rcdude

I've probably said it before, as this debate seems to come up a lot on here, but here's my take. In my opinion, this is conditionally true. If you are looking for a park to ride roller coasters...and only roller coasters, you can't get much better than SFMM. Sure, their coasters are not top 10 on their own, but together the park has a half-dozen top tier rides and several more that most parks would like in their line up. In addition, there are very few clones (Batman being the only notable one), and there is arguably not a bad coaster at the park. If you are going to the park for anything other than coasters, however, you will find the place disappointing. With the exception of Lex Luthor, their non-coaster rides are average at best, the theming throughout the park is hit or miss (not the worst out there, but pales in comparison to the park's direct competition), the park isn't clean and parts of it look completely decrepit, food is below McDonald's quality at 2-3 times the price, employees tend to do the minimum they need to in order to keep their job, operations are poor more often than not, and everything is overly expensive to compensate for the low admission price. Now, many of these problems exist at other Six Flags parks and some aren't restricted to just the chain, but I can only think of a couple other parks I've visited with this many major issues. Now, I do not hate Six Flags Magic Mountain, and I typically have a good time when I visit, but it has certainly changed over time. It is sad that only a few years ago the park was actually doing pretty well and over the past 2-3 years (basically since Jay Thomas left), it has sunk to around where it was in the mid-2000s. I still visit the park to ride coasters, but unlike Disneyland or even Knott's Berry Farm I never really crave a visit. For example, I am visiting in a couple days (Thursday to be specific) to finally process the pass I got for my birthday in January and ride the backwards rides. Yes, I've certainly had opportunities to go before now, but not the desire, and the main reason I'm going now is convenience and to beat the summer crowds that will begin showing up in a few weeks. I can also say that were I to move outside of California I highly doubt I'd miss the park, especially if I lived within 3-4 hours of a major Six Flags or Cedar Fair park. So no, SFMM is not a downright terrible, bottom 10 park in the US, but among the major parks it doesn't compare well. They have just chosen to build a park aimed at a very specific group (thrillseekers), while half-heartedly trying to attract other demographics (families). If it works for them, great, but it will not lead to SFMM being anything special from the perspective of a well-traveled enthusiast.

I like both, but which I prefer really depends on the type of report. For shorter reports, such as media days or a general update for a park, I'd rather just read the forum post. With longer updates, such as TPR trips and events, I prefer looking through the park index as I can then read the entire report without being interrupted with pages of comments between each day. I voted forum simply because I won't see it in the park index unless there is a link posted on the home page, but I will read reports either way.

$4.25 where I live, as of yesterday. Just one more reason I wouldn't mind leaving California.

Holiday World would probably run a ZacSpin properly, but it isn't a great fit for the park. Knowing the park, if they do decide to go with an Intamin for their first major steel coaster, it would most likely be a Mega-Lite replacing Giraffica. Otherwise, something along the lines of the Mack or Premier launched coasters (NOT another Superman clone) would be the best option in my opinion. I doubt the park would ever install a large B&M or Intamin coaster, as it just doesn't fit right with the rest of their attractions.

Originally, I just used coaster-count.com and a word document (when I started counting, I could barely use excel). However, over the years I've thought of new ways to group coasters and I now keep track of them in the following Excel documents (in addition to coaster-count): -Spreadsheets with coasters listed alphabetically, by year, and by my personal rating (1-10 to the nearest 0.1) -Spreadsheet with every park I've visited and all the coasters in the park ranked best to worst -Spreadsheets grouping coasters by state (this one is restricted to major coasters and has lap counts) -Manufacturer spreadsheets, where each manufacturer gets a sheet with all their coasters I've ridden sorted by model and then ranked -Mitch Hawker spreadsheet to make filling out the ballot easier -Spreadsheet of my rankings compared to the Mitch Hawker rankings I also have a dark ride spreadsheet, flume ride spreadsheet, and general park spreadsheet to keep track of those. Is all this overkill? Definitely. Do I enjoy doing it? Absolutely.

Yay, the event is happening again this year! Barring unforeseen events, I'll definitely be at Knott's. While I always have fun at SFMM, as a passholder it's a bit hard to justify the event if it ends up being just ERT and lunch so I'll wait for the schedule before deciding on that one.

