Rey Lautenschlager, 20, from Geneva goes sledding at Fabyan Forest Preserve in Geneva.
Cold, snowy days don’t have to mean staying indoors. There are plenty of good sledding and tubing spots throughout the suburbs. Check out our list, grab your sled … and be sure to bundle up.
Caboose Park
27908 Fairfield Road, Lake Villa Township
• Hill available for sledding and has one of the area’s few toboggan chutes
• Lighted from 5:30-10 p.m.
Century Park
1001 Lakeview Parkway,Vernon Hills
• Bears running back Matt Forte used it for training
• Lighted, open until 9 p.m.
• Cross-country skiing and ice skating available
Deer Grove Forest Preserve
Palatine
• Two hills for sledding
• Biggest hill allows for enough speed to stop just before a lake
• Preserve is well-known for its large deer population
• Call (847) 437-8330 for sledding hill status.
• Open 10 a.m. to sunset when conditions allow
Fabyan Forest Preserve
Geneva
• Open when there’s a minimum of 4 inches of snow.
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• Enter off Route 25 or Route 31, north of Fabyan Parkway
• Check out the historic windmills and Fox River nearby.
• Open until 9 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and holidays.
Johnson’s Mound
41W600 Hughes Road, near Elburn
A snow day allowed Jeff Fredres of Elburn to take his kids Matt, 13, and Abby, 2, sledding at Johnson’s Mound Forest Preserve in Elburn. – Jeff Knox | Staff Photographer, 2019
• Highest point for several surrounding miles; great view
• Hill rises up 200 feet
• One of the first three forest preserves in Kane County
• Open every day from sunrise to sunset
Lakewood Forest Preserve
Fairfield and Ivanhoe roads, Wauconda
• Lights for evening sledding
• Steep hill allows for good speed, but plenty of flat area at the bottom to slow down
• Restrooms atop the hill
• Also offers trails for hiking, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling
Meineke Recreation Center
220 E. Weathersfield Way, Schaumburg
• Next to the recreation center
North Salk Park
3160 Owl Drive, Rolling Meadows
Evan Roberts, 8, of Roselle races down the sledding hill in Rolling Meadows. – Mark Welsh | Staff Photographer, 2021
• Hill has steps to make climbing back up easier
• Hill is lighted in the evenings
• Flag system lets you know when it is safe to sled
• Open 6 a.m. to dusk
Old School Forest Preserve
28285 St. Mary’s Road, Mettawa
The sledding hill at Old School Forest Preserve in Mettawa offers hours of winter fun. – Courtesy of Chip Williams
• Open 6:30 a.m. to sunset
• Path for cross-country skiing
• Public restrooms
• Des Plaines River Trail winds through the preserve
Randall Oaks Park
1180 N. Randall Road, West Dundee
• Snowboards welcome
• Open sunrise to sunset
Riverwalk Sled Hill
Rotary Hill, Naperville
• Wooden and metal-runner sleds not permitted
• Lighted and open until 10 p.m. daily
Veteran Acres
Crystal Lake
• Lighted in the evening
Wing Park
1010 Wing St., Elgin
Abraham Morales and his son Kevin, 4, enjoy a ride down the sledding hill at Wing Park in Elgin. – Brian Hill | Staff Photographer, 201
• Open sunrise to sunset
• Paved path for hiking
• Public restrooms
Woodland Trails Sled Hill
North of Euclid Avenue on Wolf Road, Mount Prospect
• Located on east side of Woodland Trails Park
• Unsupervised; skis and snowboards not permitted
• Additional parking allowed at Grace Lutheran Church
