Best Places to Go Sledding and Tubing for Seattle-Area Kids and Families

A groomed sledding hill located off I-90 exit 54, near Snoqualmie East, Hyak Sno-Park is a Washington State Parks snow play area. It is not affiliated with the Summit at Snoqualmie ski resort. The area is groomed up to five times a week (depending on conditions) but is not supervised by rangers or snow patrol. You can also go snowshoeing or cross-country skiing on the groomed trails. Tip: The parking lot can fill up. Go early or late in the day to avoid crowds.

Status: As of Dec. 29, the Hyak Sno-Park sledding hill is not yet open. For daily status, call and listen to the recorded message at 509-656-2230. Status changes daily; call that number for a recorded message about current conditions before heading out.

Cost: There’s no admission fee, but you’ll need to display a Daily Sno-Park Permit, or a Seasonal Sno-Park permit PLUS a Special Groomed Trails Permit (this combo costs $120 and is good through April 2025). There is an electronic pay station where you can buy Daily Sno-Park Permits. Bathrooms are the only on-site amenity. Note: This Sno-Park gets VERY crowded; go early or late to avoid peak times.   

Hours: The Hyak sledding hill, once open, is generally open daily 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Bonus snow play: In 2022, Washington State Parks opened a new sno-park at Annette Lake, and a couple of years ago, Easton Reload opened as a new sno-park. These spots join nearby Lake Easton Sno-Park as places for families to play in the snow, though there aren’t actual sledding hills. There are 127 sno-parks where you can have all kinds of winter fun (though only three have sledding hills). 

Warm up: If you’re headed back to Seattle, there are lots of great options in North Bend (about a half hour’s drive away), including the popular Scott’s Dairy Freeze. But if you need to get somewhere quickly, there are a few options available in the nearby Snoqualmie Pass area (about 10 minutes away), such as the Summit Pancake House and Red Mountain Coffee. 

Next up: Mount Rainier