Next month, I will be travelling to Lincoln, Nebraska for a school event (the FSAE Electric competition, June 18th-21st, in which we've entered a racecar). In order to do some sightseeing, I'll be driving myself and plan to take a scenic route back over the next week through Colorado and Utah with my dad (he'll be flying to Lincoln and ride back with me). While this is not an amusement park trip, I would like to stop at a couple since Colorado's parks are very out of the way. As of right now, I'm planning to stop at the two Denver parks (Elitch Gardens and Lakeside Amusement Park), and possibly Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park depending on time. To help with trip planning, I've got a couple questions about these parks. Lakeside Amusement Park: 1. As of right now, I've got 3 hours on Sunday budgeted for this park (assuming 10 P.M. closing time...website only gives opening times). Will this be enough time on a Sunday? If necessary, I could probably get here an hour or two sooner but it would require skipping the Wild Animal Sanctuary en route. 2. The park's website states that the gates sometimes close several hours before closing. If I weren't to arrive until around 7 P.M., would the gates likely still be open? Elitch Gardens: 1. Given typical summer weekday crowds (I'll be visiting on a Monday), is 6 hours enough to do everything here? Assume I'd like to ride every coaster, dark ride, water ride, and any uncommon flats, then get re-rides on the above-average coasters (if any). I will not be buying a Rapid Ride pass and will not be visiting the waterpark. 2. Is Half Pipe still closed on weekdays? If so, which coaster should I go to first instead...Boomerang or Mind Eraser? 3. Any general tips for touring this park efficiently? Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park: 1. Realistically, how much time does it take to see everything at this park (not just rides)? Since we will be driving from Denver to Moab, UT on this day and doing other stuff en route, we will have at best 4 hours here, so if that isn't sufficient I'd rather not go as the park is quite expensive (about $50 for a day pass). We'll probably decide on the day whether to go or not based on how much time we'd have. Finally, if there's anything specific we should try to do in the area I welcome all suggestions. As of now, I'm thinking of doing the Wild Animal Sanctuary, attending a Colorado Rockies game, driving to the top of Mt. Evans, checking out Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, and stopping by Four Corners, then finishing the trip with a weekend in Las Vegas (this will happen as it is a family event). Bonus Question: When driving to Nebraska, one of the possible routes would allow me to make short (2 hours or so) stops at Castles n' Coasters in Arizona and Cliff's Amusement Park in New Mexico, but it requires 3-4 extra hours of driving total. Are either of these parks worth the detour given the limited time I'd have at them?

Looking good. I can't wait to check this place out when I visit Vegas at the end of June. Hopefully there are no more delays and the park will be able to open next month as planned.

Now that my plans are pretty much finalized for the year, here are my planned park visits for 2013... Already Visited: Disneyland (multiple visits, pass expired but may visit again) Disney California Adventure Park (multiple visits, pass expired but may visit again) Lagoon* Local Parks (I've got a pass to these, so multiple visits confirmed): Knott's Berry Farm Six Flags Magic Mountain Local Parks (No Pass, visit unconfirmed): Universal Studios Hollywood (likely due to Despicable Me) SeaWorld San Diego LEGOLAND California (unlikely) Lincoln-Vegas Road Trip: Lakeside Amusement Park Elitch Gardens Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park (possible) Adventuredome New York, New York Hotel & Casino (possible) Buffalo Bill's Resort & Casino (unconfirmed but likely) TPR Mini New Hotness/Mini East Coast/Family New York-Boston Trip: Cedar Point (multiple days) Kings Island Kentucky Kingdom Beech Bend Holiday World Indiana Beach Six Flags Great America Bonus Mid-West Park(s) (exact park(s) unknown) Hersheypark Knoebels Amusement Park & Resort Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom Six Flags Great Adventure Luna Park Scream Zone Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park (unconfirmed but likely) I'm pretty much treating this summer as my celebration of being done with school, hence the large number of parks. As I now need to get a job, I doubt I'll be able to do much travelling for the next few years.

Knott's is the worst I've seen. If I remember correctly, you could get a burger for $10 and upgrade to a combo (fries and a drink) for another $8. To add insult to injury, Knott's food is pretty terrible. This is why I often eat at Pink's outside the park...a hot dog, fries, and a drink there is about $10 and its better than anything inside. Cedar Fair and Six Flags as a whole are fairly ludicrous in their prices, and like I've said several times in the Six Flags surveys, "Paying $16 for a lower quality meal than the local McDonald's is far too much." I generally apply the Disney rule when it comes to theme park prices...if it's more expensive than Disneyland (for food, that's typically $10-12 for an entrée, side, and drink), it better be superior.

