West Coast "off-season" trip planning; help!

[coneyislandchris]

Hey guys,

 

So, it looks as if I'm going to be in California for 3 days at the beginning of the next month, with access to a rental car. I'm currently trying to plan out how to hit as many different coasters in that timeframe as possible. Here's what I have so far.

 

Friday, March 4:

- Land at LAX early morning

- 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM: Knott's Berry Farm

- 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM: Belmont Park (worth the drive down to San Diego? doable with LA traffic?)

- 10:00 PM to 12:00 AM: Pacific Park

 

Saturday, March 5:

- 10:30 AM to 8:00 PM: Six Flags Magic Mountain (is this doable in its entirety in one day?)

- Drive north to the Bay Area

 

Sunday, March 6:

- 11:00 AM: Santa Clara Boardwalk (potentially; have ridden Giant Dipper in the past, but not Undertow)

- 1:00 PM-6:00 PM: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (enough time for what's currently open? Or should I skip the boardwalk and just head straight here?)

- Fly out from SFO late night

 

I'm excluding Disney and Universal from this list, because I've been to both before and would rather return with the whole family in tow when the kids are a little bit older. I also know certain rides and parks are closed at the moment due to refurbishment/conversion, but the time frame isn't negotiable, it has to be this particular weekend. I'll have to save Ghost Rider, Joker, and New Revolution for a future return trip (and hopefully check out California's Great America then as well).

 

With that being said, just wondering if there's anything that's absolutely can't-miss that I've left out? Also, any other tips or things I should know about any of the parks?

 

Thanks in advance for all your advice!

[DirkFunk]

Hey guys,

 

So, it looks as if I'm going to be in California for 3 days at the beginning of the next month, with access to a rental car. I'm currently trying to plan out how to hit as many different coasters in that timeframe as possible. Here's what I have so far.

 

Friday, March 4:

- Land at LAX early morning

- 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM: Knott's Berry Farm

- 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM: Belmont Park (worth the drive down to San Diego? doable with LA traffic?)

- 10:00 PM to 12:00 AM: Pacific Park

 

In the best conditions possible, you're looking at a roughly two hour drive. Could you drive to Belmont, ride the Dipper, leave, and make it to Pacific Park in time to get a ride on the coaster there? I mean, I guess you could. You'll probably spend close to 6 hours in your car with traffic and be left with a matter of a few minutes at each and not much more than that. You might also not find that you need as much time at Knotts, Belmont, or Pacific as you imagine (and also have the benefit of Adventure City being nearby too if you need "credits").

 

Saturday, March 5:

- 10:30 AM to 8:00 PM: Six Flags Magic Mountain (is this doable in its entirety in one day?)

- Drive north to the Bay Area

 

Sunday, March 6:

- 11:00 AM: Santa Clara Boardwalk (potentially; have ridden Giant Dipper in the past, but not Undertow)

- 1:00 PM-6:00 PM: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (enough time for what's currently open? Or should I skip the boardwalk and just head straight here?)

- Fly out from SFO late night

 

SFMM with a QBot is doable in a single day. The rest I guess is dependent on your own personal endurance.

 

With that being said, just wondering if there's anything that's absolutely can't-miss that I've left out? Also, any other tips or things I should know about any of the parks?

 

Adventure City has the new Gerstlauer family coaster and is right down the street from Knotts. I don't know what else you could realistically expect to fit in this trip without beginning to trim down other aspects.

[coneyislandchris]

In the best conditions possible, you're looking at a roughly two hour drive. Could you drive to Belmont, ride the Dipper, leave, and make it to Pacific Park in time to get a ride on the coaster there? I mean, I guess you could. You'll probably spend close to 6 hours in your car with traffic and be left with a matter of a few minutes at each and not much more than that. You might also not find that you need as much time at Knotts, Belmont, or Pacific as you imagine (and also have the benefit of Adventure City being nearby too if you need "credits").

 

Yeah, that is definitely a concern -- prior to putting this together I wasn't really thinking that the distance between LA and SD was that great. I don't particularly mind driving that much, I'm used to doing road trips over here on the East Coast due to my location, but it would suck to get down there just in time for it to be closed. Do you think it'd be a better idea to possibly start the day down there, then work my way north?

 

Adventure City has the new Gerstlauer family coaster and is right down the street from Knotts.

 

Oh, didn't know about that! Though, checking the website, it looks like the hours conflict with everything else. Perhaps I'll figure out a way to pencil it in. Regardless, thanks for the idea!

