EXPLORE LAGOON: RIDES: Rattlesnake Rapids

Opened: 19 Apr 1997

Location: Pioneer Village

Manufactured By: Intamin

Cost: $7.5 million

River Length: 1760 feet

Ride Time: 5-6 min

Number Of Rafts: 15

Ride Capacity: 9 riders per raft

Hourly Capacity: 1,500 riders per hour

Height Requirement: 36" minimum. Children 36"-46" must be ride with an adult.

history & info

This is a river rapids ride and it will get you wet. You'll have plenty of chances to cool off as you float past waterfalls, gushing geysers and an old miner who surprises you with a steady stream of something as he peeks through the outhouse door. If you don't get wet by the time you ride past the plaza, there are usually people waiting to get you wet by setting off geysers and the final waterfall really pours it on. 1.2 million gallons of water are pumped through the channel every hour.

Planning for this ride started as far back as the late 1980s or early 90s. Land was being cleared by July 1996 and construction began in mid-September. Much of the construction was overseen by Glynn Geotechnical Engineering from New York. The ride was part of a huge expansion of Pioneer Village when it opened in 1997. It was originally just a wooded area where the Pioneer Village Railroad and Stagecoach travelled through. The Stagecoach's path changed since this ride took up part of the old path. When Rattlesnake Rapids first opened, it was more like a desert. The small hills were once all dirt, but are now covered with lush landscaping. Later on, old mining equipment was added to the scenery as well as a small mining town.

Intamin is based in Switzerland and has been building and developing a wide range of rides for many decades.

photos

Photo: Brian Reichow

Riders try to avoid getting wet under the waterfall.

more photos

SOURCES

Lagoon

Website Visitors

Intamin

Glynn Geotechnical Engineering

Updated 12 Feb 2008