For the first winter in years, Birmingham's best-known sledding hill sits behind a construction fence. The City of Birmingham says Booth Park at Old Woodward and Harmon will stay fully closed until summer 2027. The closure covers the playground, the sledding hill and Booth's entrance to the Rouge River chip trail.
This season's losses all sit in that one park. The 2020 parks bond is paying for the work at Booth, and it has already opened new playgrounds elsewhere in the city. So this winter has fewer places to sled and more finished parks to use in between snowfalls. Knowing which is which makes it easier to plan a snow day.
What the Fence Takes Out of the Season
The city's closure notice leaves no partial access:
"The park will remain completely closed as crews work through the winter into the warmer weather on this major project."
That shuts down three things at once. The playscape is out, and so is the winter sledding area. The trailhead that let walkers step from Old Woodward straight onto the Rouge River chip trail is closed as well. The Little Free Library, housed in a brightly painted pig figure near the play area, is also listed as unavailable.
The park has history with its neighbors. The city says that in 2007, residents and business owners raised more than $170,000 in private donations and helped plan the park. Hundreds of community volunteers then built the playscape structures in one week. The land was once part of the turn-of-the-century interurban railway. The Booth family later bought it, and the Cranbrook Foundation donated it to the city.
What's Being Built Behind It
Birmingham voters approved the Parks and Recreation Bond in November 2020 with more than 70% support, and the Booth project is part of the bond's trail work. According to the city's bond project page, the Booth Park Entry Plaza and Trail Improvements will add:
- An accessible seating and gathering area
- A trail entry identifier and signage
- A restroom facility
- Native gardens
The two city pages describe the end date a little differently. The bond page anticipates the closure running through June 2027, and the Booth Park page says "until summer 2027."
The Booth work makes more sense next to the citywide trail plan. Consultant MCSA Group designed a set of trail improvements: a Booth plaza with a restroom, five trail entry identifiers along the system, and a new pedestrian bridge south of Maple leading into the Linden Park trail. The plan also adds new trail, boardwalks and viewing areas, and clearer signage. It focuses on the stretch from Willits to Maple, where the Birmingham Museum is marked as a point of interest. Under that plan, Booth becomes the main entrance to a better-marked trail system, and losing it for one winter is how that gets built.
Two Hills Left on the City's List
The city's winter sports page names three sledding locations: Lincoln Hills Golf Course, Booth Park and the Birmingham Museum. With Booth closed, that leaves two.
Lincoln Hills needs more than a dusting. The city says sledding there requires at least 4 inches of snow and asks visitors to call the course at (248) 530-1670 for sledding hours and updates before going. Lincoln Hills is also open for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. The city doesn't rent equipment, so bring your own skis or snowshoes.
The Birmingham Museum is the other listed hill. It also sits near the Willits-to-Maple stretch of the trail plan, so the same walk can take in both the sledding and the trail.
Here is the full set of city-run winter options for the coming season:
| Option | Where | What it depends on | Before you go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sledding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing | Lincoln Hills Golf Course | 4 inches of snow minimum for sledding | Call (248) 530-1670 |
| Sledding | Birmingham Museum | Snowfall | Check city winter updates |
| Outdoor skating | Barnum Park rink | Steady cold and safe ice | Watch for posted ice-condition signs |
| Indoor public skating | Birmingham Ice Sports Arena, 2300 E. Lincoln | Posted schedule | $5 youth and seniors, $6 adults, $3 skate rental |
The Ice Is the Most Predictable Part of Winter
With two weather-dependent hills, the indoor rink is the one winter option that runs on a fixed calendar. The Birmingham Ice Sports Arena has posted a Fall/Winter public-skate schedule running September 8, 2026, through January 9, 2027. Within that schedule:
- Adult skate runs weekdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Parent-and-Tot Hockey runs Fridays from 1:10 to 2:30 p.m.
- General public skate runs in listed daily time slots.
Admission is $5 for youth and seniors and $6 for adults, plus $3 per pair for skate rental. The next eight-week Learn to Skate session starts November 9 and runs through January 24, 2027.
The Barnum Park outdoor rink depends on the weather. The city opens it once temperatures stay cold enough and will announce an official opening date. Crews maintain the ice, and skaters are welcome to shovel off new snow to clear a spot. Hockey hours at Barnum run from 8 to 10 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. daily. Ice-condition signs are posted at the rink, and the city asks people to call Parks and Recreation for rink hours.
Where the Trail and the Playgrounds Pick Up
With Booth's trail entrance closed, the city's park directory lists Rouge River Trail Corridor access at Linden Park, from Shirley and Hawthorne, with the park reached near Linden and Brandon. The city's June 2026 newsletter also points to the Linden Trail's Shirley Road entrance. Linden Park is also where the trail plan's new pedestrian bridge south of Maple is meant to land. That makes the listed alternate entrance another part of the same trail project.
Most of the bond's progress is in playgrounds. The City Commission approved Citywide Playground Improvements in April 2025. The program started with the West Lincoln Well Park and Pumphouse Park playgrounds, which the city now lists as complete. Here is where the rest stands as of mid-October 2026:
- Poppleton Park opened a fully inclusive playground in late summer 2026. It has wheelchair-accessible play, an accessible tower, swings and seesaws, solid safety surfacing, shade, seating and new trees.
- Pembroke Park's playground is under construction.
- Crestview Park is in planning. Two concepts went to the October 6, 2026 Parks and Recreation Board meeting, shaped by a public input session held in July 2026.
- St. James and Kenning Parks are in planning, with refined concepts focused on accessibility, play for all ages and neighborhood connections.
The city's own Booth notice points families to the new playgrounds at Poppleton, Pumphouse and West Lincoln Well while Booth is closed. A dry, cold Saturday this winter will have more new playground options than any recent season, even with no Booth hill to sled.
The Calendar Between Now and the First Real Snow
Downtown's late-fall events center on Shain Park and Old Woodward. Here are the dated ones between now and early December:
- Sunday, October 25, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.: The Birmingham Farmers Market End-of-Season Celebration at Public Parking Lot 6, 660 N. Old Woodward, with Halloween-themed activities.
- Through October 31: BirminghamBURGER, now in its third year, lets diners rate limited-edition burgers to choose downtown's best.
- Sunday, November 1, 8 a.m.: Registration opens for the Birmingham Santa Walk and for appointment slots at the Santa House.
- Monday, November 9: Learn to Skate begins at the Ice Sports Arena.
- Saturday, November 28: Small Business Saturday downtown, with free parking in the municipal garages and free holiday activities. The Santa Walk runs from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. that morning.
- November 28 and 29: Free horse-drawn carriage rides in Shain Park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days. The Santa House in Shain Park is open from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
- Friday, December 4, 6 p.m.: The tree lighting opens the Winter Markt, which runs December 4 through 6.
Once the snow starts, call Lincoln Hills at (248) 530-1670 before loading the sleds, and check the posted signs at Barnum before lacing up skates.
If you're curious how improvements like these figure into what your home is worth, The McDonald Team can walk you through it. Start with a free home valuation, or look around our Birmingham neighborhood page.
