Sledding is fun...but not so much when someone gets hurts.  Sending a small child down a huge hill at speeds of over 100 miles per hour conjures up images of Chevy Chase in "Christmas Vacation". This is why parents are often  understandably nervous about letting their kids go sledding without making sure the conditions are safe.

The Metro Parks of Louisville has pre-selected the best (and safest) sledding hills in the city.  On days like today when there are more than 2-3 inches of snow, park workers will visit the chosen sledding hills to check on conditions and designate them open or closed.

Even better, park staff remain at the open hills with first aid kits and will contact emergency services if necessary.  Most parents will find this "extra pair of eyes" invaluable.  

I wish Jack was old enough to go sledding, but for now I will have to live vicariously through all of you with older kids. So here is Metro Park's list (in no particular order) of the best and safest sledding hills in the city:

• Cherokee Park (Baringer Hill, intersection of Alexander Road and Scenic Loop)
• George Rogers Clark Park (1024 Thruston Avenue, behind playground, near McKinley Avenue)
• Joe Creason Park (1297 Trevilian Way, behind Metro Parks administration building)
• McNeely Lake Park (6900 Cooper Chapel Road, near Korean War Memorial)
• Riverview Park (8202 Greenwood Road, along floodwall)
• Tyler Park (1501 Castlewood Avenue, on Tyler Park Drive side of park)
• Charlie Vettiner Park  (5550 Charlie Vettiner Park Road, near Easum Road entrance)

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Photo: Metro Parks of Louisville