Photo TR: A good park and Lakemont Park

[ImNotOneOfYou]

The Altoona area has two parks that are close enough and have little enough rides for you to do both in just a few hours. That doesn't mean you should, as I believe nobody should ever have to say they went to Lakemont Park. If I were to use coasterbill's ride ranking list of SFGAdv, I'd place it around root canal. still above Green Lantern

 

Delgrosso's is a great park in comparison. Here it is:

 

Besides the bush, you get a great view driving on I-99

What a difference it makes when there isn't a bush

There are also plenty of wind turbines lining the mountains. They're not that easy to see in the picture but they're very pretty when you're there.

And just like that...

...civilization appears!

And just like that it's gone.

Arriving in the parking lot at Delgrosso's. It has a very Knoebels-like feel apart from the street running through it.

Water park on the left, amusement park on the right.

After riding drop towers at KI, KD, BGW, and Carowinds last year, nothing beats this guy.

After riding roller coasters at KI, KD, BGW, and Carowinds last year, a lot beats this guy.

There's a decent amount of rides at this park considering its size.

This was running slower than I expected.

This was the only new credit of the day and I am not at all ashamed.

Going up the ramp onto the bridge

I wonder if Knoebels will build any form of highway through the park to counter Delgrosso's.

I wasn't in the water park for long.

This park is pretty swell. Too bad I'll be at Lakemont Park in a few hours.

So many flat rides here.

The ride operators are also very happy that they didn't choose to work at Lakemont Park.

These pictures may be misleading. I rode the drop tower once for every flat ride this park has.

Rockstar, the newest flat ride, in motion.

More to come

[ImNotOneOfYou]

There are three pictures left involving Delgrosso's, so I'll upload them and throw in my review of the park to maintain the happy mood throughout this post before I get to Lakemont park.

 

At this point I've ridden the drop ride about 10 times.

Water park on our way out.

One last picture of the best ride for miles.

 

Overall, Delgrosso's was a very nice park for its location and size. With the exception of the small town 5 minutes down the road, it seems to be far from anywhere you would ever find yourself. The drop tower, as I said before, is better than the drop towers at Kings Island and Kings Dominion, while being less than a third of the height. Even without the drop tower, the park has a very nice collection of flat rides to compensate for its less than stellar roller coaster collection. You'd think that the park would have more major attractions for all of the anniversaries it has had since 1909.

The water park, which had a major expansion this year, is also very good for its size. It's nowhere near Holiday World's water park, but in the small chance that you were stuck in the park for a few hours with a bomb strapped to you that detonated when it detected boredom, you could pass a good amount of time there.

 

Up next: Lakemont Park

[Wingwright]

Cool trip report! Just curious... what makes that drop tower so much better than the others?

[ImNotOneOfYou]

Cool trip report! Just curious... what makes that drop tower so much better than the others?

 

On that drop tower, and others like it, you have the feeling of acceleration the entire time. The drop towers at KI and KD don't accelerate nearly as fast, and it feels like they float down after the drop starts. But dont take my word for it

[coasterbill]

I love the title of this report. I'm glad someone else shares my utter disdain for Lakemont park. I love classic parks. I thought Del Grossos was great and Knoebels is my favorite park anywhere but I feel like people look at all classic parks through rose colored glasses even when they suck and need to be put out of their misery like Lakemont and Conneaut.

 

Regarding Del Grossos... yeah, Larson drop towers are amazing. They actually have a pretty nice flat ride collection and the spinning coaster was fun. My one takeaway was the Paratrooper which looks nothing like any other Paratrooper I've ever seen and has a lap bar that doesn't lock and only stays down if you hold it down. Just sitting there normally results in the lap bar completely opening. I can't believe that thing exists in America (even though the Paratrooper is really tame compared to the other ones).

 

And I-99 is stunning. I love the drive to Del Grossos.

[ImNotOneOfYou]

I love the title of this report. I'm glad someone else shares my utter disdain for Lakemont park. I love classic parks. I thought Del Grossos was great and Knoebels is my favorite park anywhere but I feel like people look at all classic parks through rose colored glasses even when they suck and need to be put out of their misery like Lakemont and Conneaut.

