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It's all hands on deck at this hidden LA River fingerboard park
An obstacle at the L.A River Fingerboard Skatepark.
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Dañiel Martinez
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Head over to this hidden LA River skate park ... for finger skateboarders
Dañiel Martinez has more.
There’re plenty of skate parks in the region — skateboarding, after all, got its start in Southern California. But a skate park of another kind has risen on the banks of the L.A. River.
It’s for fingerboarding.
The L.A. River Fingerboard Skatepark is four feet tall and sits atop a bank of dirt barriers installed by the Army Corps of Engineers about a decade ago to control floods.
The view from the back end of the L.A. River Fingerboard Skatepark.
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Dañiel Martinez
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If you know, you know
There’s no exact address, finding it for yourself is part of the experience.
A group photo of fingerboarders at the the L.A. River Fingerboard Skatepark.
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Ryan Diaz
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Ryan Diaz
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“ The whole purpose of it is for you to get out and to use your brain and to discover the world, it just makes things fun,” said Ryan Diaz, who manages social media accounts dedicated to the fingerboard skatepark.
No one knows who built it or when it was built, but videos of people doing tricks on miniature ramps and rails started showing up on social media in March.
Diaz instantly recognized the location and decided to check it out. At that time, it was six by six feet — that’s before he started to add to it.
Others joined in and Diaz began documenting the expansion.
The park is about 90 feet long.
“Everyone does say if it wasn't for me, none of this would be happening,” Diaz said. “I was just happy to motivate people, bring out their creativity.”
Skate therapy
Levi Hernandez and his fingerboard.
Levi Hernandez performs a trick with his fingerboard.
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Levi Hernandez shows off his fingerboard.
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Levi Hernandez is from El Monte. It was his fourth time visiting on a recent Wednesday in July, but he’s been fingerboarding for nearly a decade, including at local events like ShredderMania.
He said he’s learning something new at the park.
“ It actually almost feels like real skateboarding in a way," Hernandez said. "Where your fingers end up sliding and where you're popping, it's just a lot of practice.”
Jimmy Tran of Chinatown is a regular that stops by the park on his way home from work every day. He used to skateboard – the real kind – regularly but had to stop after a bad injury.
Jimmy Tran performs a trick with his fingerboard.
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“ I could do the same tricks as skateboarding, but I don't have to get hurt at all, honestly. And I still have the satisfaction of landing a really clean trick,” Tran said.
Tran says it’s a place he can relax, be himself, and feel like a kid again.
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Saturdays are for building
Gilbert Medrano (left) and Ryan Diaz (right) co-manages the park.
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Ryan Diaz
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Ryan Diaz
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Build days to expand the park are on Saturdays.
“We have kids that come from the neighborhood, and we teach them how to pour concrete and stuff like that, kind of like a big brother role,” Diaz said.
Los Angeles River Fingerboard Skatepark
Where: The fingerboard park is in Atwater Village, near the Glendale-Hyperion Bridge, and between the Golden State Freeway and Glendale Boulevard. You'll find it on the opposite side of the Los Angeles River Bike Path.
When: Open every day. Saturdays are build days, starting at 11 a.m.
Besides the usual skatepark obstacles like ramps and rails, the crew also add art, including a large “LA” sign in Dodger Blue and requisite graffiti like the shark Diaz painted as a tribute to Jaws on a quarter pipe ramp.
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Darren Mojica performs a trick on the quarter pipe ramp.
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Diaz’s dream is for the park to be recognized by the city as a local landmark.
“I want the spot to last, and for years to come for people to come and visit,” Diaz said.
Saturday build days include decorating the park with graffiti and art.
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Dañiel Martinez
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LAist
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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