Sledding in Chicago - A New Favorite Sled Hill for Kids

I'm a Yooper - born and raised in the Upper Peninsula (Da U.P.) of Michigan.  So snow, winter, cold and the great outdoors are in my blood.  But sledding has always been a daddy-daughter activity in our house.  By the time our oldest daughter was old enough to go sledding, we had our 2nd daughter, who was just a baby.  So I stayed home with #2 while daddy took #1 out to enjoy the hills. 

The first few reports from the sled hill in Park Ridge (Centennial Park) had me worried about my daughter's safety.  My husband told me how crowded the hill often was, and how easy it was for kids to get hurt by other sledders.  There was no way he'd even consider letting our daughter go down the hill by herself. 

In a couple of years, #2 was old enough to join them, but I had a recent hip replacement (turns out hip dysplasia isn't a problem only in large breed dogs!) and not too keen on getting wiped out and hurting that precious hip. So I was relegated to staying home and making sure the hot chocolate was ready when the sledding contingent returned.  Poor me!

Flick Park Sled Hill

 
After a couple of close calls at Centennial, my hubby tried Flick Park in Glenview and was pretty happy with it, but still felt somewhat concerned about solo sledding.

When the snow first fell this year, our neighbor offered to take our daughters sledding with him and his 3 kids at Melas Park Sled Hill in Mt. Prospect.  Not familiar with this hill and concerned about safety, I made my husband go with so he could sled with #2 and help keep an eye on #1 and the others.  Well, it turns out I had little reason to worry!
 



Melas Park Sled Hill
Mt. Prospect, IL



Melas Park
Mt. Prospect, IL

Melas Park is FABULOUS for sledding!  It's a large, bowl-shaped area used for water retention after heavy rains.  There is room for everyone to spread out and have their own piece of the hill, so the danger of sledding accidents is much lower.  The slopes are steep enough to keep the older kids happy, but not too steep for the younger kids.

Melas Park - Pure Joy!

I think Melas Park might just tempt me out onto a sled this winter for the first time in years, and make this a fun winter family activity we can all enjoy together!  I have to say I'm actually pretty excited about it!  Who doesn't like a good sled ride?  WHHHEEEEEE!!!!! 

If you're looking for more Chicago area sled hills or other winter kids activities for Chicago kids, check out kidwinks.com.  Kidwinks' Winter Fun for Kids online guide is a great way to find fun things to do with kids, and so is kidwinks' Chicago kids Events Calendar.