 

Regarding Del Grossos... yeah, Larson drop towers are amazing. They actually have a pretty nice flat ride collection and the spinning coaster was fun. My one takeaway was the Paratrooper which looks nothing like any other Paratrooper I've ever seen and has a lap bar that doesn't lock and only stays down if you hold it down. Just sitting there normally results in the lap bar completely opening. I can't believe that thing exists in America (even though the Paratrooper is really tame compared to the other ones).

 

And I-99 is stunning. I love the drive to Del Grossos.

 

I remember a thread by somebody visiting the US to go to a bunch of amusement parks and I suggested Delgrosso's and Lakemont Park. I feel bad now I guess just riding Skyliner and Leap the Dips corrupted my opinion of the park.

 

As for the Paratrooper at Delgrosso's, the lap bar locks, but about halfway through the ride. I wouldn't really say it locks, but it just gets stiff and hard to move. After I rode it the first time, I went on it a few more times to see how many people would be concerned at the restraints.

[ImNotOneOfYou]

With that being said, here comes Lakemont Park. When I first visited the park in 2014, I was on and off Leap the Dips and Skyliner. Skyliner is a very nice wooden roller coaster. As for Leap the Dips, I've been on rougher rides. The flat ride collection is also fairly decent, but Delgrosso's has them beat.

 

If you're wondering why I'm saying good things so far, here you go. The park seems to be perpetually empty. If a murder were committed in the park, nobody would know until/unless select TPR members decide to go there.

 

I said that Skyliner was a good wooden roller coaster, and it would have been even better if it was open during my visit . Half of the flat rides, were also closed with little to no signs of ever operating. The only credit I had left for the area was open, but it had a '12 and under' policy and the operators didn't let me ride.

The scrambler ran awfully slow and it's neighbor (pictured) never ran once. I don't know if it was because it was closed or because nobody went to it.

Toboggan was open

But why would you ride Toboggan

This ride is strange. And not interesting.

Only credit I needed and they wouldn't let me ride

Skydiver was closed, luckily. The swing ride was open and had a very long ride cycle.

On the train seeing what I could have ridden.

Shut up Skyliner, I bet you aren't even that good of a ride.

One last picture on the miracle walk. Oops, I meant the walk out of the park.

 

Even if you're in Altoona, I wouldn't recommend this park. The only reason you should ever go to Lakemont Park is if you're already in Lakemont Park. There is a baseball stadium right next to the park. Even if there isn't a game going on, waiting for a game to start is a better use of your time.

 

Just go to Knoebels.

[coasterbill]

The only reason you should ever go to Lakemont Park is if you're already in Lakemont Park. There is a baseball stadium right next to the park. Even if there isn't a game going on, waiting for a game to start is a better use of your time.

 

Just go to Knoebels.

 

 

Not only is this entirely accurate but it's also exactly what we did. The first time we went to the park we had planned on spending a few hours in the park and going to a Curve game but since just about everything was closed and the park sucked so much we just got pissed off and went to Knoebels instead where we (of course) had an amazing time. The only problem was that we then had to go back to this hell hole in order to ride Leap the Dips.

[ImNotOneOfYou]

The only reason you should ever go to Lakemont Park is if you're already in Lakemont Park. There is a baseball stadium right next to the park. Even if there isn't a game going on, waiting for a game to start is a better use of your time.

 

Just go to Knoebels.

 

 

Not only is this entirely accurate but it's also exactly what we did. The first time we went to the park we had planned on spending a few hours in the park and going to a Curve game but since just about everything was closed and the park sucked so much we just got pissed off and went to Knoebels instead where we (of course) had an amazing time. The only problem was that we then had to go back to this hell hole in order to ride Leap the Dips.

 

 

Was that all in a day? A family getting sick of a park and driving 2 hours to Knoebels would be an awesome commercial.

[coasterbill]

Yup, all the same day.

[Blind Idiot God]

Yeah, Lakemont is pure Pennsyltucky/post-industrial rot. That whole area of Pennsylvania is depressing as hell and Lakemont is a pretty effective microcosm of it.

[SFOG1991]

I had a great visit to Lakemont Park last time I was in the area. I would say it compares to Conneaut Lake Park except Conneaut Lake Park is much prettier and I actually LOVE it there and have had some of the most memorable experiences there of all the parks I have been to (plus Blue Streak is ridiculously awesome and they have some rare flats). Both of those parks operate under unique situations and I am glad there are people who care enough to keep them around. I hope both parks are around indefinitely.

