Louisville Parks’ Best Sledding Hills

Every time the snow starts to fall outside I turn into a young child again and get excited about playing in the impending winter wonderland. Some of my best childhood memories were made after waking up in the early morning for school only to find out it was a snow day. After climbing back into my warm bed and getting a few extra hours of sleep, I was always eager to get outside and spend the day in the snow. Dressing up in countless layers of snow gear, building igloos in my front yard, and warming my freezing hands with a cup of hot cocoa after hours dredging through knee deep snow are some of my fondest memories of Winter. Above all my favorite snow day rituals however, is getting together with my best friends and spending hours sledding down some of Louisville’s best hills.

No matter what your age, sledding is always a good time. For the beginner sledder a simple slide down a hill is enough to stir up a day of giggles, but the more experienced sledder may turn things up a notch with ramps or “creative” sledding materials (one of my favorite things to sled on is a blow up mattress). Whatever your sledding level there is no shortage of sledding hills to choose from in Louisville.

My favorite place to sled in Louisville is Cherokee Park. When the weather permits, and the snow is deep, Dog Hill is the place to be not only for sledders but for watching sledders. Dog Hill is not for the faint of heart, it is steep and long and you will be in for a wild ride. There are surrounding hills in Cherokee Park that are less intense and are more appropriate for children and beginners. Cherokee Park is also one of my favorite places to take a winter walk through the snow. The walking paths are beautiful when snow covered and you can get views of the sledders from many of the paths.

Now that I have children, Cherokee Park’s Dog Hill is often too crowded and too wild to bring them, so I prefer Tyler Park. The hill at Tyler Park is still a nice size and has two levels so you can choose how far you want to ride. The Park is smaller so you don’t have as many hill choices but it is generally not as crowded at Cherokee Park.

Some of the best sledding can be found in your back yard or right in your neighborhood. If you feel more comfortable going to a designated Louisville Metro Park sled hill, there are six of them in the city. When the weather permits, the hills are maintained for safety by the city. Two of the hills are at Cherokee and Tyler Parks while the others are located at George Rogers Clark Park, Joe Creason Park, Charlie Vettiner Park, and McNeely Lake Park. These hills were chosen as the best and safest hills in our parks and will always be marked open or closed in snowy weather. Park staff will also light bonfires when appropriate. For more information on our parks’ sledding hills go to http://www.louisvilleky.gov/MetroParks/outdoors/sledding.htm.

Sledding is always a fun adventure but can be dangerous if you aren't careful. Have fun this Winter and take advantage of our excellent sledding hills, but be smart about it!