The ten worst skateparks in Colorado

The November issue of Thrasher included the results of a contest in which the magazine had asked readers for the worst skateparks in their towns for a list titled "Certified Piece of Suck: Doo-Doo Skatepark Construction."

One of these pieces of suck is located in Colorado.

In recent years, Colorado has developed into a mecca of skateboarding, with new and innovative skateparks made famous across the country by local videos made by skateboarders. But while some of the parks are worthy of praise, others are rightly panned -- whether because they're slowly decaying or just built badly in the first place.

Here's our list of Colorado's ten worst skateparks, with pictures provided by The Colorado Skateboard Guide. Disclaimer: I have skated the Longmont, Berthoud, Idaho Springs, Erie, and Estes Park skateparks. Based on pictures and tips from local skateboarders I was able to compile this list.

10. Confluence Skatepark, Delta
The park contains almost nothing but a decaying metal mini-ramp and an awkwardly placed bench. The quarter pipe on the fringe of the concrete looks a bit too steep for such a short ramp, too. The weirdest feature is the cylindrical bench in the middle of the park, which is obviously too wide for boardsliding or grinding on.

9. Cole Creek Skatepark, Erie
We'll admit that this park looks great for youngsters eager to learn how to skate. Yet, the box in the middle of the park, as seen in the picture above, is nearly as tall as that young kid rolling around, and it isn't long enough to get a solid grind on.

8. Schey Skatepark, Keenesburg
Boring blue pre-fab is about all this park has to offer -- and it uses less than half of the land allotted.

7. YMCA of the Rockies Skatepark, Estes Park
The YMCA of the Rockies is a great retreat for anyone looking to spend an activity-filled weekend in Colorado's prettiest national park. It has nearly every outdoor activity you could want at a family resort -- even a skatepark. The skatepark has the potential to be a fun little spot: between the curved flatbar, the picnic table converted into a box and the launch ramp, you've got yourself an afternoon of skateboarding. But there's one problem: The skatepark is crowded into a fenced in-court. Because of this, every obstacle in the park gets in the way of the other obstacles; if you want to grind the curved flatbar, you're going to hit the benches; if you want to go off the launch ramp, you'll fly right into the chain-link fence.

6. Hayden Skatepark, Hayden
Much like the Schey skatepark, the Hayden park is all boring pre-fab. The two quarter pipes on the perimeter of the park, with the edges of the ramp hanging a few inches above the concrete, provide nothing more than a slam for any skateboarder who attempts to ride up them. Most of the other ramps seem lazily plopped down on the concrete, and provide neither flow nor practicality for any skateboarder.