If you're looking for a park to hit in the Scottsdale/Phoenix area, then you're going to want to read this.  After 10 years of planning and blueprints set forth and turned down, and planning some more, a skate park set in the beautiful landscape of the McDowell Mountains has finally been built.    It's called McDowell Mountain Ranch.

When you first enter this park you notice the great amount of kids here. Not teenagers, I mean kids around 10+. But the thing is, these kids can rip! I was watching them 50-50 rails, clearing 6 stairs, and ollieing up 3 foot boxes. Then there are all these banks and stairs that create a tremendous amount of lines and gaps to clear. I am not that kind of skater tough, but for one who is, this would be an excellent place. Gaps ranging from 3 to 6 feet and lines that can carry you all the way around the park. Plus there’s a whole mecca of hills ranging from the mellowest to the fastest around right around the corner. 

As you make your way up towards the north end of the park, this beautiful bowl comes upon you. With a long 6 foot leading into a 12 foot to the left and an 8 foot to the right. This is a very fun bowl to ride in. There are just a few things that are annoying, but nothing bad. First thing I noticed was that these walls are steep! Not just in the 12 and 8 foot parts, but in the 6 foot too. I could swear that the walls in the 6 foot are as steep as the 12 foot. Second is that I found this bowl to very hard to keep your speed in. I am starting to figure it out, but it is still a little tricky to keep your speed going around. Other than that, this bowl is a beauty. Smooth pavement and excellent transitions.

In the 6 foot section there is a half pipe section which is very fun to mess around on. I wouldn’t call it easy though; this thing feels like a mini vert. Then there is the 8 foot park which is almost like a nice little nook to go into. There is a hip on the left that makes part of the 12 foot bowl and then another hip that shoots you right out into the hip on the left side straight into the 12 foot bowl. Then the 12 foot is a very nice. It has a very easy transition leading up into the vert. As you go around you’ll end up on one of the hips making up a small portion of the wall. This hip can either bring you around for another run in the vert or can lead it out into the 6 foot section for another round of the entire thing. Very fun.

Overall, this is a very nice and fun park. Great atmosphere, with kids absolutely screaming with talent. If you’re ever in Scottsdale or Phoenix definitely try to make a stop at the McDowell Mountain Ranch skate park for some skating. Bring a longboard too though; hills are right around the corner.