10 popular places to sled on the South Shore - where is your favorite?

Alexandra Weliever, The Patriot Ledger
Updated ·2 min read

This story was first published in the winter of 2022. But the sledding spots at the bottom are still a good resource for sledders this winter.

MILTON – Sunny skies and a foot of snow made for ideal sledding conditions Saturday morning, as children and their parents gathered on hills big and small to enjoy the first significant snowfall of the season.

Several families trudged through the thick blanket coating at the Ayer Observatory hill at Milton Academy in search of the perfect sledding slope.

Signs posted on the observatory walls with the warning "SLEDDING IS AT YOUR OWN RISK," didn't discourage many from sliding down the slope.

Local kids take advantage of a fresh snowfall by sledding the South Shore Country Club in Hingham on Friday, Jan. 7, 2022.
Local kids take advantage of a fresh snowfall by sledding the South Shore Country Club in Hingham on Friday, Jan. 7, 2022.

While parents accompanied their youngest children down calmer parts of the hill at Milton Academy, some of the older children found joy in launching off small ramps built into the side of the observatory's hill.

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Ten-year-old Kerem Babur aimed carefullywhile holding onto his sled's reins, flew down the hill quickly before bouncing into the air off a ramp.

"I think that small bump is now your favorite, right?" Özgün Babur asked his 10-year-old son, Kerem, who agreed.

Saturday was the Babur's first time sledding this season at the Ayer Observatory, which is near their Milton home.

Cooper Perkins, 11, was also looking to fly off a ramp.

"I think going fast is the best part," he said.

Milton mother Tara Henry, stood at the top of the hill as her 7-year-old daughter Isabel rode down on an inflatable tube.

The observatory hill works for both Isabel and her 1-year-old sister, Astrid, their mother said, as different sides of the knoll have different gradients. Astrid, wearing a puffy pink coat, wiggled around in her red sled's seat.

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"This is a little bit for the older kids because it's like a steeper hill," Tara Henry said looking out over one section of the hill. "And then on the other side, it's not as steep.

"I see some of the younger kids going down, like her."

Milton's observatory hill is among other good spots for sledding across the South Shore.

Sledding spots to try

Furnace Brook Golf Course: 20 Reservoir Road, Quincy

Milton Academy Ayer Observatory: 170 Centre St., Milton

Presidents Golf Course: 357 W. Squantum St., Quincy

First Parish Norwell: 24 River St., Norwell

Tufts Library: 46 Broad St., Weymouth

South Shore Country Club: 274 South St., Hingham

Coast Guard Hill: 900 Ferry St., Marshfield

Hanover Middle School: 45 Whiting St., Hanover

Strawberry Valley Golf Course: 164 Washington St., Abington

Whitman Town Park: 141 Whitman Ave., Whitman

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Reach Alex Weliever at aweliever@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: South Shore sledding hills to try this winter season