Riverside Railyard skatepark

Located at 500 River Drive North, Great Falls, MT 59401, inside Elks Riverside Park along the scenic Missouri River, the Riverside Railyard is an absolute crown jewel of the Pacific Northwest skate scene. Spanning an enormous 27,000 square feet (approx. 2,500 square meters), it ranks as one of the 20 largest skateparks in the United States. The Riverside Railyard Skatepark in Great Falls officially opened in October 2008.

Designed by Tim Altic of Alltech Skateparks Inc. and built in the early 2000s, the park's flow layout was engineered to cater seamlessly to everything from standard street skating to extreme, high-speed transition riding. It boasts over 100 transfer lines across the facility. The absolute centerpiece of the park is an incredible concrete full-pipe funnel. This massive pipe acts as a physical bridge, allowing skaters to pump through and transfer directly between the park's intermediate section and its largest bowls. The transition section features three major deep bowls (5, 8, and 9 feet deep). The deepest pockets push completely past vertical into a "clamshell" over-vertical pocket.

This park holds a hilarious and legendary spot in skate history. Shortly after it opened, Tony Hawk visited the park. However, the session was famously cut short when local police arrived and detained Hawk's video producer and several local kids. At the time, Great Falls enforced a strict helmet ordinance, and the police didn’t care that the world’s most famous skateboarder was the one putting on the show.