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As I sit home on this snowy Tuesday, I am struck by the beauty right outside my window. I don't love winter, but we do live in the Midwest, and this is part of it, right? And there are plenty of good things about winter, including the occasional snow day!
Even though the snow came late this year, we're lucky to be able to go sledding at Aldeen Park or Twin Sisters Park, or go snowshoeing and cross country skiing at Sinnissippi Park!
But what about winters like last year when we had little to no snow?
The Rockford Park District has a solution. The former Alpine Hills Golf Course has been donated to the Rockford Park District Foundation and will be turned into Alpine Hills Adventure Park.
This 52 acre adventure park will provide exciting year-round activities. In the winter, a snow making machine will make it possible to go snowboarding, snowtubing, tobogganing, snowshoeing and cross country skiing all winter long. The facility will also include a tow lift, as well as a lodge and warming house. Additionally, Alpine Hills Adventure Park will include therapeutic recreation and adaptive sports, so that people with developmental disabilities can enjoy these winter sports as well: a first for the Park District.
In the warmer months of the year, the Adventure Park makes way for the Park District's First Tee golf classes, urban camping, shared use trails, nature viewing, mountain biking, rock climbing, and more.
Kudos to the Park District for their due diligence and hard work to make this happen. We look forward to its opening--hopefully late this year!
