Sledding is one of the most enjoyable and exciting winter activities for families. From toddlers—as long as they are riding with someone—to older kids, your whole family can have fun participating. Sledding is inexpensive, and it gets you and your family outdoors. All you need to experience a great sledding adventure is the proper winter gear, a sled (there is such a variety of sleds on the market), and a hill for sledding. 

A few safety tips: 

1. Be sure your sledding area is clear. You don’t want to sled on a hill that has trees, rocks, fences, or other obstacles. 

2. Be certain that there is a safe area at the bottom of your hill to slow down and stop. The end of your hill should never run into a road, a parking lot, or any body of water. 

3. Consider the steepness of the hill and the age of your children who will be sledding. The hill will need to be steep enough so that the sled will get going, but not too steep that the sled will go too fast and the driver will lose control. 

Make sure to go over some rules with kids ahead time: 

1. Sled in a seated position. While sledding head first seems like fun, it also increases the risk of someone getting a head injury. 

2. Tuck in long scarves, long strings on hats, and other dangling items on clothing so that they don’t get caught on anything. 

3. Children 5 and under should sled with an adult. 

4. Keep your arms and legs on the sled. 

5. If you do fall off the sled, move out of the way so you don’t get hit by other sledders. 

Now that you have some tips about safe sledding, what if you don’t have a great sledding hill in your back yard? Below are some popular sledding hills in the Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia area. Follow the safety tips, dress appropriately, and have fun! 

1. Cedar Creek Park in Allentown. Head to the hill between Cedar Crest College and the park at the end of Honochick Drive. 

2. Lehigh Parkway in Allentown.  Hills for sledding are between Park Drive (main entrance to parkway) and Little Lehigh Creek. 

3. Municipal Ice Rink in Bethlehem. Sledding hills are behind the Ice Rink on Illick’s Mill Road. 

4. Bicentennial Park in East Allen Township. 

5. Buchanan Elementary School in Bethlehem. 

6. Nazareth Borough Park in Nazareth. At Roth Street and Black Rock Road there is hill next to the dog park for sledding. 

7. Burholme Park in Philadelphia, located in the Fox Chase section of Philadelphia. 

8. Clark Park in Philadelphia. This location is between 43rd and 45th Streets in University City. 

9. The Philadelphia Art Museum. While you will find many people sledding down the steps here, there are also hills by the playground behind the museum. 

You can also check out the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources site for great sledding areas located in State Parks all over the state.