A new skatepark at Chaptico Park is open to the public, giving skateboarders and BMX riders in northern St. Mary’s County a dedicated concrete facility of their own for the first time, the county’s Department of Recreation and Parks announced this week.
The skatepark, built at the 250-acre park at 26600 Budds Creek Road, adds more than 6,600 square feet of concrete features designed to accommodate riders of varying skill levels, from beginners to experienced skaters and BMX riders. Admission is free, and the county has posted a set of skatepark rules that riders are expected to follow.
The project traces back to community planning that began in late 2023. According to county records, the Department of Recreation and Parks held a public design meeting in November 2023, followed by a virtual community session that December, before presenting a final design at a review meeting in February 2024. The county worked with Pillar Design Studios on the design and coordinated with the Southern Maryland Skateboard Association, a local advocacy group for the sport, throughout the process. The Chaptico build was paired with renovation and expansion work at the county’s existing Nicolet Park skatepark, where a renovation was completed in March 2025 and an addition finished this past April.
Until now, Nicolet Park’s skatepark — improved in a prior renovation project the county undertook in 2018 — had been the county’s only dedicated skating facility, leaving riders in the northern part of St. Mary’s County with a longer drive to reach a park built for the sport. The county says new parking and sidewalks are still to follow at the Chaptico site as construction wraps up around the skatepark itself.
Chaptico Park also includes a 1.4-mile hiking and cycling trail, a playground, and a blockhouse with restrooms, giving visitors additional options beyond the new skatepark.
