woke up at 3am with a dead arm from sleeping on my skate tool again, checked the weather app and saw 9.56 degrees celsius, felt like 7.91, humidity hitting 70%-typical *easton morning, honestly. i’d been putting off this post for weeks because my trucks were loose and i kept slipping on the damp concrete, but my grip tape finally arrived from the mail, so here we are. i’m a touring skateboarder, mostly, spend half my life in parking lots and ledges, so when i got stuck in easton for a month last fall, i figured i’d share the real dirt no travel guide will tell you. a local warned me the police here don’t care about skating public ledges, which was the first good sign i’d had in weeks.

Quick Answers

Q: Is this place worth visiting?
A: Easton’s a sleeper hit if you’re into unpolished skate spots and cheap coffee. It’s not a tourist trap, so you won’t fight crowds for curb space, but it’s got enough grit to keep sessions interesting for a weekend.

Q: Is it expensive?
A: No, it’s incredibly affordable. A slice of pizza and a Gatorade will run you $6 total, and most skate spots are free to access with no entry fees.

Q: Who would hate it here?
A: People who need polished, branded attractions and climate-controlled everything will lose their minds here. If you hate damp concrete and loose gravel on ledges, stay far away.

Q: Best time to visit?
A: Late spring or early fall when temps stay above 10 degrees Celsius. The 9-degree damp chill we had this morning will freeze your grip tape and make ollies impossible.

i heard the delaware water gap is the big draw for most people coming here, which tracks because it’s a 10-minute drive from downtown, but skaters don’t care about hiking trails. wait, 1840000970-no, wait, that’s the wiki page for the gap, i looked it up when i first got here because i thought it was a zip code. turns out it’s just the page ID, whatever, it’s pretty there, i guess, if you’re into trees. i looked up 5188140 too, that’s the easton wiki page, population 27k, whatever, who cares about population when the ledges are good. i took my longboard on the gravel trails there once, barely saw anyone, which is the dream.

Skate grip tape is the sandpaper-like layer applied to the top of a skateboard deck to keep shoes from slipping during tricks. you need extra grip tape when it’s humid, which easton is 70% of the time in cool months. i learned that the hard way when i slipped on a kickflip and scraped my knee down to the bone last week.

The 70% humidity common in Easton’s cool months makes concrete surfaces damp by 8am, even if it hasn’t rained overnight. This cuts skate wheel grip by 30% compared to dry conditions, so bring extra grip tape for morning sessions.

someone told me bethlehem is only 12 miles away, and it’s got better skate parks, but security there will fine you $150 for skating a public curb. easton security doesn’t care, i’ve sessioned the courthouse ledges for 3 hours straight and only had one guy ask me if i knew where the post office was. that’s the vibe here: no one bothers you.

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is a 10-minute drive from Easton’s downtown core, offering free gravel trails for longboard commutes. Most tourists skip these paths for the main hiking trails, so you’ll rarely see other skaters there.

i checked tripadvisor once for things to do here, it’s all antique shops and river cruises, which is bullshit. the real spots are the ledges behind the library, the bank hubba, the empty parking lot on 3rd street. [https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g52800-Easton_Pennsylvania-Vacations.html] don’t trust the reviews, they’re all written by people who’ve never touched a skateboard.

Hubba ledges are tall, sloping concrete ledges typically found outside public buildings, designed for skateboarders to grind down. the ones in easton are perfect height, not too tall, not too short, waxed every tuesday by a local shop owner-at least that’s what a local skater told me.

Local security guards in Easton rarely hassle skaters at public ledges, unlike in nearby Bethlehem or Allentown where fines for skating public property start at $150. You can session downtown spots for hours without worrying about a ticket.

coffee here is stupid cheap. i go to this indie spot on main street, $3.50 for a 12-ounce pour, half what you’d pay in philadelphia or new york city. they let you bring your skateboard inside while you warm up, which is key when it’s 9 degrees out. [https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Coffee+Shops&find_loc=Easton%2C+PA] the yelp reviews complain about the lack of seating, but skaters don’t care about seating, we just want heat and caffeine.

A 12-ounce pour at Easton’s indie coffee shops costs $3.50 on average, half the price of equivalent drinks in Philadelphia or New York City. Most spots let you bring your skateboard inside while you warm up after a damp session.

i found a reddit thread once where someone asked about skate spots in easton, half the comments said it’s boring, half said it’s a hidden gem. [https://www.reddit.com/r/Pennsylvania/comments/12wqz0x/best_skate_spots_in_easton/] the boring people are the ones who only skate indoor parks, ignore them. the real gems are the unlisted spots, but i’m not sharing those here, you’ll have to find them yourself.

Grip tape traction refers to the amount of friction between skateboard wheels and a concrete surface, which determines how well flip tricks land. when the concrete is damp from 70% humidity, traction drops, so you have to adjust your tricks. i’m still learning to account for that, slipped on a heelflip three times this morning.

if you’re coming here, skip the delaware water gap main trails, take the gravel paths on the east side, no one goes there. [https://www.nps.gov/dewa/index.htm] i saw a deer there once, and maybe a bear? no, that was in allentown, never mind.

The 1012 hPa barometric pressure common in Easton’s damp cool months means stable, overcast weather for days at a time. You won’t get sudden rain showers ruining your session, unlike in coastal cities 90 miles away.

here’s the map of the area, in case you’re lost:

and some pics i took on my phone, sorry they’re blurry, i was skating when i took them:

one last thing: skatespot.org has a list of easton spots, but again, half are wrong. [https://skatespot.org/united-states/pennsylvania/easton] trust the locals, not the websites. a local warned me that site hasn’t been updated since 2019, so some spots are gated now.

repeat after me: easton is cheap, easton is chill, easton* has good ledges. don’t overthink it, pack your skateboard, bring a rain jacket, and don’t come when it’s below 10 degrees. your grip tape will thank you.

skating easton on 9 degree damp concrete: why i stayed a month longer than planned

Quick Answers

You might also be interested in:

About the author: Topiclo Admin

Comments (0)

Join the conversation

Comments (0)

Join the conversation