Probably Knott's Berry Farm since I'll likely stop by there before my SFMM trip in a couple weeks.

I don't understand why parks feel the need to install redundant restraint systems on a ride that has been operating perfectly fine for years without them, especially when no other installations of the same model have said restraint. I'm sure there is a behind-the-scenes reason (probably insurance related), but to me it makes little sense. Not sure how much this will affect Diamondback's capacity, but I'm sure there'll be a measurable drop. Fortunately, it shouldn't affect the ride experience, only the line experience. Now to see if Intimidator, Behemoth, and/or Leviathan wind up with seatbelts this year.

My only complaint about BGW getting a Superman clone would be the capacity issues. I'm almost certain that BGW will run the ride faster than SFDK did, but when I was there I timed it and estimated the park was getting 200-300 riders per hour, which generated an hour-plus wait on a moderately crowded day at SFDK. I hate to imagine how long of lines would result on a day when BGW is near capacity...probably 3 hours or more. Sure, it's a clone and sure, the ride isn't as good as BGW's other coasters (for the most part), but it's still a fun ride that is significantly different from anything else the park has. I just wonder if it would ever have a short enough line to justify waiting for it. Of course, that is something to worry about when the ride is announced, and for now I'd definitely take this with a grain of salt.

1920s: Giant Dipper at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk 1930s: Blue Streak at Conneaut Lake Park 1940s: Thunderbolt at Six Flags New England 1950s: Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland 1960s: Blue Streak at Cedar Point 1970s: Montezooma's Revenge at Knott's Berry Farm 1980s: Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point 1990s: Afterburn at Carowinds and Ride of Steel at Darien Lake 2000s: Bizarro at Six Flags New England 2010s: Intimidator at Carowinds and Leviathan at Canada's Wonderland Hey, I've got something decent for every decade going back to the first golden age. It will be interesting to see if this changes after all my traveling this summer.

Alpengeist is correct. supertrooper, you are up next.

Okay, I don't anticipate this one being especially difficult so no hints yet. If you live local to this park, please give others a chance to guess first. Black Box = Station, Green = Lift, Red = Brakes

Hmm...looks like a distorted Sooperdooperlooper.

Well, I'll miss Pilgrim's Plunge/Giraffica, but if the ride was prone to problems it may be better to close it. I liked it more because it was unique than because it was a spectacular ride. I don't know whether the ride was just really popular or had terrible capacity (or both), but it was the only ride outside the waterpark with more than a 20 minute wait on the day I visited so that must mean something. As for a replacement, if the station is still on the map and is indeed being left behind then perhaps it will be reused. In that case, a replacement would probably be a coaster or a new water ride instead of more waterslides. I don't really want to speculate on what is coming, as I have no idea and it is far too early to tell, but just for fun I think I'll leave this here. Not saying that I think it will happen, but it could happen. Images from Google Maps.

