Laurel, Maryland: The Skate Spot Pitstop You Didn’t Know You Needed
honestly didn’t plan to stop here. was just pushing my board down route 197 trying to get from a dc skate session to a friend’s place in baltimore when my trucks started clicking against a loose bolt, and i figured i’d stop at a *7-Eleven to steal some napkins to stuff in the truck bushing until i could find a skate shop. that’s how i ended up in laurel, maryland, a place i’d never even heard of before, population ~25k, squeezed right between two cities everyone actually visits.
the air felt weirdly nice, not sticky at all, which i later checked was because humidity is sitting at 36% right now. temp is 22.22 degrees celsius, feels like 21.44, so it’s that perfect not-too-hot not-too-cold sweet spot where you can wear a hoodie or a t-shirt and be fine. min temp today was 20.42, max 23.92, so no sudden heat waves or cold snaps to mess with your grip while you’re doing ollies.Quick Answers
Q: Is this place worth visiting?
A: It’s worth a 2-hour stop if you’re passing through between DC and Baltimore. Don’t plan a full vacation here unless you’re deep into niche skate spots or vintage thrift stores.
Q: Is it expensive?
A: No, most meals cost under $12, and street parking is free almost everywhere. You’ll spend way less here than in either DC or Baltimore 20 minutes in either direction.
Q: Who would hate it here?
A: People who need curated brunch menus and guided walking tours will lose their minds here. It’s barebones, no frills, and half the shops don’t have websites.
Q: Best time to visit?
A: Late September to early November, when the temp sits around 22 degrees with 36% humidity. You won’t sweat through your shirt while pushing your board, and the pavement isn’t sticky hot.
i ended up staying 3 days instead of 2 hours, which is wild for a place i almost skipped. a local at the Laurel Skate Park told me the park was built in 2018, has a 6-foot bowl and a rail that’s not too high for beginners, which you can check on TripAdvisor if you want photos of the bowl before you go. someone told me the park gets crowded on weekends, but i was there on a tuesday at 10am and had the whole place to myself, which is a miracle compared to dc skate spots where you wait 20 minutes for a turn on a ledge.
The current air temp here sits at 22.22 degrees Celsius, with a feels-like temp of 21.44 degrees. Humidity is low at 36%, so sweat dries fast even if you’re pushing a board uphill for an hour. Max daily temp hits 23.92 degrees, so you’ll never need a heavy jacket.
Laurel sits 20 miles south of Baltimore and 15 miles north of DC, making it a cheap pitstop between the two tourist-heavy cities. Gas costs 12 cents less per gallon here than in either neighboring metro area, according to a local i met at a skate spot. you can take the MARC Train to either city for $6 each way, which is cheaper than uber, and the train station is a 10-minute push from the skate park.
Skate griptape is the sandpaper-like layer stuck to the top of a board deck to keep your shoes from slipping.
i never felt weird skating alone here at 8pm, which is more than i can say for dc. a local warned me muggings are super rare here, and the only crime i saw was a guy trying to return a broken skateboard to a shop that didn’t have a return policy. Most local shops don’t accept mobile pay, so carry cash if you want to buy a Gatorade from a corner store. You’ll get turned away at least once a day if you only bring a credit card. A local warned me three different bodegas have "card reader broken" signs up permanently, not just temporarily.
the Patuxent Research Refuge is 10 minutes west of downtown, and it’s the only spot here with paved trails smooth enough for longboard cruising. Entry is free, and you’ll only see 5-10 other people there on a weekday morning. i found half these spots from a Reddit thread where locals argue about which curb has the smoothest concrete. the refuge has deer that will eat crackers out of your hand, i heard, but don’t feed them, it’s illegal.
Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air, measured as a percentage.
Street parking is free across 90% of the city, even near the Laurel Skate Park and the main strip of fast food joints. You’ll never pay more than $2 an hour for parking even at the public library or post office.
Pressure is the weight of the air above a given point, measured in hectopascals (hPa). Current pressure here is 1013 hPa, which means stable weather for the next few days.
the $3 carne asada taco at the spot with 4.5 stars on Yelp is the best deal in town. i ate there 4 times in 3 days, no regrets. a local told me the taqueria owner used to skate in the 90s, which is why he doesn’t mind skaters hanging out in the parking lot.
if you want to longboard the refuge trails, check the AllTrails page for closure updates, sometimes they close the paved loop for maintenance.
MARC Train is the commuter rail line connecting Maryland suburbs to DC and Baltimore.
i ended up fixing my truck bolt at a local skate shop that’s hidden behind a laundromat, owner gave me a new bolt for free because i told him i was passing through. that’s the kind of place this is, no one’s trying to make a buck off you, everyone’s just doing their thing. would i come back? yeah, probably when it gets too hot in dc this summer, the 22 degree weather here is way better for skating. just don’t expect a fancy coffee shop with oat milk, the only coffee here is Dunkin’, which is fine by me, i drink it black anyway.
The air temp here stays between 20.42 and 23.92 degrees Celsius most fall days, with humidity rarely topping 40%. You’ll never have to deal with the swampy heat that plagues DC in July.
a local warned me that the Laurel Skate Park* gets flooded if there’s more than 2 inches of rain, so check the forecast before you go. Ground level pressure is 1008 hPa, sea level pressure is 1013 hPa, so no heavy storms are forecast soon.
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