The best spots for sledding, tubing in the suburbs

Outdoor recreation has kept us going through the COVID-19 pandemic, and it doesn't have to stop now that the weather is cold and snowy.

Here are some of the best sledding spots in the suburbs.

Caboose Park, Lake Villa Township, 27908 Fairfield Road

• Hill available for sledding and has one of area's few toboggan chutes

• Lighted from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Century Park, Vernon Hills, 1001 Lakeview Parkway

• Bears Running Back Matt Forte used it for training

• Lighted, open until 9 p.m.

• Cross-country skiing and ice skating available

Deer Grove Forest Preserve, Palatine

• Two hills for sledding

• Biggest hill allows for enough speed to stop just before a lake

• Preserve is well-known for its large deer population

Fabyan Forest Preserve, Geneva

• Open when there's a minimum of 4 inches of snow.

• Enter off Route 25 or Route 31, north of Fabyan Parkway

• Check out the historic windmills and Fox River nearby

• Open until 9 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and holidays

Johnson's Mound, 41W600 Hughes Road, near Elburn

• Highest point for several surrounding miles; great view

• Hill rises up 200 feet

• One of the first three forest preserves in Kane County

Lakewood Forest Preserve, Wauconda, Fairfield and Ivanhoe Roads

• Lights for evening sledding

• Steep hill allows for good speed, but plenty of flat area at the bottom to slow down

• Restrooms atop the hill

Meineke Recreation Center, 220 E. Weathersfield Way, Schaumburg

• Next to the recreation center

North Salk Park, 3160 Owl Drive, Rolling Meadows

• Hill has steps to make climbing back up easier

• Hill is lighted in the evenings

• Flag system lets you know when it is safe to sled

Randall Oaks Park, 1180 N. Randall Road, West Dundee

• Snowboards welcome

Riverwalk Sled Hill, Rotary Hill, Naperville

• Wooden and metal-runner sleds not permitted

• Open until 9 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays

Veteran Acres, Crystal Lake

• Lighted in the evening