For years, Northeast Ohioans and visitors alike have enjoyed sliding down the steep toboggan chutes. Now, the Cleveland Metroparks is celebrating the chutes' 50-year anniversary.
Adventure-goers can experience the icy thrill of tobogganing. The twin toboggan chutes plunge down a 70-foot vertical drop and travel along 700 feet of ice, reaching up to 50 miles per hour.
Today, the Toboggan Chutes are located in Cleveland Metroparks Chalet Recreation Area, 16200 Valley Parkway, Mill Stream Run Reservation, between routes 42 and 82 in Strongsville. Guests can call the Chalet at 440-572-9990, option #6, for operations updates in case of warm or inclement weather.
This article delves into the history of these iconic winter attractions, from their origins in Virginia Kendall Park to the modern refrigerated chutes at The Chalet in Mill Stream Run Reservation.
Early Days at Virginia Kendall Park
The toboggan chutes at Virginia Kendall Park provided an adrenaline rush at 50 mph through 300-foot wooden troughs that emptied onto the frozen surface of 13-acre Kendall Lake. Riders barreled down an 85-foot incline and skidded across the ice until they reached the other side, a journey of about 1,600 feet, barring a wipeout. Energetic youngsters got up, scrambled back and waited in line to do it again.
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On peak days in January and February during the Great Depression, more than 12,000 visitors enjoyed skiing, sledding, tobogganing and skating at the winter wonderland in Boston Township.
Cleveland coal millionaire Hayward H. Kendall (1876-1928) had bequeathed 430 acres to Ohio for a recreation area to be named for his mother, Virginia.
The Civilian Conservation Corps, a New Deal program proposed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, began work in 1933 on a park between state Route 8 and the Cuyahoga Valley about 11 miles north of Akron. More than 200 workers built shelters, bridges, latrines, a bathhouse, a dam and the lake.
In the winter of 1935-1936, they also constructed a toboggan chute with wood hewn from local timber. The men even built the park’s original toboggans, although some impatient CCC workers later admitted to riding on shovels before the toboggans were completed.
The Akron Metropolitan Park System operated Virginia Kendall for the state and was responsible for its maintenance. Keeping the toboggans running was a major chore for park crews because the operation depended entirely on Ohio’s weather.
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Tobogganing was not allowed until the ice on Kendall Lake was 5 to 7 inches thick. After a prolonged cold spell, workers sprayed spring water on the chute, gave it time to freeze and covered it with canvas during the day.
“Because the sunshine is considerably clearer at Kendall than it is in the city, it is warmer out there, and it is necessary to cover the slides to keep the ice from disintegrating,” Harold S. Wagner, chairman of the park board, explained in 1938.
Snow had to be shoveled from the ice to allow for smooth passage. with floodlights and flares providing illumination, although day racing was permitted during extremely cold weeks.
Visitors could bring their own toboggans or rent one for $1 for three hours. Park attendants at the top of the hill made sure people kept their arms and legs inside the ride to prevent injuries.
Although tens of thousands of people enjoyed the toboggan hill during its debut season, the weather didn’t cooperate the following year and the rides were few and far between. Crews had to patch the chute every autumn before reopening it.
In 1938, the park bought 40 new toboggans, but the hill was abandoned for four years during World War II when gasoline rationing curtailed traffic. A new chute was built for the winter of 1945-1946 and then a second, parallel chute was added in 1947 to accommodate the postwar crowds.
However, weather in the early 1950s wasn’t ideal for tobogganing. During the winter of 1951-1952, the chutes didn’t open. The following winter, the chutes operated for only two evenings.
In 1963, park workers built a new launching pad on a concrete platform. Rides continued smoothly for a decade except for the no-go year of 1967.
Chutes opened in January 1976 for the first time in three years.
“We’re at the mercy of the weather,” maintenance director John Kasarda told the Beacon Journal. “The lake has to be frozen a solid 7 inches and temperatures have to be at last 17 or 18 degrees before we can ice the chutes. Then we cover the chutes with a light colored canvas because the sun will peel the ice right off.”
The park district turned over the land to the National Park Service in January 1978 for the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area. Park workers rebuilt the slides for the winter of 1978-1979, which turned out to be the last hurrah.
A burst pipe at Kendall Lake caused 4 million gallons of water to drain, lowering the surface level and forcing the toboggan chutes to shut down. Federal budget cuts in the early 1980s kept the park from reopening the hill.
Unused for a decade, the weather-beaten chutes finally were taken apart in 1990. And in a whoosh, they were gone.
The Chalet at Mill Stream Run Reservation
At the time, the park was known as "Winter Funland Inc," and it was the first refrigerated chute system in the world. This meant that it could operate even if it wasn't cold outside.