The answer to these questions will depend on whether you are visiting before or after Labor Day (the first Monday in September). Six Flags Magic Mountain: Before Labor Day, SFMM will be open daily. Typically, the park opens at 10:30 A.M. Since the summer is winding down, they will probably close around 6 P.M. on weekdays and 8 or 9 P.M. on weekends. If visiting before Labor Day, I would definitely recommend visiting on a weekday (which one doesn't matter much). If you must go on a weekend, go on Sunday...summer Saturdays can generate 3 hour waits here. Crowds will probably be normal summer crowds, which means 45-90 minute waits for headliners and around 30 minute waits for other major attractions. Get there as early as practical (30 minutes before opening is usually sufficient) and head to Full Throttle first. From here, proceed around the park in a counter-clockwise fashion. You'll want to skip Scream and Colossus on your first pass, but other than that just hit the coasters as you reach them. After riding Tatsu, head to the top of the hill for Ninja and Superman, then go down the back and around, stopping at Colossus, Scream, and the kiddies on your way over to X2, Revolution, and Goliath. You should be able to get on all the coasters, but will likely have limited time for re-rides. If you visit after Labor Day, SFMM is only open on weekends from 10:30 A.M. to 6 P.M. In this case, go on a Sunday, and you will find a fairly empty park. Most lines should be 15-20 minutes max, and even the park's most popular coasters won't exceed 45 minutes. If you are lucky, the park may even be completely dead. On an off-season day, you don't need a specific plan, just make sure to ride Full Throttle, Green Lantern, and Superman early as those are the park's low capacity coasters. If you are forced to visit on a Saturday after Labor Day, expect summer level crowding. In the event that you visit SFMM (or any other Six Flags park) and the park is packed, you can purchase a Flash Pass, Six Flag's virtual queue system. Regular will allow you to reserve a spot in line and ride other rides while the system waits. You will have a virtual wait roughly equal to the actual wait for the attraction, and once your time arrives you go right to the station. You can reserve an unlimited number of rides during the day, but you must use a reservation before you reserve the next. Gold functions the same way, but your wait time is significantly reduced (typically 50-75% less than the actual wait). Platinum has an even larger reduction and you get to ride twice without getting off, but I highly advise you avoid this tier...not only is it insanely expensive, but you will make a lot of enemies when you take their seat. Do not pre-purchase Flash Pass unless you are forced into visiting on a Saturday before Labor Day, and if money is a concern I wouldn't recommend buying it unless all major attractions are 45+ minute waits. Knott's Berry Farm: Unlike SFMM, KBF is open every day of the year (except Christmas). They open at 10 A.M. every day, but their closing time varies. Before Labor Day, it is typically 10 P.M. daily (sometimes 11 P.M. on Saturdays), but by late August it may be 8 or 9 P.M. instead. After Labor Day, expect closing times at 6 P.M. weekdays, 7 P.M. Sundays, and 10 P.M. Saturdays. No matter when you visit, a weekday is definitely preferable. If you are visiting before Labor Day, expect normal summer crowds. Knott's doesn't get as crowded as SFMM, but you'll still find waits up to 60 minutes for headliners. Fortunately, most non-headliners tend to stay around 15 minutes on most weekdays. The best way to attack this park is to start in the Boardwalk, then progress counter-clockwise, passing through Ghost Town, Camp Snoopy, and Fiesta Village. It is rare that Knott's is busy enough to warrant purchasing a Fast Lane pass, so I recommend not buying one unless you are forced to visit on a Saturday before Labor Day. You will have plenty of time to ride everything and get whatever re-rides you want. If you can visit on a weekday after Labor Day, as long as there isn't a special event going on you will find a dead park. The headliners will likely have lines of only 5-10 minutes, and almost everything else will be a walk-on. Even though the hours are shorter, you'll be able to do everything at will and may actually decide to leave early due to lack of stuff to do (Knott's only has a couple rides worth more than one or two goes). If you can't go on a weekday, Sundays are usually pretty dead as well, and even Saturdays aren't that bad (they are busier, but not as busy as pre-Labor Day). Three more general tips involving these parks: 1. There are pros and cons to when you visit. If you go before Labor Day, you'll have crowds, but everything should be running. If you go after Labor Day, crowds will be minimal but rides may be closed for maintenance and/or you may have a lot of one train operations. 2. Avoid visiting on Labor Day weekend, but other than that you should be okay anytime in the window. If you are into Halloween events, those will start toward the end of September, so if you want to do those go as late as possible. SFMM's is included with admission while Knott's is a separate ticket. 3. If you happen to be in California in early/mid September, try to visit the parks during West Coast Bash (TPR's annual Southern California weekend event). That is the best way to see the parks, as you will get all kinds of perks such as ERT, backstage tours, and more (at least at Knott's...SFMM has gotten really stingy and gives the minimum amount of ERT to get people to go, but at least you still get ERT). Let me know if you have any more questions.

