On Tuesday, August 29th I spent a whole day at Canada's Wonderland, hanging out with Amadeo and his friends Arianna and Daniel throughout the afternoon through closing time. We ended our day with a night ride on Behemoth! While it was really busy at the park, it was amazing hanging out with them on my 7th visit of the season! I hope to do it again sooner, rather than waiting a whole year!
Be sure to check out my photos of our great time at Canada's Wonderland!
The morning was bright and sunny when I arrived at the park shortly after 9:30am.
Once the ropes dropped at 10am, I headed over to Yukon Striker for my first ride of the day.
After a ride on Yukon Striker, I went over to Behemoth as Tundra Twister wasn't quite ready for the day. After a ride on Behemoth I saw people on Tundra Twister, so I got in line for Tundra Twister. Once in line the ride temporarily goes down and cycled empty. I managed to get this nice shot while waiting for Tundra Twister to reopen.
After a ride on Tundra Twister, I ventured over to International Street to watch the Victoria Falls High Divers show at Wonder Mountain.
While the performance is relatively the same every year, it is still cool to see divers jump off of the top of Victoria Falls down into the pool below at the base of Wonder Mountain.
You wouldn't catch me up there!
The show always draws a crowd!
If you're going to dive off of Wonder Mountain, going head first is the way to go! ;-)
While waiting for Amadeo and his friends to arrive, I captured a photo of the small shrubs planted around Swing of the Century. They will look nice once they have fully grown.
The flowers planted throughout the park have done really well with all the rain we have received this summer!
Once back in Action Zone I rode Sledge Hammer. It is still hard to believe that this one-of-a-kind ride is 20 years old this year!
Shortly after 1pm, I met up with Amadeo and his friend Arianna on the patio at the Lazy Bear Lodge. The patio offers a really nice view of Yukon Striker and Vortex!
And Tundra Twister, too!
The trains on Vortex just zip on by!
Afterwards we took a ride on Vortex and Shockwave (which is still running insane!), followed by a ride on Drop Tower, where Daniel met up with us to take the 227 foot plunge!
I always enjoy free falling on Drop Tower, especially with my hands up!
Once back on the ground, I headed over to Backlot Cafe for a Chicken Nacho Bowl. I was used to the beef Nacho Bowl, but the chicken one was surprisingly good! Here is a photo of the highly photogenic Flight Deck.
While I was eating at Backlot Cafe, Amadeo, Arianna, and Daniel were in line for Ghoster Coaster. Here's a photo of them I captured from Ghoster Coaster's exit path.
There they are on the fun and classic family wooden coaster. I also enjoy taking it for a ride every once in a while.
Unfortunately for us taller riders, the trains on Ghoster Coaster aren't too kind on the knees. 😆
I just love how the evening sun shines on Yukon Striker's track. This was on our way over to ride Sledge Hammer.
That little dip on Yukon Striker is filled with a bit of airtime!
After a fun ride on Sledge Hammer, I captured this photo of the sun setting. it looks as if Yukon Striker's track just heads into the sun!
After another ride on Tundra Twister, we hung out on the Lazy Bear Lodge patio again. There I was able to get some night shots of Tundra Twister in action.
It is quite tricky to capture at night!
Once the sun goes down, some of the rides really come to life!
We finished our night at the park with a ride on Behemoth! It is a great roller coaster to ride in the dark! I was glad to enjoy a night ride on it as it has been quite a while since I had last done that! Just afterwards, it began to lightly rain.
International Street is quite beautiful at night with the Royal Fountain lit up.
Here I am after a day of hanging out with some great people at Canada's Wonderland!
Here are the four of us (from left to right: Amadeo, John (myself), Daniel, and Arianna) before leaving the park just as the rain began to pour down! Thanks to Amadeo for this photo! It was amazing hanging out with you guys! :-)
The following photos and video clips shared in this blog post are from two of my visits to Canada's Wonderland in May 2015. This was a year before I began blogging and documenting my amusement park visits on my blog, Amusement Views!