[DirkFunk]

In the best conditions possible, you're looking at a roughly two hour drive. Could you drive to Belmont, ride the Dipper, leave, and make it to Pacific Park in time to get a ride on the coaster there? I mean, I guess you could. You'll probably spend close to 6 hours in your car with traffic and be left with a matter of a few minutes at each and not much more than that. You might also not find that you need as much time at Knotts, Belmont, or Pacific as you imagine (and also have the benefit of Adventure City being nearby too if you need "credits").

 

Yeah, that is definitely a concern -- prior to putting this together I wasn't really thinking that the distance between LA and SD was that great. I don't particularly mind driving that much, I'm used to doing road trips over here on the East Coast due to my location, but it would suck to get down there just in time for it to be closed. Do you think it'd be a better idea to possibly start the day down there, then work my way north?

 

This is a difficult thing for me to answer. I don't know you, so it is tough for me to guess as to what and how your habits are at parks. If you are strictly interested in the coasters at Knotts, you'll be in and out and 2 hours. The only coaster presently open there that demands repeat ridership (IMO) is Silver Bullet. Maybe Xcelerator. That's it. And on a Friday, you might not have any significant queue lines to deal with early on. What matter here is the *everything else*. If you don't care about the dark rides, the log flume, the shows, or the food, then you can blitz it and move onto the next thing and probably do this (albeit with a lot of time in the car).

 

In the always popular, "If I were you, I'd do this totally differently" thing people generally don't like to hear, yeah, I'd probably do it very differently and look at Castle and Scandia as the replacements to Belmont, and sub out SFMW with CGA to save myself an hour of driving, plus look at the schedules for Butler and Ray Cammack Shows to see if they have anything in the areas I'm going. But that's me, and not you.

[coneyislandchris]

This is a difficult thing for me to answer. I don't know you, so it is tough for me to guess as to what and how your habits are at parks. If you are strictly interested in the coasters at Knotts, you'll be in and out and 2 hours. The only coaster presently open there that demands repeat ridership (IMO) is Silver Bullet. Maybe Xcelerator. That's it. And on a Friday, you might not have any significant queue lines to deal with early on. What matter here is the *everything else*. If you don't care about the dark rides, the log flume, the shows, or the food, then you can blitz it and move onto the next thing and probably do this (albeit with a lot of time in the car).

Although coasters are my top attraction, I do enjoy checking out other rides. I do tend to enjoy log flumes on a really hot day, and always enjoy seeing some unique or classic flats. Not so much into shows, as those are more of a thing for when I'm with the family, and the food is more of a "if I absolutely need to sustain myself" sort of thing.

 

In the always popular, "If I were you, I'd do this totally differently" thing people generally don't like to hear, yeah, I'd probably do it very differently and look at Castle and Scandia as the replacements to Belmont, and sub out SFMW with CGA to save myself an hour of driving, plus look at the schedules for Butler and Ray Cammack Shows to see if they have anything in the areas I'm going. But that's me, and not you.

I haven't heard anything about Castle or Scandia at all, so I will definitely look into both of those as potential options. I'd have loved to go to CGA -- in fact, that was my original plan -- but I discovered that during the time I'm going to be out there, the park will be closed. It is what it is. *shrug* The price of the tickets for air travel pretty much necessitated this weekend and this weekend alone. And no, don't worry at all about the "totally different" thing, that's why I was asking for folks' opinions! My experience with West Coast theme parks is so minimal, I'd like to get as much advice as possible, even if it's "what you thought was a good idea isn't that good of an idea".

 

Thanks again for the suggestions and I will do some more research into these to see how feasible it will be for me! It's really appreciated.

[DirkFunk]

Although coasters are my top attraction, I do enjoy checking out other rides. I do tend to enjoy log flumes on a really hot day, and always enjoy seeing some unique or classic flats. Not so much into shows, as those are more of a thing for when I'm with the family, and the food is more of a "if I absolutely need to sustain myself" sort of thing.

 

That's sorta the thing with Knotts - what makes it interesting IMO are those other things: the dark rides, the log flume (which is top notch), the train, the stagecoach, observation tower, Mystery Lodge, the chicken, the pie, etc. If you go and ride the coasters and leave, you can do that, but it won't take 8 hours. Nothing there is that good.

 

I haven't heard anything about Castle or Scandia at all, so I will definitely look into both of those as potential options. I'd have loved to go to CGA -- in fact, that was my original plan -- but I discovered that during the time I'm going to be out there, the park will be closed. It is what it is. *shrug* The price of the tickets for air travel pretty much necessitated this weekend and this weekend alone. And no, don't worry at all about the "totally different" thing, that's why I was asking for folks' opinions! My experience with West Coast theme parks is so minimal, I'd like to get as much advice as possible, even if it's "what you thought was a good idea isn't that good of an idea".