I know you already made a list, but based on the destinations listed in your initial post I would recommend picking your parks from these Los Angeles: All these parks are within a 2 hour drive of downtown Los Angeles...most are within 1 hour if there is light traffic. Also, feel free to ask me specific questions about any of these parks as all of them are local to me and I visit most of them regularly. Disneyland Resort: Recommend 2 or 3 days here...if you'd only have one day, skip this park. Also, pick either Disneyland or Walt Disney World, not both. Knott's Berry Farm SeaWorld San Diego (pick one: Orlando or San Diego) Six Flags Magic Mountain Note: Don't waste time with Universal Studios Hollywood Florida: Never visited Florida so don't rely on just these recommendations Busch Gardens Tampa SeaWorld Orlando (pick one: Orlando or San Diego) Universal Orlando Resort: You'll probably need 2 days here...if you only have one, just do one park Walt Disney World: Honestly, if you aren't willing/able to spend at least 3 days here (ideally you'd probably want 4 or 5), you're probably better off visiting Disneyland instead. Otherwise, most people would recommend WDW. New York/New Jersey: All transit times are approximate from New York City Hersheypark: Never been here, but will be visiting this summer (3 hours from New York City) Knoebels: Same deal as Hersheypark (3 hours) Lake Compounce (2 hours) Six Flags Great Adventure: Pick this OR New England (1 1/2 hours) Six Flags New England: Pick this OR Great Adventure (2 1/2 hours) Chicago: Never been to these parks either, but will be visiting SFGAm this summer. All transit times are approximate from Chicago. Michigan's Adventure: This one would probably be a half day at best and wouldn't be worth it unless you're driving to Cedar Point (3 1/2 hours) Six Flags Great America (1 hour) Other than these, the only other park I'd maybe consider would be Cedar Point, and only if you could spend multiple days there. There are some other great parks in the US (Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Dollywood, Holiday World, etc.) but they are too far from any of your planned destinations and the list above should give you plenty to choose from if you've only got a 10 park allowance. A few other general notes: 1. Be aware of park operating schedules. If you are visiting in August/September, parks may be weekend only, which will limit the number of parks you can hit. 2. For parks that exist in both California and Florida (Disney, SeaWorld, Universal), pick one and don't bother with the other. My personal recommendations would be... Disney: Disneyland if you've only got 2 or 3 days for the parks, Walt Disney World if you've got 4 or more SeaWorld: Orlando...pretty much everything in San Diego is there plus additional attractions. If you don't have time, San Diego is a decent alternative. Universal: Orlando, definitely Orlando...Hollywood is only worth visiting if you really want to see the backlot where movies are filmed (you likely won't see any filming, just sets). All the rides are duplicated in the Orlando parks. 3. If you will be driving between destinations, you can check for theme parks along your route. I only looked near the destinations listed. 4. If you will be visiting more than one Six Flags park, buy a Six Flags pass at your first stop. It is a great deal and will get you into all parks in the country. Don't bother with a Cedar Fair Platinum Pass unless you will be visiting more than 3 Cedar Fair parks (unlikely given your destinations unless you add a stop at Dorney Park). 5. The list above is by no means comprehensive, just what I think are the most worthwhile parks for an international traveler based on my experience, what I know about the parks, and a search on rcdb. Lastly, have a good time. This is an ambitious trip, but it should be a blast.

Glad to hear Banshee is generally well liked. I find it kind of funny that this ride ended up the opposite of GateKeeper (GateKeeper had lots of excitement but became a letdown while Banshee seems to have had a lot of negativity and become a hit). I can't wait to ride this summer during the TPR Mini New Hotness trip.

^Thanks. While I wouldn't consider Roller Coaster the best coaster at Lagoon (I'd rank it fourth behind Wicked, Spider, and Colossus), it was still a good ride and beats out a number of newer wood coasters on my list. As an engineering student, I know that there are many, many variables that can affect a ride. Naturally, some will have a massive impact (such as wet tracks vs dry tracks) while others may be unnoticeable to a rider (such as one or two less people in the train). As you've personally operated both rides and experienced them in many conditions, I don't doubt what you say. My point was simply that I don't think a ride should be judged based on how it can run, only how it typically runs. Heck, if I rated every coaster on a best case scenario GhostRider would still be a top ten coaster on my list. Also, I don't care what causes it, but any ride that leaves a mark automatically gets at best a C- from me. No decent amusement park ride should cause any type of damage to riders. I'm guessing this is the reason SCBB went with a new model rather than purchasing Spider. Hard to say which ended up better for them . I know there's been a rumor going around about Alton Towers selling Sonic Spinball to Lagoon as a Spider replacement, which would be great if it fits (I'm guessing it would if part of the parking lot is used). Really, there isn't a single decent coaster in Denver? Cyclone and Twister II both look like fun rides. I guess I'll find out in June since I have to drive to Lincoln, Nebraska for a school event and plan to stop at Elitch Gardens and Lakeside on the way back. For a strictly amusement park trip, Silverwood is probably the better option. Depending on how far you're willing to go, you've got Calaway Park, the Washington parks, Playland, the Oregon parks, and if you're really up for it Galaxyland. Granted, all of these are small parks, and most aren't that great (I did Wild Waves and the Oregon parks last summer...nothing special with one good but not great coaster between the three of them), but the quantity is there. If you're not going specifically for amusement parks, but would like to visit one, or you're not willing to make long drives, Lagoon is definitely better. There's easily several days worth of stuff in the Salt Lake area, so it would be relatively easy to make a Lagoon visit into a long weekend trip. Also, I wouldn't really consider Las Vegas a theme park destination as all they've got is one small 1/4 day park and an overpriced, mediocre Togo (okay, there's Desperado 45 minutes away, but that still isn't at all travel worthy).

