This story aired in the 10/27/2026 episode of Crosscurrents.
Next month, San Franciscans are going to be voting on whether to allow cars to drive on the Great Highway, the coastal road that connected Lake Merced to Sutro Baths. If that sounds familiar, it’s because San Franciscans already voted to turn the highway into a full-time, car-free recreation space, featuring hammocks, public art installations, and a skate park. But just two years after the Sunset Dunes park was established, it’s at risk of closure again.
Reporter Elina Graham visited Sunset Dunes to learn how its skate park has become an oasis, particularly for female skateboarders.
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Story Transcript:
Today is Emily Byers’ first time getting up on a skateboard.
Emily: One of my friends, Mandy, randomly asked me to come join her for a skate session with a women's group. I've always wanted to learn, so I was like, "Oh my God, perfect opportunity.”
She’s one of many who showed up today to the first skate jam at the Sunset Dunes skate park, an event coordinated by local surf and skate shops and the SF Women’s Skate Group.
Emily: It's very empowering for new people like me to just come with nothing and feel very comfortable and, like, making new friends along the way.
Sunset Dunes is a small, off the beaten path skate park. It doesn’t have the same prestige as the city’s landmark skate spots like Potrero del Sol, Pier 7, and SoMa. But the day’s gathering is still drawing a big crowd, with skaters from all backgrounds here to skate, compete in a tricks contest, and enjoy the ocean view.
Hanan: I think that's what makes it so unique and so special because where else in San Francisco would you have a skate park on the beach, right?
Hanan Sinada is a San Francisco local, and the co-founder of the SF Women’s Skate Group.
The collective is teaching a women’s plus skate class today, with the goal of encouraging skaters of different genders to take part in the traditionally male-dominated sport.
Hanan: And so we just wanted to create, like, a space for women to be able to have a bunch of women around them skating, to feel supported in that space, and really empower them to be in that space, right?
In recent years, the skating community has grown more inclusive. But go to any skate park to see that there’s still a pretty prominent gender gap.
Ali: Since I was a little kid, it was like I'm the only little girl at the park with all the boys, and I've learned how to assert myself and be a respectable person who's like, "I'm here and it's my turn" but, like, God is that exhausting!
Ali Gershik is a skater from Santa Cruz, who came to the city to check out the Women’s Skate Group.
Ali: But I feel like I can learn and grow instead of just being kinda, like, looked down on and scoffed at for being bad at one thing. You know, I feel like that happens with the boys. They see me flop on one thing, and then it's like, "Okay, you don't get your space anymore." And it's like, okay. But here, they see you flop on one thing, and they're like, "Aight, whatever." You know, the girls are supportive.
Dagan Ministero manages the Aqua Surf Shop here in the Sunset. He helped bring together today’s tricks competition, and was all in on finding ways to make the day accessible for all.
Dagan: We kind of purposely did our event an hour later to leave space for everyone to, like, get young girls out here and not have a bunch of dudes here intimidatingly shredding the park, you know? 'Cause it's kind of intimidating. Even my son's like, "I don't know. Everyone's really good. I don't want to skate." So, you know, if you want to get your six-year-old girl out here and make her comfortable, it's a good time to do it when there's other ladies doing it. I think that's awesome.
Many Women’s Skate Group members, like longtime skater Kelsey Wilkins, say that they feel much more comfortable skating here compared to other skate spots.
Kelsey: I think there's some skate parks that can feel a little bit intimidating if you're a beginner and you don't really know what you're doing. Not intentionally by any of the people, but just, you know, there's a lot of etiquette involved, I think, with skateboarding, so this is one that feels a little bit more spread out so you can kinda try your own thing.
This was by design.
Chris: We wanted to make a space that people could feel welcome to come and show up at, not intimidating. And that no matter what wheels you're riding — you know, how old you are or who you are — you felt like it was a space for you and that you can kind of grow there and progress as a user.
