Great sledding spots are a little bit like great fishing spots — no one wants to share their favorites for fear they’ll be overrun. Luckily, there are enough well-known and visible hills across the state that most folks can get their sledding fix somewhere. Here’s a list of free hills open to the public to get you started. If you are looking for more hills to conquer with your flying saucer sled, try contacting a city or town’s parks and recreation folks.

AUBURN

Additional Photos

Sledders queue up to try the sledding hill at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth. Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer

Matt and Carmensol Kesselhout of South Portland enjoy one of the several sledding hills at Fort Williams Park with their children Maximo, 8, and Isabel, 6, who is being pulled up the hill by her father. Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer

Matt Marks and his wife, Sandi Story, of South Portland take a break from sledding to push Aidan, 2, and Abby, 4, on the swings at Fort Williams. Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer

• Sherwood Heights Elementary School, 32 Sherwood Drive

• Pettengill Park, Pettengill Park Road, off Gamage Avenue

• Union Street Gully, Chestnut Street

BANGOR

• Davenport Park, corner of Maine and Cedar streets

• Essex Street Recreation Area (also known as Suicide Hill), Essex Street

BIDDEFORD

• Rotary Park, Main Street

BREWER

• Doyle Field, behind Brewer Auditorium, which is on Wilson Street

• Indian Trail Park, off North Main Street

CAPE ELIZABETH

• Fort Williams Park, 1000 Shore Road

CUMBERLAND

• Val Halla Golf and Recreation Center, 60 Val Halla Road

FREEPORT

• Mast Landing Elementary School, Bow Street, Freeport

GORHAM

• University of Southern Maine campus

HARPSWELL

• Harpswell Islands School, 308 Harpswell Islands Road (Route 24)

KENNEBUNK

• Old landfill (after the Kennebunk Recycling Center), Sea Road

LEWISTON

• Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary, Highland Spring Road

LISBON

• Route 196 (next to the Lisbon Community Federal Credit Union, 325 Lisbon St.)

NEW GLOUCESTER

• Pineland Farms, 15 Farm View Drive (off Route 231)

PORTLAND

• Eastern Promenade, overlooking East End Beach

• Payson Park, Ocean Avenue

• Riverside Municipal Golf Course, Riverside Street

READFIELD

• Maranacook High School, 2250 Millard Harrison Drive

SACO

• Clarks Hill, near Garside’s Ice Cream, Ferry Road

• Saco Middle School Recreation Area, Buxton Road

SOUTH BERWICK

• Powderhouse Hill, Agamenticus Road

SOUTH PORTLAND

• South Portland High softball fields, Highland Avenue

WATERVILLE

• Mayflower Hill, Colby College, Mayflower Hill Road (about 1/10 mile from the Mayflower Hill entrance to the campus)

WINDHAM

• Behind the East Fire Station, Falmouth Road

• Maine Correctional Center hill, River Road

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