Las Vegas Durango Hills YMCA Skatepark
Opened in the Fall of 2002, the Durango Hill
YMCA skatepark seems to attract all the bmx'ers. Some of the features had
me thinking... who in the hell designed this place? It look as if the designers
wanted a "safe" skatepark. The street area features are "mini-me"
sized. Look at the size (or lack of size) of the ledges! The coping throughout
the park is recessed and the concrete finish is very rough (not safe!). Be
prepared to shed some blood if you fall! The bowls are about 6' deep with
zero vert. There is a pyramid type thing located a few feet back from the
coping, between the two bowls. What the hell were they thinking when that
idea was put to paper??? The only people to use it are the bikers who launch
out of the bowls and bounce their tires off the top. Oh, I forgot... that
is why this park is so damn popular with the bikers! One would think with
the hodge-podge of bizarre skateparks Las Vegas has to offer they would finally
get one right. Not a chance! Nor will they get it right until they let a qualified
design/build team do the job right the first time!
On the plus side, it is free to skate and lights are used for those night
sessions. One interesting thing about this train wreck is the lighting system
the Y installed. There is a pole located at the entrance to the skatepark.
When you press the button, the lights switch on (don't try it in the daylight
hours or after the park closes... the light will not work). By pushing the
button, the light will stay on for an hour. When five minutes are remaining,
a red light on top of the pole will light up. You have to push the button
again so the lights will stay on for another hour.
Open from 9-9
Unsupervised, pad optional
Directions:
Take 95 to Cheyenne and go west. Turn onto right on Durango (north). Go a
few blocks and turn left on Majestic Valley Ave. You will see the YMCA and
the skatepark. If you pass Gowan, you have gone too far.