That’s professional skate park designer Chris Long, who collaborated with the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department on the making of the Sunset Dunes skate park. This project was personal to Chris, who saw firsthand how much the Sunset skate community needed a permanent park, especially after the closure of Playland Skate Park on 43rd Avenue in 2022.
Chris: I lived in the Sunset for about a year and would skate the Playland Skate Park pretty often. And when I was living there, that got removed, so it was a little bit of a dead zone for skate terrain in that area other than street spots.
Chris wanted this skate park to be for more than just skateboarders, though. There’s plenty of room around the skate park for pedestrians, dog walkers and joggers. Plus, skate features like a quarter pipe, ramps and a rail are right next to a bike pump track, so anyone with wheels can get in on the action.
Chris: I do think that a lot of people that even showed up to the opening would tell me things like, "I was really opposed to this project and especially the skate spot, until I showed up here and saw how it really worked.”
Here’s the thing — the Sunset Dunes skate park is on the chopping block.
Right now, San Franciscans are voting on Prop G. If it passes, the Great Highway will reopen to cars on weekdays, but remain car-free on weekends and holidays.
Supporters of Prop G say that this plan will allow the Great Highway to be used by car commuters and keep those cars from driving through the nearby neighborhoods. They also say that because the park can be used solely for recreating on weekends, the plan is a good compromise.
But, this does mean that a lot of park amenities on the road will have to be removed, in order to allow for that weekday traffic.
You can’t have a half pipe in the middle of the highway, so the current skate park, in addition to art sculptures and lounge spaces, would go away, even on weekends.
At the end of the day, there are two different versions for how the space can be used, and realistically, they can’t coexist.
Kelsey: I'm actually kind of sad that it's back on the ballot, 'cause I feel like we've been through the wringer trying to get this park to stay, but you know, I feel like we've already voted on it multiple times, and the majority of people have shared their voice on it, so I'm kind of ready for it to be done.
That’s skater Kelsey Wilkins again. In 2024, she was a major supporter of Prop K, the measure that closed the Great Highway and allowed the Sunset Dunes park to be established.
At the time, Prop K was a pretty controversial measure. A majority of Sunset residents actually opposed it, surprisingly, including Aqua Surf Shop manager Dagan Ministero and SF Women’s Skate Group co-founder Hanan Sinada.
Dagan: I was seen as a bit of a dissenter, 'cause I feel like any time you shut down a highway you need to do a lot of impact studies to see how the neighborhoods will be impacted by traffic and things. And as a dad driving your kids to things, I'm very aware of that and cognizant of it, and we just want safety, too, to be part of that.
Hanan: I will be very honest, I was born and raised in San Francisco, I grew up on 46th Avenue, so this was the way that my parents got to work. They got through [the] Great Highway back and forth, so this was kind of a huge way for us to get in and out of the city, and closing it did make a lot of traffic on Sunset and 19th Avenue.
Now though, both have embraced the Sunset Dunes park all the way, and are in favor of the park staying permanently.
Hanan: You know when they say something grows on you? I think it's definitely growing on me.
Dagan: If you take this park away, you better give us another one that's as user-friendly for kids, I think, and I'll do my damnedest to hold you to it, pardon my French.
Tamara Aparton, Deputy Director of Communications and Public Affairs for SF Rec and Parks told me that if the Sunset Dunes skate park was to be dismantled, the various skate features would probably be used elsewhere in the parks system.
But she said that it’s still to be determined whether the Sunset would get another skate park. The city says it will spend about ten million dollars to turn it back into a road and up to about two million dollars annually to maintain it as a highway.
Hanan says that without another skate park that is as welcoming as this one, it would be a real loss for the inclusive skateboarding community she’s trying to foster, like the group she helped bring together today.
Hanan: I think what made it the most special thing is just being out here with the Women’s Skate Group and having them be here cheering me on. I think it's one thing to do the pump track, it's another thing to have an army of amazing divas cheering you on.
Prop G, the measure determining whether the Great Highway will re-open to weekday traffic, is on the ballot now.
