There are several outdoor activities available despite the snow or in some cases because of it.

One of the classic snow day activities is sledding. New Ulm has multiple snow hills for sledding. Park and Rec. Director Tom Schmitz said for sledding, Riverside Park, South Park, South German Park and Harman park are the most popular sledding hills.

Riverside Park is one of the great hidden gems for sledding. The park has a gentle slope and several yards of runout space before a sledder reaches the Minnesota River. Several sled tracks are directly behind the Riverside History and Nature Learning Center. A few sledders have shown great ingenuity in creating sled tracks. One path almost resembles a bobsled course.

South Park hill is popular for sledding because of the long rolling hill. Sledders start at the top of the hill along Franklin Street and descend to the cartway below. The sledding hill starts steep but, flattens out for a fast but smooth ride.

Flandrau State Park has dozens of snow skis for rent for any park visitor trying out the winter activity. Below, Flandrau State Park has 3 miles of snowshoe trails looping through the woods. The park recently added new trails through the woods offering snowshoe users multiple routes.

South German Park between Dog Park and 7th S. Street is popular with families. The top of the hill is easily accessible from German Street. The snow hill is a block long, from South German Street to the bike path.

The Harman Park hill near the Waraju Distiller ruins is popular with older kids. The top of this hill is located closer to Hermann Park with the base of the hill in Harman.

It is the steepest sledding hill the city has to offer. Sledders can reach high speeds. Plastic sleds have been known to break on the hill. Inflatable tube sleds are more forgiving.

Some locals have taken to sledding Harman hill at night. For the fourth year in a row, Tim Arndt along with his family friends has been hosting an LED night sled at Harman. The group places LED lights at the border of the woods, marking the path. Each person in the group is given light-up clothing such as LED masks, goggles and suspenders.

It is a simple way to make a fun activity more colorful.

Flandrau State Park has dozens of snow skis for rent for any park visitor trying out the winter activity. Below, Flandrau State Park has 3 miles of snowshoe trails looping through the woods. The park recently added new trails through the woods offering snowshoe users multiple routes.

“It just came to me one day while playing around online,” he said. There were many simple LED items available and he thought to combine them with sledding.

LED night sledding is an annual tradition, but this was the earliest Arndt and crew were able to hit the hill. Typically night sledding has to wait for February, but the recent blizzards allowed them to go early.

Arndt said if anything, there might be too much snow on the hill. Sledders pick up significant speed on Harman and the extra snow can be blinding and at times painful.

Harman Park offers more than sledding, it is also the location of the city’s outdoor ice skating rink. The ice rink at the park was flooded and maintained by several entities including the New Ulm/Sleepy Eye Boys Hockey team for shoveling the rink, MR Paving and Kraus Tree service for use of equipment in leveling the area and use of snow blowers. New Ulm/Sleepy Eye Hockey Association also provided a liner to keep the ice on the rink.

For those who just like to walk outdoors, Park and Recreation plows the recreational trail around New Ulm during the winter. The paths in Nehls Park are also maintained during the winter.

Flandrau State Park has dozens of snow skis for rent for any park visitor trying out the winter activity. Below, Flandrau State Park has 3 miles of snowshoe trails looping through the woods. The park recently added new trails through the woods offering snowshoe users multiple routes.

Schmitz said nearly every park in New Ulm is available for snowshoeing or snow skiing, though the city does not groom trails.

For those seeking groomed trails, look no further than Flandrau State Park. The park has six miles of groomed snow ski trails. The trails were groomed Jan. 5.

Assistant Park Manager Maureen Morgan said this was one of the better seasons for snow skiing and Flandrau due to early snowfalls. This was the earliest in the season the park was able to groom the trails. The park has seen steady use of the ski trails.

Morgan estimated that roughly 25% of people use the trail locally, living within 30 miles of the park. Some of those using the trail visit every day after work.

Snow skiing is a significant draw at Flandrau because it is one of the few DNR-groomed trails in the region. Flandrau also rents snow skis for $10 a day.

For those 16 or older to use the groomed trails in Minnesota state parks or state forests, The Great Minnesota Ski pass is needed. The passes can be purchased online, or at the state park office. The pass grants access to any ski trail in the state.

Snowshoeing is also available in Flandrau with about three miles of trails at Flandrau. The main path is a loop that follows the Cottonwood River, offering multiple scenic overlooks. Flandrau is experimenting with new snowshoe trails as well. The park was able to create additional snowshoe trails following the removal of buckthorn.

There are still over two months left before spring. There is plenty of time to explore all the unique activities only available during a Minnesota winter.