Get Out: Sledding Hills, Skating Rinks and More Winter Activities Near Naperville

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With temperatures expected to finally get to a more-tolerable level this weekend, it could be a great time to grab that sled or those skates and get out and enjoy the winter landscape (before it melts!).

Here are some ideas, and places, for doing just that:

Sledding/Tubing

The following hills are located in neighborhood parks in Naperville and close at dusk:

• Arrowhead Park, 711 Iroquois Avenue
• Brook Crossings, 1015 95th Street
• Country Lakes Park, 1835 North Aurora Road
• Gartner Park, 524 W Gartner Road
• May Watts Park, 804 S. Whispering Hills Drive

The Riverwalk Sled Hill at Rotary Hill is open until 9 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday and until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

The DuPage County Forest Preserve maintains a tubing hill with an 800-foot run at Mount Hoy at the Blackwell Forest Preserve in Warrenville. The rental area is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the weekend. If conditions allow, the hill will also be open on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday. Only District inner tubes are permitted. Rentals cost $5 per day and end at 3:30 p.m. For snow conditions, call the District’s Outdoor Report at (630) 871-6422.

While you can not “sled” (only snow tubes are allowed) at Blackwell, you can sled at most other DuPage County Forest Preserve sites unless otherwise posted. Sledding is restricted at Greene Valley and Mallard Lake and any slopes at Spring Creek Reservoir. You can visit the DuPage County Forest Preserve site for more information.

Snowshoeing

You can also rent snowshoes at Blackwell Forest Preserve in Warrenville when the rental area at Mount Hoy is open. Rentals are $5 for two hours or $10 per day and end at 2 p.m. On weekdays when Mount Hoy isn’t open but the trails have ample snow, rentals are available from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the district’s west sector office on Mack Road. Call (630) 876-5931 for availability.

Ice Skating

As of Tuesday, ice skating rinks in Naperville were open. You can check the status of ice rinks on the Naperville Park District website.

The following ice rinks are lighted and open until 10 p.m.

• Centennial Park, 500 W. Jackson Avenue
• Commissioners Park, 3704 111th Street
• Nike Sports Complex, 288 W. Diehl

• Meadow Glens, 1303 Muirhead Avenue
• Gartner Park, 524 W. Gartner Road

Snowboarding

The hill at Weigand Riverfront Park, 2436 S. Washington Street, may be used only as a snowboarding hill. Sledding is not allowed.

Cross-Country Skiing

Most of the individual trails in the forest preserves of DuPage County allow cross-country skiing.

As of Tuesday afternoon, DuPage County Forest Preserve staff had set down tracks at the following preserves:

• Blackwell in Warrenville
• Herrick Lake in Wheaton
• Danada in Wheaton
• Meacham Grove in Blooomingdale
• Greene Valley in Naperville
• Fullersburg Woods in Oak Brook
• Waterfall Glen in Darien

At Springbrook Prairie in Naperville, staff tenderized and compacted the snow, but there was not enough snow cover to have tracks set.

For updates on grooming activities, residents can call 630-871-6422.

Sleigh Rides

When there is enough snow, sleigh rides run from 12 to 3 p.m. in January and Feb at Kline Creek Farm, 1N600 County Farm Road in West Chicago. Cost is $5 for adults and $2 for kids ages 5 to 12. Children under 5 are free.

What other great winter activities would you suggest for those looking to get outdoors this weekend? Let us know in the comments section.