Find all the good spots with SKC’s Sledding Guide!

The snow has arrived which means it’s time to don the winter gear and head outside! Check out our picks for the best local sledding and snowboarding hotspots all around the seacoast. Find a favorite slope near you:

Note: Outdoor play is a ton of fun, but it comes with the usual precautions. We would be remiss not to mention some safety tips when sledding:

  • Avoid sledding hills with obstructions such as trees, electrical poles or buildings. Steering a sled isn’t like driving a car, especially for little ones.
  • Traffic + Sledding = Disaster. Stay away from any sledding trails that have traffic at the top or bottom of hills. We can’t stress this one enough.
  • Dress the kids warm! All that up-and-down-the-hill can heat you up, but the cold air can still penetrate little fingers and noses.
  • Make sure there are no sharp edges or other protrusions on your sleds. If your child wipes out and hits the sled the wrong way, a torn snow suit will be the least of your worries.

Sledding is one of those memories that stick in our brains forever, and it will with your children, too. Have fun and make this the best day ever!

Wagon Hill (Sled/Snowshoe/Cross-Country Ski)
Cost: FREE!
Route 4, Durham NH
This town property is free and open to the public year round. Enjoy a large sledding hill on one side and cross-country trails leading down to the coast on the other. Great spot for picnicking and hot cocoa, too! Always plenty of free parking (“sometimes” there is a porto-potty on site).

Garrison Hill (Sled/Snowboard)
Cost: FREE!
Abbie Sawyer Memorial Drive, Dover NH
(just off Central Avenue before Wentworth-Douglass Hospital)
This public park offers two steep trails; one designated for sledding and the other for snowboarding and skiing. The sledding hill is flat and straight while the snowboard park is filled with large jumps and rails. NOTE: when you pull into the parking lot, head left to the gazebo. Climb over the small wooden rail and follow the trail down to the hill. This hill is STEEP and FAST! If you have little ones, you might want to sled the smaller trail on the left hand side.

Jady Hill (Sled)
Cost: FREE!
Exeter Country Club
58 Jady Hill Avenue, Exeter NH
Looking for a great place to take the kids sledding? Look no further than the hills of the Exeter Country Club. Open to the public for golf in the warmer months, the Country Club provides hours of sledding entertainment for children in the winter. Secluded by trees, it’s the best-kept secret sledding spot in the area!

Powderhouse Hill (Sled/Snowboard/Ski)
Cost: $5! (cash only) for snowboarding/skiing. Sledding is free.
Agamenticus Road, South Berwick ME (207) 384-5858
Powderhouse Hill offers skiers and snowboarders a rope tow (generated by a re-habbed 1939 Ford Model A engine!), 3 trails and 175-feet of vertical elevation. There is an adjacent sledding area, although not run by Powderhouse Hill, is open to the public and FREE. Had your fill of falls, er, runs, for the day? There is a small lodge at the base with a snack bar and wood stove.

Through the grapevine, we’ve heard these FREE locations are also great for sledding:

New Hampshire
  • Behind the tennis courts at South Mill Pond in Portsmouth
  • Odiorne Point State Park in Rye
  • Dearborn Park on Rt. 111 in North Hampton (note: this hill abuts a very busy and high speed road. Please use extreme caution!)
  • Stratham Hill Park, Rt. 33 in Stratham
  • The pines on the hill by the water tower in Somersworth
  • Nippo Lake Golf Club on Province Road in Barrington (also good for snowboarding)
  • Brown’s Hill located just east of the Rt. 125 and Hedding Road intersection in Epping
  • Shaw’s Hill Farm in Kensington
  • Alexander Carr Park off of Birch Street in Derry (behind Parkland Medical Offices next to Parkland Hospital)
  • Derryfield Park in Manchester
Maine
  • Fort Foster in Kittery, ME
  • York Golf Club on Organug Road in York, Maine
  • Mount Agamenticus in York, Maine
Massachusetts
  • Endicott Park in Danvers (East Meadow best for sledding)
  • Woodsom Farm in Amesbury
  • Maudsley State Park in Newburyport
  • Old Newbury Golf Course in Newbury (you may need a 4x wheel drive to get up the road!)

(Please note: Conditions and restrictions on the above locations may change at any point.)

Sledding spots are everywhere! What’s your favorite spot? Share with us and we’ll add it to our list!

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