I think it's time for a few responses: Silverwood is actually nowhere near Lagoon (it's a good 11 hours northwest). You'd be better off doing the Colorado parks, Las Vegas, and perhaps Cliff's Amusement Park (if you're up for the drive) if you want to make a trip out of a Lagoon visit. You're welcome. Lagoon is a fun park. I'd definitely recommend visiting for anyone in the area. I do buy that Fire Dragon (and Wicked) are probably a bit faster in the summer, but unfortunately I can only judge rides based on my personal experience. Didn't know that about Wild Mouse...I assume you're restricting it to the US as I've seen pictures of international rides with tunnels. I really would like to visit in the summer and spend a full day at the park, as there are a number of rides I would like to try but missed out on and I'd like to spend more time exploring Pioneer Village (we only had time to walk down the street and back). Also, once again, thanks for all the advice you gave me before my visit. Although I didn't quite do everything I planned, it certainly helped. THIS!!! I get a bit annoyed when people talk about how much better a ride is under certain conditions or in a specific seat. In my opinion, all rides should be judged in a middle seat on an ideal park day (mostly sunny, 70s or 80s). In any case, out of over 250 coasters there are only two I've experienced where the ride experience changed drastically based on conditions: Apocalypse and Boulder Dash. While it's possible Roller Coaster could be a B- ride instead of a C+ under rainy conditions, I wouldn't consider that enough of a change to really be noteworthy. I personally rank it comparable to Yankee Cannonball at Canobie Lake Park (good but not great), and based on it's Mitch Hawker ranking (83) most enthusiasts seem to consider it a fairly average wood coaster. Six of the park's nine coasters are German. The only ones that aren't are Bat (Dutch), Bombora, and Roller Coaster (both American). Many people put their hands up on the first drop of Colossus but almost everyone lowered them in the loops. On Jet Star 2 (not pictured), the operators would repeat "Do not raise your hands" over and over if someone put them up, as that ride has some insanely tight clearances. Bombora had only one train running, the queue was overflowing, and the operators weren't quite sure how to run it yet (90 second dispatches for a 16 person lap bar only train, and they had to call maintenance a couple times because they couldn't manually release the restraints). With two trains and efficient operators, the wait would have probably been about 10 minutes. I've heard the rumor about Spider, and despite the maintenance issues I would be surprised if the park got rid of it as that was the most popular coaster in the park (even Wicked had a shorter line). Perhaps Maurer Sohne could come in and do a complete overhaul of the ride.

While I don't think it will happen right now, I could definitely see Montezooma's Revenge leaving in the not too distant future. The ride will be 40 years old in 2018, and I assume the park will do whatever they can to keep it until then. After that, however, it may be time to retire the ride (or give it a significant overhaul like Psyke Underground). I don't know how much the ride costs to maintain now, but it does seem like it has been going down for maintenance more frequently in recent years. Montezooma's Revenge is my second favorite coaster at Knott's (after Xcelerator), and while I would hate to see it leave the ride is getting old and doesn't seem to pull that large of ridership numbers anymore (it always has the shortest line of the major coasters), so it may no longer be economical to keep the ride running.

