Ski/snowboard
Whether you’re a beginning skier or snowboarder or an expert at these popular sports, there are many options, all less than an hour away:
Downhill skiing/snowboarding:
Labrador Mountain, Route 91, Truxton, (607)842-6204, labradormtn.com; Song Mountain Resort, 1 Song Mountain Road, Tully, 696-5711, songmountain.com; Toggenburg Winter Sports Center, Toggenburg Road, Fabius, 683-5842, skitog.com; Four Seasons Golf & Ski Resort, 8012 E. Genesee St., Fayetteville, 637-9023, fourseasonsgolfandski.com.
Cross country:
Onondaga County Parks, 451-7275, onondagacountyparks.com.
- Skate
Nothing says winter fun like taking a spin around an ice rink while holding onto a loved one’s hand: Clinton Square Ice Rink, 423-0129, syracuse.ny.us; Cicero Twin Ice Rinks, 5575 Meltzer Court, Cicero, 752-7465, ciceroicerink.com; Sunnycrest Arena, 699 Robinson St., Syracuse, 473-4696; Meacham Ice Rink, 121 West Seneca Turnpike, Syracuse, 492-0179.
- Snowshoe
Get a great workout while enjoying the outdoors (many of these areas also have great cross country skiing as well):
Highland Forest (rentals available), 1254 Highland Forest Road, Fabius, 683-5550, onondagacountyparks.com; Beaver Lake Nature Center (rentals available), 8477 E. Mud Lake Road, Baldwinsville, 638-2519, onondagacountyparks.com; Oneida Shores Park, 9248 McKinley Ridge Road, Brewerton, 676-7366; Bear Swamp, off Route 41A, Sempronius; Baltimore Woods Nature Center (rentals available, no skiing, snowmobiles or dogs allowed), Bishop Hill Road, Marcellus, 673-1350, baltimorewoods.org.
- Sled
Although sledding is not allowed on many big hills in the Central New York area due to safety concerns, there’s nothing wrong with finding a hill on your own property or in an area not near traffic; call your local municipality to see if there are any locations where sledding is allowed. Some places where sledding is allowed include:
Highland Forest, 500-foot-long slope of Skyline Hill, 1254 Highland Forest Road, Fabius, 683-5550, onondagacountyparks.com; Longbranch Park, 100-foot-long slope, 3813 Long Branch Road, Liverpool, 453-6712, onondagacountyparks.com; and Centerville Park, 609 South Bay Road in North Syracuse, northsyracuseny.org.
- Snowmobile
There are miles and miles of trails to explore by snowmobile in Central New York, and various resources for finding the perfect ride.
Onondaga County Parks, in cooperation with the New York State Snowmobile Association and Onondaga County Snowmobile Association, administers the local NYS Snowmobile Grant-in-Aid Program. The following opportunities for riding and gaining access to the rural trails of America’s Snowiest City are available: Oneida Shores Park – Beach Section Only, Brewerton, 676-7366; Highland Forest Park – Trail #S-51C Access Only, Fabius, 683-5550; Adirondacks of Central New York, offers access to Trail #S-51C of the Onondaga County Trail System, southeastern spur leads to Fabius and Tully and is under the jurisdiction of the Lafayette Trail Riders; Erie Canalway / Jordan Level Trail, five miles of Erie Canal towpath from Jordan to Memphis, maintained by local clubs. For more information on the above, visit onondagacountyparks.com.
Some additional websites that can get you started: traillink.com; trailsource.com; mappery.com/Marcellus-Snowmobile-Trail-Map; nysnowmobiler.com; tcriders.com/trails.html.
