Which Janesville sledding hill is best?
Grandson Remy, who turns 4 next month, was wound up when he arrived at our house Sunday night. He's a night owl by nature and was still awake, chattering away to himself, long after everyone else had gone to sleep. He kept waking me up, and I wasn't happy, given that my work alarm rang at 5 a.m.
On Christmas Day, Remy, his 11-year-old sister, Lexi, and their dad and I took them to Arden Park, behind the Janesville Mall, for some sledding.
We were only on the hill a half hour or so, but Remy fell asleep before 10 p.m. Maybe the repeated hill climbs and fresh air did the trick.
About a dozen people were on the hill, but most seemed to be going down the back side. That might be steeper, but you risk running into bushes along the sides or a utility box near the bottom. One adult quickly skidded into the fence just off the sledding paths.
What's your favorite sledding hill in Janesville? Other popular ones through the years have been those in Palmer, Riverside and Lustig parks. Remy and Lexi went to the Palmer Park hill, near the base of Lexington Drive, one winter, but the hill was icy and Lexi and her dad almost skidded into the street before they rolled off.
I can recall more than two decades ago when former Gazette reporter Elizabeth McGowan visited all of Janesville's hills and rated them by "yahoos," though I don't remember which one got the best marks.
Greg Peck can be reached at (608) 755-8278 or gpeck@gazettextra.com. Or follow him on Twitter or Facebook
Dec 28, 2012 at 5:32 a.m.
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(oops - Lustig isn't by Riverside...it's early)
Dec 28, 2012 at 5:30 a.m.
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My 6 & 7 year olds and I have tried many sledding places the past few years. They always like Riverside the best as it has multiple hills in one area. It's on the other side of town for us but worth the trip (and it's located close to one of our favorite Summer pastimes - Lustig for discgolfing).
Dec 28, 2012 at 3:34 a.m.
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Ya, I really miss the old mall hill. Palmer is pretty good.
Dec 27, 2012 at 7:26 p.m.
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Riverside Park has the best hills in the city...
Dec 27, 2012 at 6:30 p.m.
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I once spent a year in rehab for my knee after colliding with another sledder. I had so much snow spray that I couldn't see a thing in front of me. But yeah, lucky I managed to recover w/o surgery.
Dec 27, 2012 at 6:01 p.m.
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speaking of that honey boo boo show will be on again. I watched a toddlers and tierras. SICK. Mom doesn't have enough money to afford this so moves back home with her mother.
Dec 27, 2012 at 5:59 p.m.
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hayburn- the issue now is if a kid gets hurt on your property(while trespassing) the kids parent will sue the owner of the property.
Dec 27, 2012 at 11:41 a.m.
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For all of the kids that grew up on the south side of town, Mill Hill was the best. You had to share the hill with cows, but what a thrill, steep and fast. I'm not even sure if we were there "legally", but we were never bothered and it was pretty obvious what we were doing.....
Dec 27, 2012 at 7:53 a.m.
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When I was a kid I use to go to a hill on the back corner of the Country Club golf course, it seemed huge back then I haven't been back there in 25 years so I a guessing I would have a different perspective now. The Hospital use to have a great hill too where the Barry building is now.
Dec 27, 2012 at 2:47 a.m.
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to me, it's all about the thrill. U-Rock's front hill isn't very big, but big enough. And nothing says thrill like dodging traffic after you jump the curb!
Dec 27, 2012 at 1:21 a.m.
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Yeah teh mall hill was great until they put that parking lot right in front of the fun side. Now its a joke.
Riverside I would rate best now. Seen more people hurt there though compared to Arden Pk.
Dec 26, 2012 at 6:27 p.m.
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Palmer Park is best for long runs but only if one has a sled with steering for avoiding trees. The real thrill comes from the avoided dangers and "dumping" your vehicle in the soft snow before "wiping out" on the run. I remember training all of my kids on how to avoid injuries. Days on the hills in winter with the kids was always the best.
Dec 26, 2012 at 4 p.m.
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The mall hill used to be until they ruined it. Im surprised they havnt banned sledding yet. According to MSNBC over 20,000 child injuries a year sledding.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40479252/ns/...
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