Sliding in to fun all year round at Sleepy Hollow

“3-2-1” the tube wranglers at the top of the hill count down before they give us a giant pull down the slope.

It’s boys (Michael and our nephew) vs girls (me) as we race to the bottom! All of us laughing and yelling as fellow tubers watch from the magic carpet on the way up to take their turn.

Who’d have thought we’d find a tubing hill in the middle of Iowa at the end of July? Thanks to Sleepy Hollow, there’s fun to be had for thrill seekers all year round.

Sleepy Hollow has been open since 1994 and has been offering winter tubing, skiing and snowboarding for years; as well as golf, hiking, fishing and tons of other activities. In 2022, they were sold to polk county conservation and in 2024, they opened the newly installed SnowFlex® on one of their slopes. Since then, they’ve been able to extend the ski and snowboard season to April or May and added a summer tubing season.

The rolling hill is about 600ft high and is considered one of the world’s longest all-weather turf. According to Michaels watch on one of our spinning slides, we reached 26mph with the three of us holding on together. They keep the material sliding fast by keeping some misters on throughout the hill to keep it wet - that means you may get a splash of water as you go down. On their website, they state that the water is recycled and cleaned from the on-site pond as part of their conservation efforts. They will also tube rain or shine, as along as there isn’t lightning nearby. The rain just speeds up the tubes even more!

So who can enjoy the tubing? Anyone ages 3 and up! Our nephew is 6 years old which meant one of us had to hold on to his tube the whole time - but ages 7 and up can tube independently. If you have some younger kiddos in your crew or family members not up for the highs - no worries! There are plenty of tables and chairs around the base of the hill to relax and enjoy. They also have a free mini golf course, table tennis, giant jenga and a table top curling space. Plus - since it’s a county park - you’re welcome to bring your own food and drinks while you spend your time there. They also have a concession stand with snacks and drinks (including grown up drinks for a great price) next to the tubing hill. They’ll be expanding their pond soon too, so fishermen and women will have a beautiful place to cast a line.

Before you start planning your adventure, I want to let you know that they will be closed for the next year as they rebuild their building out of the flood plain and work to revamp their year round options. That means lots more fun is on the horizon, but you may need to wait until at least summer 2027 to enjoy. I know we’re eager to try out their snowflex spring snowboarding once they’re back open. Keep an eye on their socials and website to learn more and get excited for a ton of fun - right here in the Midwest!

Live big.