Rocket to 60 MPH on This Michigan Sledding Hill
Every year for as long as anyone around here can remember, Echo Valley has been providing death defying thrills.
OK, "death defying" might be exaggerating but do you know what 60 MPH feels like on a toboggan? You do if you've ever been to Echo Valley. The Winter sports park on East H Ave. in Comstock, near Kalamazoo, is still open today. (Well, maybe not today, but they do operate on weekends.)
It's like a roller coaster without a seat belt...or a car! Daredevils can hop on a toboggan at the top of the hill and quickly accelerate to top speed before they coast to a stop at the end of one of the 8 runs. Back in the days before there were lawyers, they even had a ski jump at Echo Valley. Families looking for a milder level of thrills or couples can head over to the tubing hill. Echo Valley also used to have a skating rink; you'll see it in this 2009 promotional video.
The history goes back much further as you can see in rare home video from sometime in the 40s or 50s below. If you want to relive your memories of this place, check out the Facebook page dedicated to the early years of Echo Valley.