China Creek Bowls Skatepark

China Creek Bowls Skatepark was opened in May 1979 and was among the first skateparks in the Lower Mainland. Area residents, including youth living nearby, contributed to its design and ever since it has become one of several centres for the skateboard community and culture. Skateboarding in bowls was popular in the 1970s and 1980s and the park pre-dates the emergence of street style skateboarding. It drew skateboarders from the local neighbourhood and beyond as it was the only public skate park in the city of Vancouver until 2001 with the opening of the Hastings Bowls Skatepark. The park has and continues to host a mix of ages, cultures and genders emphasizing fun skateboarding and socializing. Mutual respect is the foundation for the 'skate etiquette' of the park. There are now a variety of skateparks in different neighbourhoods including Kensington, Mount Pleasant, East False Creek and Quichena.

This plaque is sponsored by local skaters.

The City of Vancouver is located on the ancestral, unceded and traditional territories of the  xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlil̓wətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples.

Learn more on the Musqueam Place Names Map, First Peoples’ Cultural Council of BC’s First People’s Map of BC and the Squamish Atlas . Further resources can be found on VHF’s Indigenous Heritage Resources page.

From watershed to city dump, this public park has included for over 40 years, one of Vancouver’s earliest skateparks. 

A China Creek Skatepark Timeline PDF  (created by Michael Gordon) outlines its history from the China Creek watershed, covered up and filled in as a city dump. Neighbourhood committee and local skateboarders worked on a design in 1978, and China Creek Skatepark bowls opened in 1979. In 1987, City Council wanted to close the skatepark and in 2006, the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation recommended demolishing the park.

In 2019, China Creek Skatepark Bowls celebrated its 40th Anniversary.

Have you visited the bath tub and teacup?

On July 16th , 2022, Vancouver Heritage Foundation, the Vancouver Skateboard Coalition, Parks Board and City of Vancouver recognized this site with the 92nd Places That Matter plaque.

Reopened in fall of 2024, the China Creek Skatepark lives on with upgrades and community collaboration, as part of the Skateboard Amenities Strategy. The plaque has now been integrated with the bowls in a fully landscaped space.

Connections

• Vancouver Skateboard Coalition
• Vancouver Skate Parks
• Vancouver Sun video from 2019’s 40th Anniversary of China Creek
• Vancouver Is Awesome 5 things to know

Nearby Sites

• China Creek Cycle Track
• Trout Lake