 

DelGrosso's was great as well and I hope they will build a small wooden coaster one day. I was surprised by the overall look of the park inside and really enjoyed a few rides and their wonderful pasta and pizza sauces!

 

I'm glad at least one of the parks went well for you!

[Shavethewhales]

That's depressing hearing all the hate for Lakemont park. I'm finally doing a Pennslyvania trip next year and Lakemont is supposed to be one of the highlights for me. Riding leap-the-dips is a bucket list item for me, and I LOVE classic woodies. Sure hope they have them open when I roll through.

[coasterbill]

That's depressing hearing all the hate for Lakemont park. I'm finally doing a Pennslyvania trip next year and Lakemont is supposed to be one of the highlights for me. Riding leap-the-dips is a bucket list item for me, and I LOVE classic woodies. Sure hope they have them open when I roll through.

 

If your trip includes Knoebels then you have all the highlights you need. If it doesn't then your Pennsylvania road trip sucks.

 

To be fair, Leap the Dips is a ton of fun. It's just that the entire test of the park is a disaster.

[thrillrider]

I disagree...

 

While it's far from being a great park, it's still fun and affordable. The skyliner and leap the dips are good fun, and the park has a few good classic flats as well. It's definitely worth an hour or two of your in the area.

[RCF]

With my planned Pennsylvania trip, I took out DelGrosso's for Lakemont just because of the coaster collections. I am now reconsidering before I go.

 

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

[coasterbill]

With my planned Pennsylvania trip, I took out DelGrosso's for Lakemont just because of the coaster collections. I am now reconsidering before I go.

 

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

 

Go to both, they're right next to each other and take like an hour each... tops.

[ImNotOneOfYou]

With my planned Pennsylvania trip, I took out DelGrosso's for Lakemont just because of the coaster collections. I am now reconsidering before I go.

 

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

 

Go to both, they're right next to each other and take like an hour each... tops.

 

 

If you do the water park at Delgrosso's you might end up spending a little more time in the park. If you go on each ride once and leave, you can get through Delgrosso's in a little over an hour, but you can stay much longer before you get bored. I was there from noon to 4 and the only reason I left was because we wanted to get to Lakemont Park before it closed. Should've went to Knoebels instead.

[ericthewanderer]

If you do go to Lakemont,try to get on the Toboggan ride-there's not many of them left(ex:Conneaut's is SBNO).

[ImNotOneOfYou]

If you do go to Lakemont,try to get on the Toboggan ride-there's not many of them left(ex:Conneaut's is SBNO).

 

It's both at Lakemont Park and a Toboggan roller coaster. Two negatives making a positive?

[ytterbiumanalyst]

If you do go to Lakemont,try to get on the Toboggan ride-there's not many of them left(ex:Conneaut's is SBNO).

I went on the one at Little Amerricka just because it looked so weird. It was not good in any way. I'm thinking there's a very good reason that ride type died out.

[coasterbill]

If you do go to Lakemont,try to get on the Toboggan ride-there's not many of them left(ex:Conneaut's is SBNO).

 

It's both at Lakemont Park and a Toboggan roller coaster. Two negatives making a positive?

 

 

This guy is savage. I love it because Lakemont deserves it.

[ImNotOneOfYou]

If you do go to Lakemont,try to get on the Toboggan ride-there's not many of them left(ex:Conneaut's is SBNO).

 

It's both at Lakemont Park and a Toboggan roller coaster. Two negatives making a positive?

 

 

This guy is savage. I love it because Lakemont deserves it.

 

 

Sometimes after blasting Lakemont I feel bad because they're not trying to be that bad of a park... right?

[DirkFunk]

Lakemont looks like it is on the verge of closing. Lots of rare rides but no idea how to advertise that to anyone. No budget to, probably.

[ImNotOneOfYou]

Lakemont looks like it is on the verge of closing. Lots of rare rides but no idea how to advertise that to anyone. No budget to, probably.

 

RCDB says that Conneaut Lake Park had a few years where it didn't open for the season. Somehow Lakemont Park managed to stay open every year except 1936. The park is in such a horrible state they never opened anything new on an anniversary.