Some places a town just adopts. For generations, the sledding hill off Pine Street has been where Sandpoint learns to love winter — and on Saturday, October 24, the community gets to celebrate it properly. The Kaniksu Land Trust hosts the Sled Hill Grand Opening from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., free and open to all.
Expect live music, food, games, a pumpkin patch, and demonstrations from the Kaniksu Folk School — a thank-you to the community that showed up to protect the place. With the first phase of the master plan complete, it's finally time to celebrate together.
The backstory is pure Sandpoint. The 48-acre parcel — forest, meadows, a large pond, and the historic homestead with its iconic hill — came on the market, and the land trust moved quickly to buy it so it would stay open to the public in perpetuity. The hill has served as a community recreation site for half a century; locals were sledding it back when a car motor powered a rope tow.
The hill isn't just for winter. The land trust notes the property is open year-round, with hiking and biking trails winding through the forest along the sledding hill and connecting into Pine Street Woods. Wide and narrow trails make it a playground for hikers and bikers alike.
The Sled Hill sits at Pine Street Woods, 11735 W. Pine Street in Dover. Bring the family, bring a pumpkin-carving spirit, and come see what a community can save when it decides to.
The land trust's Pine Street Woods — 180 acres purchased in 2019 and opened to the public for mountain biking, walking, Nordic skiing, and picnics — wraps around the sled hill parcel, making the whole Pine Street neighborhood a year-round trail hub just west of downtown Sandpoint. Generations of sledders would approve.