Sledding in Boston: 10 of the best snowy slopes

If you’re embarking on a trip to Beantown during the winter months, plan on making the frozen most of it at these 10 snowy slopes, which welcome sledders, tubers, and tobogganists of all stripes. Combine a day of sledding in Boston with many warming mugs of cocoa and you’ve got yourself the makings of an East Coast winter wonderland.

Flagstaff Hill, Boston Common

You don’t have to travel far for top-notch sledding in Boston. The centrally located Boston Common – which also happens to be the oldest park in the country – attracts snow-suited families in the winter with its Flagstaff Hill. Though gentler than the steep slopes of other sledding spots, the hill still lets you build up some good momentum. Given the park’s history, we’re willing to bet that the Founding Fathers themselves used to make snow angels here.

The Sugar Bowl, Jamaica Pond

Gorgeous, glacier-carved Jamaica Pond was transformed into a public park by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (who’s perhaps best known for co-designing Central Park in New York City). Given the natural wealth of the area, though, he didn’t have to do much. Just look to the Sugar Bowl for evidence: a striking inverted hill, it’s a high-octane sledder’s dream.

Larz

Despite being located a short distance from the city centre in Brookline, Larz Anderson Park draws snow enthusiasts from all across the Boston area – it’s frequently ranked by locals as the best sledding spot around. Green and sprawling in the summer, the park’s many hills turn into perfectly slick and snow-covered launching pads come wintertime. An ice skating rink also adds to the frosty recreation.

Peters Hill at Arnold Arboretum

A research arboretum affiliated with Harvard University, Arnold Arboretum is also one of the loveliest members of the so-called “Emerald Necklace” of public green spaces that includes six parks in the Boston area. Stretching across 281 attractive acres, it’s also home to Peters Hill, a favourite of winter sports lovers for its city views – and the fact that there are almost no trees for sledders to dodge.

Olmsted Park

Another member of the Emerald Necklace – and another public space designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, as its name suggests – historic Olmsted Park has a distinctive old-timey, New England charm. Though the photogenic Ward’s Pond and forested areas throughout the park are less friendly for sledders, an array of open spaces and gentle slopes cater to young adventurers.