Canada's Wonderland - July 6th, 2021

 On July 6th I was finally able to visit Canada's Wonderland once again, 592 days after my last visit to the park on November 22nd, 2019! My brother Scott and our Mom had joined me on my visit to the park. July 6th was the second day for Season Pass Holders to visit the park before the general public was able to visit on July 7th.

Since my last visit to Canada's Wonderland, quite a few things have changed to meet the current COVID-19 safety protocols put in place by the provincial government. The safety protocols put in place at Canada's Wonderland include the requirement of all guests to book a reservation as the park is currently operating at 25% capacity, the wearing of face masks on all rides as well as waiting in line for the rides, reduced capacity on the rides, and physical distancing markers in the ride lines and on the paths throughout the park to keep guests safe during their visit.

While the weather was hot and humid during our visit, we had a really good day! Be sure to check out the photos from our visit to Canada's Wonderland below!

We arrived at the park shortly before 10:30am.

Here I am before heading through the front gate!

It was great to finally be back after the park was closed for so long! Canada's Wonderland is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

It was surreal to see this view of International Street once again. In some ways it felt like an eternity, while in other ways it felt like my last visit was just yesterday.

Throughout the park there was signage indicating where to walk in order to maintain physical distancing such as on the bridge heading into the Medieval Faire section.

Leviathan was operating with all three trains to keep the lines moving as every other row was blocked off to maintain physical distancing. Scott and I would take a ride on it later in the day. Scott and I rode Dragon Fyre, Spinovator, and Drop Tower during our first round through Medieval Faire.

For the 2021 season, the Fun Shoppe was renamed Jester's Courtyard to fit in better with the Medieval Faire section.

Up next was Vortex, which is celebrating 30 years in 2021! It was forceful as usual!

After catching rides on Timberwolf Falls and White Water Canyon, we grabbed some lunch at Roadside Chicken in Frontier Canada.

After lunch Scott and I decided to ride Yukon Striker.

On our way over to Yukon Striker I captured this interesting shot of one of Vortex's trains speeding along its track.

Here's Scott and I after riding Yukon Striker! Since it has been a while since our last rides on it, the first 90° drop got our stomachs!

After Yukon Striker I took a ride on Mighty Canadian Minebuster. During the time the park was closed, they took the time to re-track the drop after the turn around, which helped make the coaster more enjoyable!

Unfortunately Sledge Hammer was down, but its power was on. I am hoping to catch it the next time I visit as it is a great one-of-a-kind ride!

Also for the 2021 season, the peeling billboard on Backlot Stunt Coaster was removed. Now the trains just "crash" through a wall. Maybe they'll redo it one day.

From Backlot Stunt Coaster's queue you get some nice views of Behemoth.

The line for Backlot Stunt Coaster moved quickly despite every other row being blocked off. It would be nice if the park were to add some shade to the queue as the afternoon sun was quite hot. Overall, Backlot Stunt Coaster's launch was still forceful as usual. I even greyed-out a bit on the helix!

I just love the airtime hills of Behemoth!

For 2021, Swing of the Century was also operating at a reduced capacity, with what looked like more than half of its seats removed. It usually operates with 48 seats.

It looked kind of funny seeing a good portion of its seats removed.

What didn't make sense to me was how the ride operator was only allowing guests to sit on the inside seats of the ride. That greatly reduced the capacity of Swing of the Century even more.

International Street was looking beautiful as usual.

Wonder Mountain was also looking great. Although the shrubby trees near Victoria Falls have grown quite a bit since the last time I saw them.

Pictured is the what was new for 2020 Beagle Brigade Airfield ride in Planet Snoopy. With the park not being able to open in 2020, it is now the one of two new rides for 2021.

This Zamperla Flying Tigers ride replaced the Peanuts Putt Putt mini golf attraction which had been at the park since 1981.

Children seemed to be enjoying the rides in Planet Snoopy and Kidzville. Pictured is the smallest roller coaster at the park, Taxi Jam.

Silver Streak is celebrating 20 years this year.

Silver Streak is a Vekoma Family Suspended Coaster. While I didn't ride it during our visit, I have been on it in years past.

Over the years, the trees surrounding Silver Streak have grown making it quite difficult to see from the paths of Kidzville.

The wooden shingles on some of the buildings along International Street have been redone. It is always nice to see the park taking care of its infrastructure.