Winter Funland, which later changed its name to The Chalet, still remains the only refrigerated tobogganing in the state of Ohio, according to Amy McRitchie, the facilities and concessions manager at Chalet. The refrigeration works the same as an ice rink cooling system, where cooled chemicals are piped underneath the surface.
That refrigeration system has been important for business, she said. In any one season, between 20,000 and 35,000 people visit the chutes for its 16 weeks of operation.
McRitchie said that people prefer to visit the chutes on cold days, even though the park is open in temperatures up to 50 degrees.
"We tend to not be as busy on [warm] days, but to me that sounds like the most fun because you're not freezing to death," she said. "A lot of people really like the snowy days when it's about 35 degrees. We're really busy. We'll have lines on the stairs."
The record for attendance was in the 2012-13 season, when 38,000 people bought passes to The Chalet.
Preserving a Tradition
Although the winter activity has proven popular in Northeast Ohio, it was at one time threatened by disrepair. Back in 1987, the chutes were slated for demolition.
Years of thawing and freezing had caused the metal chutes to break apart and not line up properly.
"They actually were going to destroy those and stop doing toboggan chutes altogether," said McRitchie. "There was a public outcry to our park commissioners."
After this public support, the park was saved and improvements were made in 1988. New chutes were put in place, the same ones that are used today. The chilling system was updated with more efficient chemicals.
The Chalet's next big update didn't occur until 2012, when a toboggan lift was constructed by an inhouse construction team. Before the lift was built, riders would have to carry their toboggan sleds up all 108 steps to the top of the hill.
Other small improvements include a monitor at the top of the stairs with a safety message and a live feed of the chute, free wifi and a speed radar.
Right now, McRitchie sees families coming back year after year, making the toboggan chutes a part of their annual holiday activities.
"When I think of the toboggan chutes as a tradition, I think of it in the same aspect as going downtown to the lights and 'The Christmas Story' house," she said.
Cleveland Metroparks toboggan chutes to open Friday
Planning Your Visit
The 2025-2026 Toboggan Season is now open. Experience the icy thrill of tobogganing at The Chalet in Mill Stream Run Reservation, 16200 Valley Parkway Strongsville, OH 44136, located on Valley Parkway between Routes 42 and 82 in Strongsville (a short distance from both I-71 and the Ohio Turnpike). The twin, 700-foot refrigerated ice chutes operate with or without snow through late February, weather permitting.
Hours for Tobogganing this coming weekend.
Reservations are required for tobogganing for the 2025-2026 toboggan season.
Reservations are a timed ticket to guarantee your toboggan experience and do not guarantee no lines or no wait times. During Holiday Hours or high-volume toboggan days, expect longer wait times. You may ride until close of that day. On Prime Tobogganing Days lines and wait times can be upwards of an hour or more. We are typically the busiest at the top of the hour.
Your 1-hour reservation time is your time to check in at the ticket booth and pick up your pre-purchased tickets. You may toboggan for as long as you would like until close of that day.
Winter gloves or mittens that cover your fingertips are required and is a strict rule that will be enforced. No refunds will be issued for riders that do not have gloves. Gloves are available for purchase from the ticket booth.
All Riders must be 42” or taller. This is a strict rule and will be enforced. No exceptions. When picking up your tickets at the ticket booth, children must be present for a height check. No Refunds will be issued for online tickets purchased for riders below the height limit. Please measure your children before purchasing tickets.
The toboggan lift is used to carry ONLY toboggans to the top of the chutes. The toboggans are loaded and unloaded by Chalet Staff. Riders will need to walk up 108 steps to the top of the hill to ride the toboggan chutes.
No other items or people will be transported by the toboggan lift.
The Ticket Booth closes 1 hour before closing, and reservations end 2 hours before closing to ensure all riders get through the line by closing.
Important Information
- All Riders must be 42” or taller and all riders must wear winter gloves or mittens that cover your fingertips. No exceptions!
- Daily admission rates:$15 (daily- multiple ride ticket)
- Children 11 and Younger:$13 (daily- multiple ride ticket)
If you would like to purchase tickets with Cleveland Metroparks Gift Cards call The Chalet to arrange, 440-572-9990. Gift Cards are Sold and Accepted at The Chalet Ticket Window and Concessions. Cleveland Metroparks Gifts Cards are not accepted or sold on the reservation system “Tock”.
Reservations are required for Individual Daily Admission during the 2025-2026 season. Reservations are a timed ticket and do not guarantee no lines or no wait times.
Each person in your group tobogganing will need to purchase a ticket. If you are not tobogganing, you do not need to purchase a ticket.
When picking up your tickets, children must be present for a height check. All riders must be 42” or taller. This is a strict rule and will be enforced. No Refunds will be issued for online tickets purchased for riders below the height limit.