(Photo by Liana Moore)
Snow sledding is a winter activity that gets us excited to venture out on a snowy day, or the day after a snowy day. There’s nothing better than flying down a hill on a little piece of plastic. Except maybe building a jump to take about halfway down the hill.
When visitors think of winter in Colorado, they think of skiing wide open ski slopes. But soaring down a wide open hill on a sled is almost as much fun. And, it is a fraction of the cost.
Most neighborhoods or golf courses in mountain communities have some great hills. All that is required is a cheap sled, snow and the motivation to climb the hill. Here’s where to find some of those Durango sledding hills!
(Photo by Liana Moore)
Dress warm, pack up some hot cocoa and your sled. Then head out for some fresh air, exercise and an adrenaline rush flight down a snow covered hill on a piece of plastic. There’s no better deserved rush than the one you earn sliding down a snowy hill after running up said hill.
Anywhere that offers some wide open spaces with hills will make for good sledding with just a little snow. Golf courses are often great places to seek out new snow stashes on hills for sledding. Tell us below in the comments if we’ve missed any of your favorite Durango sledding hills!
Chapman Hill
This park is better known for its ice skating rink. Chapman Hill is located very near downtown Durango. It offers a tiny ski slope with a couple of ropes, as well as an ice rink. But there’s also an area off the side for snow tuning or sledding. And, it has areas for all abilities.Whether smaller children looking for a small slope or bigger kids looking to fly, there’s probably something here for you.Chapman Hill typically opens in time for Christmas. Don’t have a sled? No problem. You can rent a tube for the day.
Buckley Park
Perhaps the most popular Durango sledding hills for locals, Buckley Park is located at 1250 Main Ave. True sledding here. No tubes to rent. Bring your own tube or sled along. Enjoy simple sledding at this conveniently located park. There are no restrooms or facilities.
Needham Elementary and Miller Middle School
On the hills of these school campuses, you’ll find lots of locals sledding. Tucked in the residential neighborhoods behind Needham Elementary, there are several small parks with hills perfect for sledding on a snow day.
Snow Coaster Tubing Hill at Purgatory Resort
Snow tubing is the Cadillac of sledding. There really is nothing like soaring down the log steep hill of a groomed tubing hill. But can be a bit of a cheat. Instead of using your feet to get up the hill often there’s typically a conveyor belt taking you up. This is fun. But it really isn’t sledding.
However, not the case at Purgatory Resort. So, I think this really can be considered sledding. Here you rent a tube by the hour. Hike up the hill with the tube. Soar down. Repeat as many times as you can.
Here there are groomed lanes like other tubing hills, keeping you safely out of the way of others. But you still have the hard earned reward of breathing hard at the top of the hill before pushing off to whiz down. No personal tubes here. Rent from the resort by the hour.
For 2020 it still remains to be seen if the tubing hill will open. Most ski resorts are focusing on their core business of skiing. So, stay tuned. We’ll let you know when we find out if they will open.
Insider Tip: Sledding is only one of many fun things to do in Durango.
(Photo by Liana Moore)
Ski Hesperus
This ski area may be best known for night skiing. It is located just a few miles out of Durango. But it also offers snow tubing.
Open both during the day and at night, the Marmot Hill area (located on the west side of the lower mountain) offers the perfect pitch for snow tubing. Several lanes offer the opportunity to have a friendly race, and to prevent collisions.
Just as with Purgatory, there’s no lift. So, it certainly feels a more like sledding with the much earned soaring down the slope.
Rather than bringing your sled, here you will rent a tube.
Height and age requirements may apply. Operations have not yet been announced for winter 2020-2021.
Colorado Sledding Hills
We may be biased. But with plenty of slopes and lots of snow, Colorado has lots of awesome sledding hills. Be sure to check out some of our other favorite Colorado sledding hills. From Vail to Aspen and Breckenridge, we’ve got a great stash of places to get some speed on the snow sled.
Other Winter Snow Sports
(Photo by Liana Moore)
If your family enjoys snow sledding, you might also want to try out dog sledding. A very different experience, but a unique way to enjoy the snow.
There are also lots of magical outdoor ice skating rinks in Colorado.
And, as we mentioned earlier, snow tubing is a great way of getting the adrenaline rush of sledding but without the work. Many mountain resorts offer snow tubing options.
Have you heard of ice bumper cars? We first tried them out at the Gaylord Rockies Christmas Spectacular last year. We know that Dobson arena in Vail also has them. They are so much fun for the entire family!
Have we missed any of your favorite Durango sledding hills? Let us know in the comments!
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