Best Skating Spots at Cal Poly – if it were Allowed
Cal Poly has many different places where people can bike all around campus; however, it lacks places to skateboard. That is because technically people aren’t allowed to skateboard on campus. Now, if students were allowed to skateboard on campus, these would be some pretty good spots to hit up (but this is in no way encouraging you to do so).
Starting at the top – literally – with Cerro Vista. Since the apartments are on top of a huge hill, there is basically a built-in ramp to go down and gain speed.
If you’re lucky, this speed can then carry the skater all the way to the North Mountain dorms and Poly Canyon Village (PCV) apartments depending on how good of a skater they are. But if you’re someone like me, a ramp like this will carry you all the way to the hospital.
If that slope was too much to handle, then there are two other bends on-campus that might suffice and won’t get you going as fast.
Consider these ones the more scenic routes that you can go down, with plenty of places you can grab food along the way.
It’ll take a hot second to get there, but after you start going you’ll land right in between the Red brick dorms and North Mountain.
The next spot splits between North and South Perimeter Drive and the skater can choose to embark on either a nice smooth skate towards the University Union (UU) and the bottom of Shake Smart or towards Campus Market near the edge of Campus.
Next, there is a smooth, flat-looking spot that is very long and ends with a nice gentle slope. It is located behind PCV, where the Chinese plum trees line the road. It ends by making a left, down the gentle slope to Campus Market.
Now, if you are just starting out and are not too confident going fast or down any hills, here is a perfect spot just for you: the parking structures! They are flat and super easy to ride on.
These provide a nice place to practice tricks or glide along the flat floor, as long as you are safe and aware of cars driving around.
Although these are all just hypothetical spots, because I certainly would never condone breaking the rules and actually skateboarding on campus. However, if you get any ideas on your own and decide you are going to skateboard anyway, the place that you should most definitely start is right in front of the police station.
It’s a great beginner’s spot because it is a nice flat ride. Also, it saves them the trouble of finding you skateboarding somewhere else on campus because you deserve to be reprimanded for breaking the rules.
At the end of the day, skateboarding is a lot of fun but remember skating on campus ultimately isn’t allowed. So, if you choose to ride, stay safe, stay off-campus and, always wear a helmet.