Just before getting in line for Leviathan, I captured a photo of Viking's Rage in full swing. This Huss Pirate ride has been operating at the park since May 23rd, 1981.

Riptide was operating earlier in the day. While I didn't get a ride on it this time, I did notice it had new seats.

After riding Leviathan, my Mom and I took a spin on the classic Antique Carousel. Afterwards, I took a thrilling ride on Behemoth.

After being at the park for nearly eight hours, we decided it was time to head home for the day shortly after 6pm. Here we are in front of the Royal Fountain and Floral flag on International Street!

Here's one last shot of the park's entrance as we were leaving. Thanks for a great visit, Canada's Wonderland! :-)

Canada's Wonderland During the COVID-19 Pandemic - September 19th, 2020

On Saturday, September 19th, 2020 I decided to take a drive to see an old "friend", one which I hadn't seen since last November, for the premiere of Winterfest. I definitely maintained a social distance during the visit as I stayed behind the perimeter fence. It was quite eerie to see North America's most visited seasonal amusement park sitting idle due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Below are many photos that I had captured of Canada's Wonderland during my excursion.

Be sure to enjoy the photos below!

Here's a view of Behemoth and Yukon Striker from the Maple Auto Mall, just located south of the park.

The following views were captured along the Deepsprings Pond Trail, also located south of Canada's Wonderland. This photo in particular makes it hard to believe that Canada's Wonderland is located in the bustling city of Vaughan.

This nice scenic trail heads towards Canada's Wonderland Drive.

The airtime filled hills of Behemoth look quite majestic from this view.

Here you can see Behemoth, Mighty Canadian Minebuster, Yukon Striker, and Leviathan just poking above the trees.

Wonder Mountain, Drop Tower, and Slingshot made a brief appearance in this shot.

It was quite eerie and interesting to see some of the park's largest attractions sitting idle on a beautiful Saturday in September.

The Deepsprings Pond Trail sure provides quite a scenic and secluded view of Canada's Wonderland. 

Here's the wild Behemoth in its natural surroundings.

Looking south on the Deepsprings Pond Trail, you can see the subdivisions that surround the park.

Yukon Striker's Immelmann inversion sure stood out under the late-morning sun.

From the edge of Canada's Wonderland Drive you can get an amazing view of Behemoth's lift hill and first drop.

Canada's Wonderland Drive provides some unique angles that you wouldn't be able to get if you were in the park. Here is Behemoth, Backlot Stunt Coaster, Mighty Canadian Minebuster, and Yukon Striker.

On a normal Saturday in September, you would be able to see cars racing along the track of Backlot Stunt Coaster. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has stopped all fun and excitement in its tracks.

The one and only SledgeHammer was also sitting idle, patiently waiting to jump sky-high again!

Looking North from the edge of Canada's Wonderland Drive, Skyhawk and Drop Tower were standing tall, as usual minus the screams of thrill seekers as they rise up and descend the towers.

Some slides and attractions within Splash Works, the park's water park can be seen from Canada's Wonderland Drive. With the hot weather we had this past summer, it would have been nice to have been able to cool down on some of the water slides! 

In this shot you can see seven of the park's many rides and roller coasters.

Here is a side view of Mountain Bay Cliffs, one of two new additions at Canada's Wonderland for the 2020 season. Replicating Wonder Mountain, Mountain Bay Cliffs is situated in Splash Works and features three diving platforms of varying heights, with the highest reaching 25 feet above the pool below! The other new for 2020 addition is Beagle Brigade Airfield, an airplane themed ride manufactured by Zamperla. It is located in Planet Snoopy where Peanuts Putt Putt mini golf was formerly located.

Yukon Striker, the World's longest, tallest, and fastest Dive Coaster still looks shiny and new over a year after its debut. 

Both modern steel roller coaster track and older wooden roller coaster track are quite photogenic, even without trains roaring along their tracks.

If you look closely at Slingshot, you can see its gondola suspended partially up the structure. Slingshot has been sending thrill-seekers 300 feet into the air since its debut in 2015.

Behemoth's twisted finale is quite hidden by the trees that have grown up along Canada's Wonderland Drive.

Before moving onto views of Canada's Wonderland from Jane Street, here is one final view of Behemoth from Canada's Wonderland Drive.