 

Castle is an adorable park (hate to use that term but there it is anyhow) built by Bud Hurlbut, the guy that basically designed most of the great old attractions at Knotts and was the concessionaire running their rides for eons. Scandia is a one hit wonder, but the one hit (Scandia Screamer) is one of the most extreme steel coasters out there. Think of it as the proto-hyperlite. A lot less driving would be involved and you'd be going away from some of the major snarls rather than into it.

 

As for the last leg....I'd probably just spend my time at Santa Cruz that day rather than head north and try to pile in Six Flags. It's a lot of production model coasters, a RMC coaster about 3 months out from opening, and a B&M floorless with an inversion that is kinda different. Santa Cruz, meanwhile, is one of the country's top amusement parks. That and eat. Eat a lot.

 

Thanks again for the suggestions and I will do some more research into these to see how feasible it will be for me! It's really appreciated.

[chaindawg]

I have done Northern & Southern California trips within the past few months, similar to what you're thinking. My schedules were as "aggressive" as yours, so I thought I would share rough timelines of successful days for you.

 

Starting in San Diego…

 

10-11: Sea World San Diego. Manta is quality, and there is a unique sky ride that exits the park over a body of water.

11-12: Belmont Park. We went and the coaster was undergoing maintenance (should have checked), but spent time time that we would have ridden walking around and eating at the beach.

12-1: Balboa Park Carousel. A 1910 Herschell-Spillman carousel that, if you ask, will run with brass rings, if you're into that.

1-5: Mundo Divertido. Cross the border into Tijuana and check out a "large FEC"-scale park that reminded me of a Fun Spot. Don't miss the elevated tram ride. Crossing the border took quicker than we expected so…

7:30-10: Knott's Berry Farm. We didn't get to hit every coaster, but we visited on a holiday weekend. On a typical operating day, as someone else mentioned, it shouldn't be a problem to get most everything done in a few hours.

10-11: Pacific Park. The coaster has a nice lighting package so good call on planning to visit it at the end of your day.

 

Starting in San Jose…

 

11-2: Gilroy Gardens. A real unique park, only a couple coasters—the Morgan is decent—but a drastically different park than anything else on your itinerary. Don't miss the monorail through the greenhouse.

4-6: Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

 

I'd suggest Gilroy instead of SFDK because Joker. SFDK with Joker under construction is a bummer of a park. SFDK with Joker and CGA on a subsequent trip will be an awesome day.

[coasterbill]

Wait, so if I'm reading this correctly you're going to spend a fast paced day at Magic Mountain running around in the desert (not that it's insanely hot that time of year but still) with a Fastlane to get credits, then leave at 11PM eastern and drive 5 hours? Everyone has different endurance but think about jet lag. You'll still be on Eastern Time. If I were you I'd leave Magic Mountain, drive an hour or so... get a hotel when you feel tired and finish up in the morning assuming you'll still be on Eastern Time and won't mind getting up early anyway. You'll make it to the boardwalk easily.

 

If you do that and cut out Belmont Park on day one you've just turned an insane death march into a manageable and enjoyable weekend at the expense of 1 credit that you know isn't going anywhere anyway so it's almost a guarantee that you'll come back one day and get it. You can easily do Knott's, Adventure City and Pacific Park in a day stress free.

[coneyislandchris]

I have done Northern & Southern California trips within the past few months, similar to what you're thinking. My schedules were as "aggressive" as yours, so I thought I would share rough timelines of successful days for you.

 

I'd suggest Gilroy instead of SFDK because Joker. SFDK with Joker under construction is a bummer of a park. SFDK with Joker and CGA on a subsequent trip will be an awesome day.

Very cool -- thanks for sharing your itinerary on a similar trip! I probably won't cross the border this time around, but it's good to know the option is there. Hadn't even considered Gilroy, and after checking out a few pictures, I'm definitely going to try to figure out a way to fit it in. Thanks again!

 

Wait, so if I'm reading this correctly you're going to spend a fast paced day at Magic Mountain running around in the desert (not that it's insanely hot that time of year but still) with a Fastlane to get credits, then leave at 11PM eastern and drive 5 hours? Everyone has different endurance but think about jet lag. You'll still be on Eastern Time. If I were you I'd leave Magic Mountain, drive an hour or so... get a hotel when you feel tired and finish up in the morning assuming you'll still be on Eastern Time and won't mind getting up early anyway. You'll make it to the boardwalk easily.

That's a very good point, and one that I will strongly take under consideration. My plan isn't to kill myself, after all. It's just a basic structure that, if time permits, I can use as a guide to get me from point to point. The only thing written in stone at this point are the times of my flights, so if I end up feeling completely wiped out after SFMM, I will definitely get a room and do the drive in the morning. I don't want this to be a straight-up credit-whoring trip, which is why I'm not going after every little kiddie coaster along the way or trying to cram in Disney/Universal; I'm just looking to take three days off from work to enjoy myself, relax, and hopefully get some coasters in.

