During a snowfall in 1961, students at North Carolina School for the Deaf took to the slope. Photography courtesy of NC School for the Deaf Historical Museum
The steep slope in front of the North Carolina School for the Deaf campus in Morganton has long been a popular sledding spot for both students and members of the community.
Located near the Blue Ridge Parkway entrance to Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, this hill features several routes, allowing sledders to take it easy or to seek a faster, more exciting ride.
Milepost 294, Blue Ridge Parkway
Get your thrill on Strawberry Hill. photograph by Nelson Aerial Productions
The incline at Boone Jaycee Park is wide enough to accommodate dozens. It’s suitable for older kids and adults; smaller children may prefer the gentler hill in the park’s playground.
Tubing may not be sledding, exactly, but we think it more than satisfies the need for speed. Snow-tubers can zip 700 feet down the lanes at Sugar Mountain Golf Course, which features a snow machine and lights for nighttime tubing.
Snow-tubers (and zip-liners) can warm up with a cup of hot cocoa between runs, and, for celebrations, the adjacent solarium is available — complete with a fireplace and views of the tubing hill.
During a winter storm on January 17, 2018, families raced down Harvey Hill at Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh. photograph by Lance King/Stringer/Getty Images
After a snow, sledders flock to Harvey Hill beside the original hospital building at Dorothea Dix Park. Just be sure to navigate around the mature oak trees.
The hill across from Bond Park Community Center is steeper at the top and gentler toward the bottom, allowing sledders to choose their level of thrill.
Few outside of the community surrounding Fletcher Park — just west of downtown — know about the steep hill near the park’s tennis court, but neighborhood kids come in droves after a good snow.
Weather permitting, the Beech Mountain Sledding Hill is open daily until early March. photograph by Derek Diluzio
A snow gun ensures that, on cold winter days, the sledding hill at Beech Mountain — the only municipal sledding hill in the Southeast — will always have the perfect conditions. Purchase a plastic sled at nearby Fred’s Mercantile and bring the kids: This hill is designated for ages 12 and under.
Do you know of an amazing sledding hill we missed? Drop us a note and tell us all about it at editorial@ourstate.com.
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When one stream flows into another, the two chart a new course for the future — together.
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