Locally Listed: Top Places to Build Snowmen (When You Don’t Have a Yard)

I love building a snowman anytime we get a few inches of snow on the ground.

My favorite part might be the hot chocolate and cookies that I allow myself to eat after freezing outside for 20 minutes, but that’s no matter.

I’m lucky to have a huge backyard with plenty of room for building snowmen, but I realize that many students who live in dorms or off-campus apartments don’t always have a large, flat surface available outdoors to participate in this classic winter activity.

I put together this list of my top-three public places to build snowmen so that everyone can experience the joy of making their own Frosty the Snowman, even those who don’t have a yard.

 Saint Clair Park

Saint Clair Park is super close to campus and has tons of available space for snowman-building activities. There’s also a decent chance that no one will knock down or otherwise destroy your snowman for a solid 24 hours or so.

Just make sure that you start building your snowy friend on level ground. The park does have a hill that dips down into the amphitheater, and a densely packed snowman might not withstand the gravity … of that situation.

Lynch Field / Five-Star Trail

Lynch Field doesn’t have as much surface area for building snowmen as Saint Clair Park does, but it does get more traffic. Cars are constantly driving by on their way to and from downtown Greensburg, and people use the walking trail all through the winter months for dog-walking and morning exercise. (Note: if you’re someone who wakes up early to go jogging, even when it’s below 20 degrees and there’s snow on the ground, please tell me why—I genuinely want to know.)

This, of course, means that more people will see the beautiful snowman friend that you’ve built.

Poor Frosty might also have a higher chance of being vandalized, but what do you really care after he’s been built and you’ve headed home for some hot chocolate? Just build another one tomorrow.

Twin Lakes

Twin Lakes is a beautiful area to spend time in, especially when the lakes are semi-frozen and snow is covering the ground.

A big downside is that there are a lot of trees around, which means less free space for snowy sculptures. If you build them in the area next to the lake, they’ll get a lot of visitors through the day, but be careful getting too close to the lake’s edge.

Also, a lot of people walk their dogs here, too. So be careful where you decide to make a snow angel, if you know what I mean. You never know what’s waiting for you under a few inches of frozen water.