Note: Stay off private property!
A lot—we repeat—a LOT of people email us asking where the best places to go sledding are. Obviously, when we have natural snowfall—and we get an average of 60-200″ inches of the white stuff each season depending on what part of the mountains of the Southeast you are traveling in—you can sled just about anywhere!
Potential visitors are always asking, “Where’s the BEST place to see real snow?” Many residents of the southeastern states have rarely or NEVER seen snow in person, and for them that is a legitimate question. The answer is use a little common sense AND keep you eye on the weather forecast. If the forecast for, say Snowshoe Mountain, calls for snow, then head on up there because there’s probably going to be some real snow!
In North Carolina, as well as most of the mountains of the Southeast, the most snow is USUALLY at the highest elevations—and that means Beech Mountain, Sugar Mountain or around the Tennessee line.
However, all of the ski areas of the Southeast receive a fair amount of snowfall each season. (Some more than others.) The best way to sort all of that out is to go to EACH of the ski resorts’ links from the front page of this website. Click on them one at a time and look at how much snow each receives each season (on average), and also how much snow they received for each of the last two seasons. By the way, SkiSoutheast.com is the ONLY place that you can gather that kind of information!
Then make your decision based on snowfall, the weather forecast and your gas budget!
As far as sledding is concerned, you can usually find spots on the Blue Ridge Parkway or other public areas that have enough incline to do the trick. There are MANY wonderful sledding areas that a lot of visitors and locals enjoy every time we get a significant snowfall.
However, when there isn’t snowfall, you can STILL go sledding! How you ask? Nope, you can’t sled down the ski slopes—unless of course you go tubing. However, the Town of Beech Mountain has provided a wonderful alternative.
Right beside the Town Hall is a sled hill that they invite children 12 years and under to enjoy for FREE. (Parents can sled with small kids.) Even better, they have a snowgun set up to create snow as long as temps allow, so there’s always a chance to sled! Great idea, huh? So grab your favorite sled, look for a decent hill…and go for it!
Also, almost any hardware store, Wal-Mart & K-Mart in Boone and other roadside stores carry sleds of all sizes and designs at very reasonable prices. When all else fails, try Snow Tubing at almost any resort. It’s very much like sledding but with a convenient way to get you back to the top of the mountain!