From one of the plazas across from Canada's Wonderland on Jane Street, the hammerhead turn around and speed hill on Leviathan stand tall above the trees that line the edge of the park's parking lot. 

Here is a straight on view of Action Zone from Jane street. Pictured are Flight Deck, Slingshot, Yukon Striker, Windseeker, Skyhawk, and Xtreme Skyflyer.

The iconic Wonder Mountain is still very photogenic nearly 40 years after its debut with the park in May of 1981.

The angle captured in this photo makes it look as if Leviathan is the only roller coaster in the park.

These geese appeared to be enjoying the quietness of Canada's Wonderland. I could only imagine how many have taken residency in the park during this unusual year!

Dragon Fyre, Canada's Wonderland's first looping coaster sits quietly as it awaits to celebrate its 40th anniversary next year, along with the park.

For any Time Warp fans out there, Canada's first and only flying coaster is still at the park. Although, it is trying its best to blend in with Behemoth in this photo.

Here's another shot of Leviathan as it gleams under the early afternoon sun.

Here's another 'over the bank' shot of Leviathan to add to the collection.

Leviathan's 306 foot drop looks larger than it actually is when the parking lot is empty.

Maybe its just me, but Yukon Striker looks quite flat from this angle.

It is quite sad to see roller coasters sitting idle during such a beautiful time of the year.

From the corner of Jane Street and Major Mackenzie Drive you can get a 'wide angle' shot of the park.

Usually on a Saturday in September the entrance would be welcoming guests for a day of fun and thrills. But this September, it has remained closed for obvious reasons.

Despite the park being closed, seeing it in person for the first time since November 22nd brought a smile to my face! I just wish I could have enjoyed it as intended, but you must take what you can get during times like these.

From along Major Mackenzie Drive I managed to capture another angled shot of the park.

Drivers on Major Mackenzie Drive wishing to visit Canada's Wonderland are directed to the parking lot entrance on Jane Street. This sign appears to be quite weathered.

A nice mixture of new and old is within view of this shot.

Some of Medieval Faire's rides are quite visible from the North end of the park, along major Mackenzie Drive.

There appeared to be some form of construction happening in the employee parking lot at Canada's Wonderland.

Here's a blast from the past! The sign over the former exit leading onto Major Mackenzie Drive is still intact despite not being used in quite a few years due to the construction of the new hospital across the street.

The associate parking lot only had a handful of cars parked in it during my visit. Normally, it along with the other parking lots nearby would be filled with employee's cars.

For the past 8+ years now, Leviathan has towered over Dragon Fyre. Despite only being 78 feet tall, Dragon Fyre still provides a great amount of airtime on its first drop, followed by a series of thrilling loops and corkscrew inversions. For many park guests, Dragon Fyre was their first upside down looping roller coaster, a distinction it still holds to this day.

The sun was shining down on the top of the initial drop on Wilde Beast, one of three wooden roller coasters at Canada's Wonderland.

From Major Mackenzie Drive you can get a decent view of the park's maintenance buildings along with the storage area where they store portable food stands and promotional items. Near the far right of the building, I could see the Halloween Haunt house prop used to promote Halloween Haunt. Unfortunately due to COVID-19, Halloween Haunt will not be occurring this year.

The sidewalk along Major Mackenzie Drive provides a nice side-angle view of Leviathan.

In this photo you can truly see how vertical Yukon Striker's 245 foot drop really is!

The overpass at Highway 400 and Major Mackenzie Drive provides a nice view of the North end of the park. 

Like I've said before, it is quite eerie seeing Canada's Wonderland sitting idle during a weekend in September.

Behemoth's turnaround stands just tall enough to be seen above the nearby trees!

While Wonder Mountain hasn't been the tallest structure at the park in over twenty years, it still captures the attention of motorists passing by on the 400.

I can't wait for when the day comes that I can enjoy the drop of Drop Tower again!

Leviathan stands mighty tall and proud over the park.

The last photo that I had captured during my excursion around Canada's Wonderland is of Leviathan's first drop. 

That concludes my visit of seeing an old "friend"! I hope you enjoyed seeing photos of Canada's Wonderland closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here's hoping that we will all be able to enjoy the thrills that Canada's Wonderland has to offer during the 2021 season which happens to be the park's 40th anniversary! Until then, continue to stay safe! Thanks for reading! :-)