As Sledding Gets Banned In More Cities, Grand Rapids Sleds On

While some of us hate the idea of the frigid cold weather that’s hitting us right now, there are others who just revel in it, especially when it comes to outdoor winter activities. And for kids, there’s no greater fun than sledding, but in some cities, overprotective grinches have taken that fun away

Not to worry, Grand Rapids isn't one of them, and GR has some of the greatest sledding in the state. Find out where.

More and more cities have started banning sledding in public parks due to the risk of large liability claims. While there’s no exact accounting for how many cities have actually instituted a ban, recently Dubuque, Iowa voted to nix the fun winter activity in all but two of its 50 parks, explaining they “can’t manage the risk at all of those places.”

Other cities are trying to manage liability issues without taking away all of the fun. In cities like Des Moines, Iowa; Montville, New Jersey; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Columbia City, Indiana, they’ve managed to ban sledding on certain slopes, and have added signs warning people of the risks, but signs doesn’t necessarily mean lawsuits can’t still happen.

Of course, God forbid anyone takes responsibility for the poor choices they make.

Here In Grand Rapids, sledding continues to be a popular activity, and is far from being banned.

GRKids.com published this comprehensive list of great Grand Rapids area sledding hills last winter, and WGRD's Metalhead Ned gave us this list of his fave hometown sliding spots.

If you want to expand your horizons beyond West Michigan, Pure Michigan has this look at sledding and snow tubing statewide, and Pando ski area has sliding options for you as well.

But if you want to take your sledding to the next level, it's time to head to the Lakeshore, and hit one of the few natural luge runs in the nation at Muskegon State Park.