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By Danielle Furfaro
Brooklyn Daily
The ground is blanketed with snow and the mercury is well below 32 degrees. It may be a tough time to walk across the street or ride a bike, but the conditions are perfect for an exhilarating day of sledding. Here is a guide to our favorite inclines in the borough.
Prospect Park
Long Meadow near Grand Army Plaza
What the borough’s most famous sledding hills lack in height they make up for in length. There are acres of launch spots along the perimeter of the big lawn, so the wait is never more than a few seconds.
Bathrooms: Yes, at the Litchfield Villa and the Picnic House.
Fort Greene Park
Between Myrtle Avenue, DeKalb Avenue, Washington Park Place, and Saint Edwards Street in Fort Greene
The park is one big hill and winter thrill-seekers can shove off on three sides of the summit at its center. The incline is a bit treacherous because of sharp drop-offs at the park’s edge, but a fall to the sidewalk is easily avoided by an alert pilot with responsive steering.
Bathrooms: Yes, towards Myrtle Avenue from the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument at the center of the park.
Sunset Park
Between 41st and 44th streets and Fifth and Seventh Avenues in Sunset Park
Another green-space that is one big sled run when covered with fresh powder. Not only is this hill super steep, but it also offers the best views of the Manhattan skyline of any toboggan track in the borough.
Bathrooms: Yes, inside the Sunset Park Recreation Center at the Seventh Avenue end of the park.
Suicide Hill, Hillside Park
Columbia Heights at Vine Street in Brooklyn Heights
Suicide Hill, also called Watchtower Hill for its proximity to the former Jehova’s Witness headquarters, is not as scary as it sounds. The dog park becomes a sledder’s dream in the snow, with enough of an incline to move kids and the young at heart along at less-than-breakneck speeds and varied terrain that allows the expert rider to catch some air.
Bathrooms: No.
Dead Man’s Hill, Owl’s Head Park
Colonial Road at 68th Street in Bay Ridge
Dead Man’s Hill, on the other hand, is aptly named. Daredevils get bonus points for staying upright the whole way down.
Bathrooms: Yes.