worth it.

The 28th and B Skate Park is a local favorite frequented by pros like Brandon Biebel, Matt Rodriguez, and Omar Salazar. Located at Sutter's Landing, the park is an old hanger that was converted into a skate park. Often referred to simply as the "Hanger," this park boasts a wooden bowl, ledges, a fun box, quarter pipes, and a 10-stair with a handrail. There is a fee of three dollars unfortunately, and the times are a bit weird, but during the summer, they will offer extended hours to the public.

The skate park at Rusch Park in Citrus Heights may not seem like much at first, but it definitely packs a nice punch if you are into bowls. There is a nice variety of ledges here as well. Lines are quite easy to find, and the park is designed really well. The only problem with the park is that the street course only consists of the ledges. Hours are from sun-up to sun-down, and pads are required.

"It's a mid-range park, but not a lot of street terrain," says Bechtel, "it's good for skating with your friends if you're in the area."

"La Sierra has a plaza style layout," explains Bechtel. "It has metal ramps that have recently been upgraded from the water and aged-damaged wood ramps."  The recent upgrades increase the appeal because there are more options for different styles of skateboarding.  This skate park has the added bonus of being the closest in proximity to the ARC campus, located off of Walnut and Engle.  Safety equipment is required and helmets are loaned to patrons free of charge.