Patch Picks: 5 Great Sledding Hills

After last Saturday's blanket of snow, people all across the metro dug their sleds, saucers and toboggans out of the garage and hit the steepest, slickest hills they could find. It's a wintertime tradition, and one that won't go away as long as the snow keeps falling. While it might be fun to somehow sled down the structure on roof, it might be easier (and more lawful) to stick to the landscape. This week, with the help of the City of St. Louis Park and a couple of residents, Patch gives you five great sledding hills right here in town:

1) : Located on Morningside Road, just south of Excelsior Boulevard, sits this enormous park with, well, an enormous hill. One side is for the dangerous sledders, with trees as obstacles. The other is free and clear for a smooth ride. We may not know what's underneath the hill, but we do know that sledding down it sure is a good time. 

2) : On warm summer nights, soccer fans cheer on their traveling teams from atop the hill at Cedar Manor. Come winter, with the field clear and full of snow, residents trade in lawn chairs for sleds and slide right down into the center of the field. 

3) : A park with the word "hill" in it is a dead giveaway that it's a sledding hot spot for one season each year. Once again soccer, tennis and baseball players of summer turn into the daredevil, downhill sledders of winter. 

4) Aquila Park: Located right off the Cedar Lake Regional Trail in town is Aquila Park. A top pick for families and local high school students alike to grease up the bottom of the saucer and fly down the large hill at the speed of light. You might get tired of walking up the hill, but going back down never gets old.

5) Oak Hill Park: If you've only sledded once or twice in St. Louis Park, chances are you probably hit the hills at Oak Hill. In the winter this park becomes a white hinterland, with one of the largest ice rinks in town, trails lined with lit-up trees and—you guessed it—great sledding. If you want to get in the holiday spirit, and boost your adrenaline at the same time, Oak Hill Park is the place to go.