 

Again guys, thanks for all your help and suggestions!

[chaindawg]

​A follow-up on my earlier mention of Gilroy; they have an off-season and won't open till the end of March. Oops. With Gilroy and CGA closed and SFDK being a short while away from opening Joker, I see a few months from now being a better time, coaster-wise, to travel to Northern California.

 

What about heading east to Las Vegas instead? It would be a shorter drive, and credits would include Desperado at the CA/NV border, an El Loco named El Loco and (indoor!) Arrow loop & corkscrew in Adventuredome, and an unusual Togo at New York New York. Since that's all that's out there and it should all be operating, you'd be "closing out" that area on the map.

 

Las Vegas would not provide you with as many credits as your plan to head north would, but if you could do Northern California at another time you'd pick up so many more (good) credits. You could even include Scandia and Castle then too, making that a full and well-rounded separate trip.

[KBrylczyk]

You're a psychopath.

 

California is big. Huge. Going from LA to San Diego is insane with weekday traffic unless you're driving in the middle of the night. Driving from LA to San Francisco is akin to driving from NYC to Richmond, VA in ideal conditions. This trip is not a three day trip.

 

You want to go from LAX to Knott's, 45 minutes with no traffic (HA!), when Pacific Park is right around the corner. Then you want to drive from Knott's to Belmont Park, an hour more with no traffic (HA!), then turn around and go right back where you came and do Pacific Park. At this point your eyes will be closing themselves no matter how much coffee you consume, and you still have another hour-ish to get up to Magic Mountain where I presume you're spending the night.

 

Then you want to carouse around Magic Mountain for an entire day only to hit the road and drive the most boring stretch of highway in the entire country (I-5 is horrific) up to San Francisco. Do you realize Santa Cruz is nowhere near San Francisco, nor is Vallejo where Discovery Kingdom is? They're each about 1-1.5 hours from San Fran in completely opposite directions Again, this is assuming no traffic.

 

My advice? Cancel San Diego, cancel the boardwalks. Do Knott's, Magic Mountain, and Discovery Kingdom. As for getting between LA and San Fran, leave Magic Mountain early to mid-afternoon and drive your butt off.

[coasterbill]

I understand the Pacific Park thing, it opens later in the day than Knott's and honestly after your day at Knott's I think spending an evening in Santa Monica riding the coaster and grabbing something to eat sounds great. Just stay in the area though... Don't drive to Magic Mountain that night. You'll be on Eastern Time and it's a day trip for La locals so doing it in the morning is absolutely reasonable. Just give yourself longer than the GPS says because the 405, the 5 and Sepulveda Pass will make you seriously question if you want to live anymore. Just to be safe, double whatever it says but again you'll be on Eastern Time so tha'll be easy.

[coneyislandchris]

You're a psychopath. Do you realize Santa Cruz is nowhere near San Francisco, nor is Vallejo where Discovery Kingdom is?

Yes, I am aware of this. I lived in the Bay Area for four years, and have done the LA-SF road trip several times before, though not so much with a focus on amusement parks. While I've visited Santa Cruz in the past, I never made it out to Marine World at the time. Cheers.

 

You want to go from LAX to Knott's, 45 minutes with no traffic (HA!), when Pacific Park is right around the corner. Then you want to drive from Knott's to Belmont Park, an hour more with no traffic (HA!), then turn around and go right back where you came and do Pacific Park.

The plan was primarily based around the hours of operation for each place during this off-season. Still considering reorganizing this, or just cutting out SD completely for this trip as several people seem to think is the wisest course of action.

 

Thanks for the feedback regardless!

[KBrylczyk]

the 405, the 5 and Sepulveda Pass will make you seriously question if you want to live anymore.

 

Just hearing those roads made me shiver in fear and that's not even the worst chunk on the way to Valencia! The 210 and 14 interchange I find to be much worse.

[coneyislandchris]

Somehow missed this post from earlier;

 

​What about heading east to Las Vegas instead? It would be a shorter drive, and credits would include Desperado at the CA/NV border, an El Loco named El Loco and (indoor!) Arrow loop & corkscrew in Adventuredome, and an unusual Togo at New York New York. Since that's all that's out there and it should all be operating, you'd be "closing out" that area on the map.

A decent idea, but if I go out to Vegas WITHOUT my wife, she might just kill me in my sleep when I return.

 

In any case, the return flight is already set to leave from SFO, so I have to make my way up that way anyway. Might as well make some use of my Six Flags pass while I've got it, after all. And since the flight doesn't leave until way late, I'll use the spare time to get some quality food, probably the biggest thing I miss about the Bay Area.