The 12 best sledding hills in Chicago

Take a trip to Beverly to gaze at the distant Chicago skyline before plunging down a 200-foot hill—among the largest, if not the largest, slope in the entire city. The Cook County Forest Preserve lights up the hill and keeps it staffed seven days a week (Sunday–Thursday 10am–7:30pm, Friday–Saturday 10am–8:30pm) when there's at least three inches of snow on the ground. Want to check whether the hill is open? Call 773-233-3766 ahead of your visit to make sure.

You'll be able to take in views of Lake Michigan from atop this relatively steep four-sided hill on the northern end of Lincoln Park (near Montrose Beach), making for some beautiful slipping and sliding.

Pick up some snacks at Superdawg before hitting the slopes at this Northwest Side forest preserve. Enter Caldwell Woods at West Devon and North Nagle Avenues and you'll find the sledding spot nearby. Like Dan Ryan Woods, this hill is lit up and staffed when conditions are right; call 847-647-2240 to double check before making the trek.

Known by locals as "Mount Bridgeport," the site of Palmisano Park is a former garbage dump that has been reclaimed as a recreation area. FYI: Parts of the hill are quite steep, so Palmisano might not be the best spot for novice sledders.

The largest hill in Evanston's James Park—a 65-foot peak dubbed Mt. Trashmore, since it’s the site of a former landfill—is so intense that the city's park district has banned sledding on it, but thrill-seekers can still speed down a couple of smaller mounds around the park. 

Kids in Rogers Park flock to this hill lined by stairs, making it easier to trudge back up to the top after whizzing down on a sled.

You can plan a full day of wintertime fun at this Belmont-Cragin park, which is also home to an ice skating rink in addition to its modest sledding hill. 

Hills in Humboldt Park? Yep, there's one to the west of the fieldhouse (right by the lagoon) where those who simply must go sledding in the winter can get an oh-so-brief fix. Watch out for snowmen!

Located at the nexus of Irving Park and Albany Park, most of this urban oasis is pretty flat, but there are few gradual slopes that small kiddos might have some fun scooching down.

Even a Cowardly Lion can handle the miniature sledding hill in Oz Park, which is just slightly more magical than other gradual slopes in the city due to the presence of Dorothy, Toto and Scarecrow statues.

There's no lighting at this Cook County Forest Preserve nature area on the Northwest Side—so the sledding fun will have to end come sundown—but you'll find a medium-sized hill on its east end that's good for daytime runs. Call 773-625-0606 to check sledding status before you visit.