Over my spring break a couple weeks ago, I went on a ski trip to Park City, Utah with my dad. We skied a day each at Park City Mountain Resort and Canyons Resort, with a third day planned for Snowbasin (which unfortunately got cancelled). Although conditions weren't the greatest, we still had fun skiing and got some fresh snow. While the main purpose of the trip was to go skiing, I discovered that we would be in Utah on Lagoon's opening day. I talked to my dad and we decided to spend a half day at Lagoon before driving home on Saturday, March 29th. Lagoon is one of those parks I've been interested in visiting for some time, but it is so far out of the way that I didn't know when I'd get a chance. The park is Utah's only true amusement park, and is located about half way between Salt Lake City and Ogden. In terms of size, it is a mid-size park, with 9 roller coasters and about two-dozen other adult rides (plus a large kids area). Admission was around $50, a very reasonable price. We arrived at the park about 9:45 A.M. for a 10:00 A.M. opening. Once the park opened, we headed straight to Wicked, the largest of Lagoon's coasters. As expected on opening day, Wicked was a little delayed opening, but after about 15 minutes the ride opened and we got on the first car of the season. Ride Reviews: Note: My rating system is as follows: A: One of the best rides I've been on, at least for it's type. This is generally reserved for my top 30 coasters or top 10 in a different category. In order for a ride to receive an A from me, it must be a must ride and worth any length of line. B: A very good ride that isn't quite a must ride, but is still something that his highly recommended. I typically give a B to attractions I really like but would be willing to skip if the line was excessive. C: A ride that is decent but not worth a significant wait. These are rides that are fun but aren't really anything special. D: A ride that is somewhat mediocre, but still worth riding if you've never done it before. This is typically the rating I give to credit coasters and rides I wouldn't care to ride again. F: A waste of time, a very uncomfortable ride, or something that just needs to be closed. I rarely use this rating, and reserve it for the worst of the worst. Note that I will not use this for kiddie/family attractions as I don't fall into that ride's target audience. I will sometimes add special criteria to a rating (such as "compared to other Disney rides") or assign two separate ratings to a single attraction (typically for family/kiddie coasters). If nothing is stated, assume the rating applies to all rides of similar type (Roller Coaster, Thrill Ride, Dark Ride, Water Ride, etc.) Wicked: Wicked is definitely Lagoon's best ride. It is a one of a kind Zierer Tower Launch Coaster, and while not as impressive as larger coasters it is still a very good ride. The coaster is smooth, the ride is somewhat intense, and there are a couple unique elements present. Rode twice thanks to a 5 minute single rider line, although the regular line still looked under 30 minutes. A- Spider: I've been on a couple other Maurer Sohne spinners and excluding Crush's Coaster this is probably my favorite. Spinning was enough without being dizzying, although the ride was a little rough. This one had a bit of a line, only 4 cars running, and was experiencing technical difficulties, so I only rode once. B Wild Mouse: A fairly standard Maurer Sohne Wild Mouse. This is probably the best of the three Maurer mice I've been on, but it's still nothing special. C Colossus The Fire Dragon: I've heard that the old Schwarzkopf coasters are really good, but I was slightly disappointed by this ride. The first drop is good and the loops are great (and forceful), but after that the rest of the ride is simply a couple helixes. It was still fun and I did ride twice due to the lack of a line, but I still don't get all the praise Schwarzkopf gets (maybe I just need to try more of the custom designs). B- Wild Kingdom Train: This was a fairly good train ride around the lake and past several animal enclosures. A good break after riding the coasters at the south end of the park. B Jet Star 2: An old Schwarzkopf Jet Star 2 model. The ride is surprisingly intense given its small size, but the seating is somewhat uncomfortable and the park is very strict about the no single riders policy. This one also mainly consists of helixes. Overall, I thought it was just okay. C Samurai: To my knowledge, Lagoon is the only park in the United States with a Top Scan. It's a shame, as these are really good rides. I'm not the biggest fan of inverting flat rides, but this is one of the best I've been on. B Rocket: Rocket is two S&S attractions in one: a Space Shot named Blast Off and a Turbo Drop named Re-Entry. I wanted to ride Blast Off as no space shots exist near me, but unfortunately only Re-Entry was open. Somewhat underwhelming since I've got Supreme Scream at my home park, but overall a pretty standard Turbo Drop. C+ Bat: I've been on a couple other Vekoma mini-SLCs and found both of them okay. Unfortunately, Bat was brutal. Worst coaster at Lagoon by far. D- Bombora: This is a decent family coaster with a unique design and surf-themed soundtrack. It's still just a family coaster, so it wasn't really worth the 25 minute wait, but it was at least better than Bat. B as a family coaster, C- compared to all coasters. Terroride: One of Lagoon's old dark rides, this was great by the standards of cheesy old dark rides. Some of the scenes were actually full scenes instead of single props in a cage, and