Douglas F. Bryant Winter Recreation Area
The Winter Recreation Area at Elm Creek features a lighted tubing hill with lifts and snowmaking, a beginner-level downhill ski and snowboard hill and almost 18K of cross-country ski trails.
Hours, Rates & Passes
Closed for the 2024–2025 season. See you next winter!
View hours, rates and season pass information for all winter activities at the Winter Recreation Area.
Interactive Map of Elm Creek
Downhill Skiing & Snowboarding
Closed for the 2024–2025 season. See you next winter!
Hours, Rates & Passes
The Winter Recreation Area offers downhill skiing and snowboarding hills for beginners. View hours, rates and season pass information.
March Adjusted Hours
| March Adjusted Hours | |
|---|---|
| Monday–Thursday | 3–9 PM |
SnowSports Academy
Whether you’re a beginner or looking to refine your skills, the expert instructors at the SnowSports Academy are experienced in teaching skiing and snowboarding to all ages and abilities. Choose from private, semi-private or public lessons. Check out our full offerings.
Terrain Park Development Programs
Elm Creek offers development programs for young, intermediate riders looking to advance their skills in the terrain park.
Register for Elm Creek's Team Elm – TwinTip or Team Elm – Snowboard starting Monday, September 16.
Safety on the Slopes
Three Rivers Parks is committed to promoting slope safety. Observe Your Responsibility Code and other guidelines for a great snow sports experience.
Hyland Hills Ski Area
Downhill skiing and snowboarding at Elm Creek is suitable for beginners and lessons. For more challenging hills, visit Hyland Hills Ski Area.
Minnesota Ski Area Association
The Winter Recreation Area of Elm Creek is a member of the Minnesota Ski Area Association.
Cross-Country Skiing
Closed for the 2024–2025 season. See you next winter!
Trails
Elm Creek offers 18.3K of groomed cross-country ski trails, including 5.8K with lights and 2.5K with snowmaking. Lessons are available! Learn more about cross-country skiing at Three Rivers, and check trail conditions before you visit.
Passes
Tubing
Closed for the 2024–2025 season. See you next winter!
Speed down the tubing hill at Elm Creek and catch a ride back to the top on a moving sidewalk. Learn more about tubing at Elm Creek.
Reservations
Advance reservations are strongly encouraged. When open, please check availability online before coming to the hill.
Reservations can be made online or by calling our reservations office at 763-559-6700. A maximum of 10 tubes per day can be reserved.
Hours & Rates
See hours and rates for the tubing hill.
Sledding
Closed for the 2024–2025 season. See you next winter!
What's better than the thrill of flying down a snow-covered hill on a chilly winter day? Grab your sled and head to the Winter Recreation Area for hours of fun. Check hill conditions here before you head out.
Pavement Project
This summer and fall, a construction project will take place at Elm Creek Park Reserve to repave the existing parking lots and roadways, build two new parking areas and conduct accessibility improvements within the existing parking lots and accessible routes.
Pavement Project Work Schedule & Temporary Closures
Pavement work is anticipated to take place between June and November. The parking lot work will occur during the following time periods shown on this map and noted below.
Temporary Facility Closure Dates
Affected areas will be closed for public use during the following construction windows:
- Operations Center | Summer 2025
- Eastman Nature Center – Parking Lot Expansion | Summer–Aug. 15, 2025
- Winter Rec Area Parking Lot Expansion | July 7–Sept. 15, 2025
- Eastman Nature Center – including entrance road | Aug. 18–Sept. 19, 2025
- Summer Rec Area | Aug. 18–Nov. 2025
- Entrance road (north of Winter Rec Area) | Aug. 18–Nov. 2025
- Bottineau House | Sept. 15–Oct. 30, 2025
- Entrance road (south of Winter Rec Area) | Oct.–Nov. 2025
- Elm Creek Road Trailhead | 2026
Additional Parking Lot Construction
In addition to the repaving, two parking lots that previously were natural surface are being paved: the overflow lot at the Winter Recreation Area and the overflow lot near Eastman Nature Center.
Paving of these lots will allow for additional year-round parking at these popular facilities.
Tree & Vegetation Removal
To accommodate construction of the two parking lots, removal of some trees and vegetation will be necessary.
Removal of trees and vegetation is expected to begin the week of February 11, 2025, and will be completed by April 1.
We're hiring seasonal employees for the 2024-2025 ski season at Elm Creek's Winter Recreation Area.
Get great benefits, including a free season pass, competitive wages, a fast-paced environment, flexible hours and more.
Come work where you play!
Three Rivers Alpine Patrol
Three Rivers Alpine Patrol is a unique volunteer opportunity in the Twin Cities for individuals aged 15 and above who are proficient in their alpine activity. The trainings to become a patroller are hosted locally and take about a year to complete.
Participants will:
- Obtain National Ski Patrol Outdoor Emergency Care certification, following successful completion of the program. No medical experience is required.
- Sharpen their skills through Alpine and toboggan handling certification.
- Enjoy Park District and National Ski Patrol discounts once they complete the training program and become a full patroller.
Prerequisite information sessions will be held in late November or early December and late February. More information to come on the dates and times for these sessions.
Questions? Email skipatrol@threeriversparks.org for more information.
Elm Creek PDF Maps
Find printable maps of the park on the Elm Creek Park Reserve page.
