It was a magical Friday evening as my kids didn’t have school and we had been excited to get out of the house all day. We surprised them with a night of Koteewi Snow Tubing at Strawtown Koteewi Park’s Koteewi Run seasonal slopes. My kids, ages 2, 4, 6, and 8, are no strangers to snow–they love tobogganing at Pokagon State Park and they love sledding in Indianapolis. The inner tube + snow situation at Koteewi Snow Tubing was new to my little thrill seekers and I knew they would absolutely LOVE it!
All day long I tried to make sure they were well rested, as my biggest fear was that they would only want to snow tube for 20 minutes or so. We arrived at 5 p.m., and by 7 p.m. I feared that they would never want to stop racing down the hill. My children rode the lift up the hill and slid down over and over until I finally forced them to stop at 9:45 p.m. so I could get them some dinner. Koteewi Snow Tubing was an absolute hit and the kids are already asking to go back!
Koteewi Snow Tubing at Strawtown Koteewi Park
Koteewi Snow Tubing is part of Strawtown Koteewi Park in Noblesville, Indiana. It is an 800-acre outdoor recreation complex including a campground, hiking and horseback riding trails, a fishing lake, an archery range, a treetops ropes course, and canoe/kayak/tube rentals, all situated next to the West Fork of the White River.
The latest addition to Strawtown Koteewi Park is the Koteewi Run seasonal slopes. There’s no better thrill than zooming down a 700-foot hill on a snow tube! Unlike with regular snow sledding, Koteewi Snow Tubing slopes are very tall and very deep so the ride is exhilarating and lasts a long time. Even better, there are several lanes and there is a rope lift that will pull you back up to the top of the hill on your inner tube!
With some mild winters the past few years, many Indiana children haven’t felt the complete thrill of coasting down a snow-caked hill on a piece of rubber full of air — now, they can! Thanks to Koteewi Snow Tubing, commercial snowmaking machines are able to coat the slopes at Koteewi Run seasonal slopes with cold powder, so you can experience snow tubing even when it hasn’t snowed in weeks!
Snow Tubing Season at Indy’s Best Snow Tubing Slopes
Weather dependent, Koteewi Run seasonal slopes anticipate opening on December 23, 2023. Koteewi Snow Tubing should remain open through February and sometimes even into March if it’s cold enough. There have been years that it has closed early due to unseasonably warm temperatures, so don’t wait until the end of the season if you really want to experience snow tubing!
How Does Koteewi Snow Tubing Work?
Q. What is snow tubing?
A. Snow tubing is like snow sledding except you’re on an inflatable inner tube so you can really speed down the snow hill. There are several lanes for tubing so you don’t have to wait too long to go down again. There are also shorter hills perfect for first-timers.
Q. Do I need to bring my own snow tube?
A. No. Koteewi Run supplies the snow tubes and they are the only tubes allowed on the slopes.
Q. How do you get back up that giant hill?
A. There’s a lift line with a cable that you connect to your tube and it pulls you up the hill! The ride up the hill is almost as much fun as the thrilling slide down the slope.
Q. Is there an age requirement?
A. No. Snow tubing is open to all ages but I’d say 4 is the youngest you’d want to take (unless you’ve got a really fearless child!) as they have to be able to hold on and ride in their own tube. They must also be able to ride up the lift and disembark on their own. There are lots of snow hills for little ones to play on if they aren’t ready to go down the slopes or change their mind.
Q. Can I share a tube with my toddler?
A. Only one person is permitted per tube, however, if conditions allow for it, parents can share a lane with their children and hold on to one another’s tubes. My fearless two-year-old did just fine and eventually went down the hill on her own. My four-year-old was a wild child and traversed the lift and slopes all by himself or with his sisters all evening.
Q. Is there an indoor area or anywhere to warm up at Koteewi Run seasonal slopes?
A. There’s a small enclosed porch area with propane heaters and concessions for sale. You can purchase hot chocolate, hot dogs, coffee, candy bars, and soda to enjoy at the picnic tables on the porch or out near the firepits and outdoor seating areas.
Q. What should I wear when I go Koteewi Snow Tubing?
A. Snow pants or waterproof pants and snow boots would be a good choice. Children tend to get very wet. The adults in our party did fine with snow boots and jeans. You should wear winter coats, gloves, hats, and a scarf on most days. Sunglasses or skiing goggles would be great if you have them as you’ll be speeding down those slopes.
Q. Where do I park?
A. There is plenty of free parking available in front of the building. There are also bathrooms and an enclosed concessions area.
Koteewi Snow Tubing Hours
Weekdays, non-Holiday: (Mon-Thurs) 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Fridays: 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Saturdays: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sundays: 1 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Holiday Hours: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Holiday Dates:
December 26th through Jan 2nd (Christmas vacation)
January 16th (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day)
February 20th (President’s Day)
Buy Tickets and Season Passes Online
Book your Koteewi snow tubing session online! Walk-ins are accepted if there is availability, however most weekend sessions are booked out about a week in advance. On weekdays, 4-hour sessions are available and start at $25 per person. On weekends, the sessions are 2 hours long and start at $30. Season passes are the best bang for your buck if you can’t get enough of snow tubing! Adult season passes are $130, senior (60+) and child (12 and under) passes are $110, and a family of four season pass is $400 and is good for the entire season.
If you can, try to go on a weekday as it will be much less crowded and the lines for the lift will be much shorter. On busy weekend days, the lift line can be long and many people decide to walk up the hill instead of wait. Arrive well before your allotted start time as you’ll need to check in, go to the bathroom, suit up, and walk the snow tube up the path to the slopes.
Have a great time! ALL of my kids loved Koteewi Snow Tubing! They cannot wait to go back and I’m considering season passes!
Want to make a day out of your trip to Strawtown Koteewi Park? Check out the Strawtown Koteewi Park archery range! It’s just up the path from the Koteewi Run slopes and would be a great add-on to snow tubing. Just make sure you have gloves to wear if it’s cold. They’ll need to be thin enough to be able to handle the bow and arrows.
Find all of the Indianapolis sledding hills here. Click here for more winter activity ideas.
Address
11800 Koteewi Dr
Noblesville
IN
Visit Koteewi Snow Tubing | Indy’s Best Snow Tubing Slopes
Kids have to be 8 years old at Koteewi??
Nope!