Sledding in Ames area?
- Thread starter Angie
- Start date
Veenker driving range hill is perfect for smaller children. Gateway Hill Park is also good but steeper. Or the hill off the back of the cemetery on 13th street.
- Mar 27, 2006
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How does Veenker work? Do you just pull up and start sledding? I'd really like to take my daughter sledding, and was hoping there was some good spots in town.
Those are good. One other place that would have some smaller ones for littler kids is Moore Memorial Park north of the golf course. Parking lot through the Northridge neighborhood...hills west, east and south of lot before prairie grass would stop you.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/M...ata=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x1c377fff2a45e434
https://www.google.com/maps/place/M...ata=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x1c377fff2a45e434
We used to go up to the ISU baseball fields (corner of Knapp & Sheldon). I think it's called the Southwest Athletic Complex now.
Turn to the right when you drive up into it, and the sledding was on the north side of the lane.
Bear in mind, that was back when MY kids were kids - 20+ years ago. Things might have changed!
Turn to the right when you drive up into it, and the sledding was on the north side of the lane.
Bear in mind, that was back when MY kids were kids - 20+ years ago. Things might have changed!
- Mar 27, 2006
- 42,645
- 33,516
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I believe it's here, been a long time since I've been there.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/G...2!3m1!1s0x87ee7a13d3b8cdbb:0xf63442936e1970c5
- Mar 27, 2006
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so, right on the disc golf course? I didn't even think of that place. That's a lot closer to our house than Veenker, too.
Yep, just park kind of up by the building they built on the driving range. It can be busy-ish if you go like on a weekend when it's decent out but there's usually enough sledding real estate that it's not a problem at all. It's tame, but little kids love it, my 8 year old went with some friends last weekend and had a blast.
We've only been to Veenker a couple times, but it is the closest for us. Easy enough hill for little ones to climb back up. We were driving out of town on 13th yesterday and my girls saw kids sledding at the cemetary, they thought it looked fun.
Honestly we haven't been sledding in a couple years due to kids' ages. It snowed a fresh 6" when we were at the IL's in South Dakota over Christmas and went to the local sledding hill (pretty steep). Combine a week of holiday eating/inactivity and a few time climbing up the hill either pulling the 3yr old in the sled or carrying her halfway and I seriously thought I was going to have a heart attack. Pick a hill the kids can physically climb back up themselves.
Honestly we haven't been sledding in a couple years due to kids' ages. It snowed a fresh 6" when we were at the IL's in South Dakota over Christmas and went to the local sledding hill (pretty steep). Combine a week of holiday eating/inactivity and a few time climbing up the hill either pulling the 3yr old in the sled or carrying her halfway and I seriously thought I was going to have a heart attack. Pick a hill the kids can physically climb back up themselves.
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Disc Golf Course by the ice arena. That hill is huge and a blast, but probably a bit much for young kids.
We used to "borrow" the trays from MWL dining and sled the mother trucker. The best time was when classes were canceled for the ice/snow storm. That place was packed and a blast.
We used to "borrow" the trays from MWL dining and sled the mother trucker. The best time was when classes were canceled for the ice/snow storm. That place was packed and a blast.
There was a great hill just outside my dorm...amazing how many dining hall trays were on that hill each time it snowed. When they ran low on trays, the cooks would call campus cops to come bust us. They'd take all the trays, tell us to be good little girls & return the trays to the cooks. After the next meal, we would be right back out there again.
I haven't been there, but part of it depends on her personality--is she a daredevil or will snow flying in her face reduce her to tears?
I have two where they would have been all for the biggest hills at that age, one not so much. When we went the three year old was happy to just roll around in the snow and make snow angels at the top of the hill in between runs. And if you have a sled where an adult can go with sometimes, it should be fine.
As a kid the two spots we always went to were the cemetery and 6th street.
I haven't been to Ames in almost 10 years so I'm sure a lot has changed. The cemetery has a really nice hill towards the back.
6th street wasn't nearly as good. But we would go to the bridge that goes over the railroad tracks (close to Brokeside park from what I remember). You can start on the bike path and sled down to what was then soccer fields.
I haven't been to Ames in almost 10 years so I'm sure a lot has changed. The cemetery has a really nice hill towards the back.
6th street wasn't nearly as good. But we would go to the bridge that goes over the railroad tracks (close to Brokeside park from what I remember). You can start on the bike path and sled down to what was then soccer fields.
I'd say probably, also it's quite a hike from the bottom of the hill to the top for a little kid.
