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Sure, those familiar orange and white plows are out there again, on duty, clearing highways of snow and slush across Minnesota. But did you know MnDOT also has a way to try to prevent ice before it forms on roads?

One of the benefits of living here in Minnesota, where snow and ice are common for nearly half of the year, is that we've become pretty good at dealing with all this winter weather. That same winter weather, when it occurs in other parts of the country, sometimes brings everything to a halt. But not here!

So, first, here's a quick shout-out to all the plow drivers for the city of Rochester, Olmsted County and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), who answer the call and head out into the cold to keep our roads driveable when Old Man Winter throws more snow our way.

But did you know MnDOT has come up with a way to try to get AHEAD of winter storms? It's true. MnDOT has been pretreating problem areas on roads and highways for a while now, all designed to try to prevent snow and ice from building up and causing slick spots.

And if you're like me, you might be wondering why don't they just pretreat our roads and highways ALL the time here in the Bold North? Well, that would be a massive undertaking, but it also isn't necessarily effective all the time either. MnDOT posted an interesting video earlier this year that explains how pretreating works, and why it isn't something that's applicable every time it snows. Check it out below!

And while sliding around on area roads and highways is something MnDOT tries to prevent, sometimes going sliding (or sledding, as we said growing up over in Wisconsin) can be pretty fun-- if you're on a sled, that is. Keep scrolling to check out the best places for sledding here in southeast Minnesota!

Listen to Curt St. John in the Morning
weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. on Quick Country 96.5

Top 10 Sledding Hills Near Rochester, Minnesota

Rochester, Minnesota has a bunch of great sledding spots that are perfect for an afternoon of winter enjoyment. If you've been on the hunt for a great hill, check out these 10 spots around Rochester that our listeners say are their #1 pick for a fun afternoon!

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