After a major winter storm blanketed the Hopewell Valley with roughly 15 inches of snow, residents of all ages turned Belle Mountain — affectionately known as “Belle Bump” — into a bustling winter playground Tuesday afternoon.
With Hopewell Valley Regional School District closed for a snow day, the long-favored sledding hill drew families, teens and adventurous adults for hours of sledding, tubing, snowboarding and even improvised downhill kayaking.
Bright sleds streaked down packed lanes carved into the slope while others trudged uphill pulling tubes and plastic toboggans. A few riders experimented with unconventional craft — including a red kayak steered downhill with a paddle — to the delight of onlookers gathered along the crest.
Children launched themselves over snow mounds, parents filmed runs on phones, and clusters of neighbors lingered at the top chatting in the cold sunshine.
A hill with a skiing past
Long before it became one of Hopewell Valley’s favorite sledding hills, Belle Mountain was home to a small community ski area that introduced generations of local residents to the sport.
Operating from the late 1960s through the late 1990s, the Mercer County-run facility featured rope tows, a double chairlift and several short beginner-friendly runs on what was less a mountain than a modest 190-foot-high ridge just east of the Delaware River near Lambertville.
At its peak, Belle Mountain had four lifts and roughly seven marked trails, though only a few routes descended from the summit. Night skiing made it especially popular with families and after-work skiers from Mercer and Bucks counties, and many local residents learned to ski there.
But a series of poor snow winters and mounting operating losses — reportedly $70,000 to $100,000 per year in its final seasons — forced closure. Skiers last rode the lifts in early 1997, and the area officially shut down in 1998.
Today, the former ski slope survives as county open space near Howell Living History Farm, where after major snowfalls like this week’s storm, the same gravity-powered thrill that once drew skiers still brings out sledders, snowboarders and winter crowds — continuing a decades-old tradition on “Belle Bump.”
A significant snowfall
Across Mercer County, storm totals generally ranged from 15 to nearly 20 inches. Observers reported:
- 16.0 inches in Hopewell Township
- 15.5 inches near Pennington
- 16.4 inches at Trenton-Mercer Airport
- Up to 19.3 inches in Robbinsville
The National Weather Service said the Feb. 22–23 storm delivered some of the highest snowfall totals in New Jersey, with heavy bands producing rates up to 2 inches per hour and strong winds causing blowing and drifting snow across the region.
Storm impact fades, winter lingers
While the heaviest snow ended Monday, gusty winds continued into Tuesday, helping preserve Belle Mountain’s well-packed sledding runs.
The NWS briefing noted that even after snowfall tapers, “blowing and drifting snow will continue to be a concern,” with difficult travel conditions lingering beyond the storm’s end.
Look ahead: a quieter pattern — with a chance of flakes
Forecasters say the immediate pattern will be calmer. Only light additional snowfall — less than an inch — is possible in central New Jersey later this week, with no significant accumulation expected.
Temperatures are forecast to climb toward 50 degrees later this week, with early outlooks suggesting a broader warming trend into next week. Whether this proves to be the season’s final snowfall remains uncertain — but with spring officially less than a month away, winter’s grip on the Hopewell Valley may soon begin to ease.
