Calling all sleds, saucers and toboggans! This latest list is for you.
No city makes the most out of a hill or snow-covered slope like Winnipeg, where a moderate incline makes for hours of family fun.
Our winter city abounds with facilities that allow you to comfortably spend loads of time outdoors, while all this fresh snow should stick around long enough to ensure you can try out every hill!
Toboggan Hills
Harbourview Recreation Complex (1867 Springfield Rd.) First off, the setting itself is crispier than a corner piece of lasagna with a nifty winding lake and some nice trees. The hill itself is a large meaty affair, being plenty wide and quite a hike to the top, making it perfect if you are the GT slalom-type. The onsite recreation complex provides a place to get warm (it's located right on the lake). This area can be found about 2.5km east of Highway 59. No lighting.
Civic Park (901 Kimberley Ave.) This one is a staple in the East Kildonan neighbourhood with an expansive slope that allows you to pick up plenty of speed. It's wide open, providing plenty of room to social distance (and not crash into people).
Victoria Jason Park (255 Redonda St.) There are a lot of big fans who love the little double bump on this one. At the Victoria Jason Park you'll find two hills stacked on top of each other and with 360 degree access, there are plenty of sledding lines to hit. It also has views that overlook the skatepark.
Garbage Hill (Westview Park, 1 Midland St.) Sliding on an icon. Simple as that. It's always a popular choice while the hill affords some pretty sweet sunset views too. You can also pick up craft beer right beside the hill at Oxus Brewery. Here's a map from the City of Winnipeg's site.
Slides built for speed
FortWhyte Alive (1961 McCreary Rd.) The Richardson Rrrun (not a typo) toboggan slide is the granddaddy of wooden slides in the city. The setting is just a few steps past the FWA's Interpretive Centre. It shoots you out onto frozen Lake Devonian after you pick up speed descending a luge that goes right overtop of the foot pathway and through a strand of trees (FWA's slides are also located right at the Rrrun, so no need to bring your own). It's both thrilling and naturally impressive, the ideal toboggan slide combo. FortWhyte's amenities are also second to none, with the onsite Buffalo Stone Café for meals and snacks and plenty of other winter things to do like snowshoeing, cross country skiing and ice fishing.
St. Vital Park (190 River Rd.) St. Vital Park houses the Instagram famous Manitoboggan slide, which was designed by Public City Architecture for the City of Winnipeg and could easily appear in the pages of Western Living--it's simply that chic. The Manitoboggan has two toboggan slides, one that is universally accessible via a ramp that is nice and gradual on the way down and and steeper slide with an angled roof above. Both slides slip you into a nice stand of trees, with the icy track winding down gradually. The facility also has a lookout tower and a pretty jazzy shelter from the elements to sit and chill.
Bunn’s Creek (365 McIvor Ave.) This simple wooden icy shoot will satisfy your need for speed. Once it shoots you out, you also get a nice little glide too.
Kildonan Park (2015 Main St.) The two slides in KP run parallel and offer a nice little ride after a steep shoot down the icy slide. The red slides look cool, they are about 12 feet high, and there's plenty of parking right near them. It's also not a big walk to get back up the hill (for all you parents pulling kids). While you're there, its always a good call to go check out The Witches' Hut, which is just as enchanting in winter.
Crescent Drive Park (781 Crescent Dr.) Another classic wooden Winnipeg slide serviced by stairs, Crescent Drive Park's slide guides you out like a bobsled course, seeing you zip though an icy trough until you reach a pad of even more ice. The park is also home to a gorgeous pavilion, and the whole park is home to gorgeous mature trees.
Kings Park (198 Kings Dr.) Like Crescent Drive above, Kings Park is located within an oxbow in the Red River, making it a natural beauty even if sliding isn't on your agenda. If it is, the toboggan slide is not too imposing, while the hill behind it is quite expansive, offering plenty of space for sliding.
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For comprehensive maps of all the city's sliding options, check out Mapping Winnipeg. The maps here allow you to filter winter activities in areas throughout the city.
And remember to practice safe sledding! Keep your head up for other outdoor enthusiasts when heading down the hill and walking back up. Some of the hills are run by the city, so make sure to check its website for conditions and to see which ones are open.