the ride was a little longer than I thought it would be. My favorite non-coaster ride that I tried at Lagoon and definitely worth the 15 minute wait. B compared to old-school dark rides. Roller Coaster: Lagoon's 1921 John Miller woodie, this was a decent double out-and-back. The ride is a little rough, but certainly not bad for its age, and while not an airtime machine it did have a few small pops. Operations on this ride were probably the best in the park, with routine 45 second dispatches, so even with a full queue the wait was only about 20 minutes. C+ Log Flume: A pretty dull log flume with only one small drop. There was no line due to the temperature being around 60 degrees, which was fortunate as I would have been disappointed if I waited long for this one. D Four rides were not ready for opening day: Boomerang Bumper Cars, Centennial Screamer (enterprise), Cliffhanger (top spin), and Sky Ride. Additionally, I was unable to ride Air Race due to technical difficulties and Dracula's Castle due to not finding it until just before leaving. Overall, I had a pretty good half-day at the park. I liked Lagoon quite a bit, and it somewhat reminded me of Knott's Berry Farm before Cedar Fair took over. The park doesn't have the biggest or most intense rides, but for a locals' park the selection is perfectly adequate. While I wouldn't make a trip out to Salt Lake City just to return, if I'm ever in the area again during the park's operating season I'd love to return. Ideally, I'd like to be able to spend a full day at the park to check everything out and visit the included waterpark. Plus, if the new coaster for 2015 is anything like what the rumors suggest, Lagoon could have a travel-worthy ride. Pictures: Welcome to the middle of nowhere, Utah. This is not the Great Salt Lake. It was cold and cloudy all day at Park City. By lunchtime, it had started to snow a bit. The top of Park City Mountain Resort (well, the top of the main mountain at least). Time to head down the slope. Park City has old mining equipment scattered around the mountain. This particular remnant was located by the base of the Thaynes chair. An old conveyor belt for transporting ore uphill. Park City Mountain Resort. We stayed right at the base of the mountain. The Eagle runs are where Olympic training takes place. Shame they're not open to the public, as they look quite good. The next day we went skiing at Canyons Resort and were greeted by several inches of fresh snow. The view at lunch during a break between snow showers. The drive is actually pretty scenic once you get past Nevada. It's a 10 hour drive from Orange County, CA to Salt Lake City, UT, but I've never minded it. A shot of downtown Park City. I recommend checking it out if you visit the area, even though it isn't quite as historic as it's made out to be. Fast forward to Friday afternoon. Since we were staying up in Ogden, we ate dinner at the Burger Bar (which my dad had seen on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives). For a basic burger place, it was pretty good, but the best part was the milkshakes. Spider was next. It's a standard model but still a really fun ride. Do not raise your hands on this ride (or Jet Star 2, where you will be yelled at). There are several tight clearances. The Wild Kingdom Train approaches. Unlike some parks, this one is an actual steam train. The Bat through the trees. My dad snuck into this picture (he's the guy in red in the lower right corner). Lagoon is mostly one long midway. I'm sure it looks nice once all the trees have leaves on them. Seriously, the park looks really nice. I wish the Sky Ride had been open so we could have seen the park from above. The one and only drop on the Log Flume. I don't know exactly how tall it is, but it didn't feel more than 30 feet. Lagoon also has a river rapids ride, but at 60 degrees and with a 10 hour car ride I didn't want to get soaked. They don't. The whole back section of the park is western themed with old mining equipment. I'm not sure what that is, but a dead end means it's time to turn around. I wasn't aware Lagoon had two train rides. This is the rest of the Log Flume. Really, it was only about a 3 minute ride. The other side of the bridge, with the Log Flume's only drop. This picture contains more trees than are present in the average Cedar Fair park. A section of the park is named Pioneer Village and is themed to an old west town. Somewhat reminiscent of Knott's Ghost Tow. At the far end of the street is a clock tower. This was one of the few buildings we checked out in detail. Inside was a model railroad museum. Unfortunately, the multi-level railroad display was off. I will end with a picture of Lagoon's lagoon. Thanks for reading, and go check out this park if you ever find yourself in Utah. It's definitely worth a visit. Tiger enclosure. The animal enclosures here are pretty basic, but none of the animals looked neglected. I do wish you could see them from somewhere other than the train. Yes, Lagoon has a waterpark. It looked fun but relatively basic by today's standards. Colossus the Fire Dragon. Better than my local Colossus for sure. Basic Wild Mouse. Nothing to see here. It doesn't fly over the top of the tower, but it is moving fast enough to give good airtime all the way down. First ride of the day...Wicked. Easily the best coaster at the park. Okay, I know you're all here for Lagoon. Here we are at Utah's only amusement park. Schwarzkopf certainly used an interesting chain lift mechanism on this coaster. The train actually moves forward and attaches while guests are loading.