While the photos might not be much, they do look at Typhoon and Splash Station, the two new attractions for Splash Works that year just before they opened to the public. These photos also look at what would become the home of Yukon Striker four years later in 2019. Be sure to enjoy this blast from the past!
Season Pass Sneak Preview Night - May 1st, 2015:
Here is a view of the Royal Fountain and Wonder Mountain during the 2015 Season Pass Sneak Preview Night. Below is a video clip of the Royal Fountain just as the sun was setting. From what I recall, the night was a calm and clear evening with a little bit of a chill in the air, typical weather for early-May. Unfortunately I did not capture any other photos or videos from the evening.
May 14th, 2015:
May 2015 was bustling with excitement and speculation at Canada's Wonderland! The excitement and speculation was caused by some work being done on the grounds where SkyRider, the park's former Stand-Up coaster had once operated. Little did we know at the time that the area would become home to the World's tallest, longest, and fastest Dive Coaster in the World!
It sure was a beautiful and warm sunny day at the park judging by this photo captured in the morning.
Victoria Falls on Wonder Mountain sure was flowing beautifully as it usually does!
Here is another angle of Victoria Falls from a little further back than the previous shot I had captured.
Below is a video of a bulldozer grading and levelling off the land which SkyRider had formerly operated on from 1985 through 2014. This area has greatly transformed since the addition of Yukon Striker in 2019!
Here is a look at the two new Splash Works attractions for that year. The Typhoon and Splash Station both came from the former Ontario Place water park and had received refurbishments during the off-season before being set up at Canada's Wonderland. When this photo was taken, Splash Works had not yet opened for the season.
If I'm not mistaken, I believe the sign for The Mighty Canadian Minebuster had received a touch-up for the 2015 season. It looks all shiny and new in this photo.
Work was still being completed on the former SkyRider plot during our visit that day.
We'll end this trip report from May 2015 with a beautiful photo of the Antique Carousel surrounded by pink blossoms.
I hope you enjoyed looking at the photos that I had captured during two of my visits to Canada's Wonderland in May 2015! The park has changed quite a bit within the nearly past six years that these photos were taken. Be sure to stay tuned for more photos from the 2015 season! :-)
On April 24th, 2019, Canada's Wonderland invited a group of thrill-seekers who raised money to support Sick Kids Hospital, along with their guests (myself included) and the media to be among the first to ride the all-new for 2019 Yukon Striker before the park opened for the general public!
For those who don't know, Yukon Striker was manufactured by Bolliger and Mabillard and opened as the world's fastest, longest, and tallest Dive Coaster in the World with a maximum speed of 130 km/h (80 mph), a track length 3,625 feet, and a maximum height of 245 feet, respectively. In addition to those breathtaking records, Yukon Striker is the first and currently only Dive Coaster to feature a vertical loop inversion among its collection of inversions found throughout its layout!
While being among the first to ride Yukon Striker was the main feature of the First Rider/Media Day Event, this event also allowed me to meet and chat with fellow amusement park enthusiasts as well as some who work within the amusement park industry! While the air was cool and the skies were cloudy, it did not deter anyone from enjoying Yukon Striker, a roller coaster packed with a ton of airtime and strong g-forces! Be sure to enjoy the photos below from such a great event!
I had arrived a bit early before the event began, but the wait sure would be worth it! My good amusement park friend Aldo who invited me to the event would arrive shortly after.
Canada's Wonderland's General Manager, Norm Pirtovshek gave a small speech before the opening of Yukon Striker. The park's Director of Communications, Grace Peacock and the Sick Kids Ambassador also addressed the audience.
Here is the first of three trains heading out! After the first riders got to ride Yukon Striker, their friends and the media were able to do so!
Here is the first train of the day about to drop!
Here's the first train of riders, diving into the tunnel below!
The train then entered the first of four inversions, the Immelmann!
After that, the train then enters into the zero-g winder inversion before making its way through a vertical loop and another Immelmann inversion. From there, the train enters the mid-course break run before plunging down a significantly smaller, but rather steep drop, leading the train through a downward helix and back to the station where the thrill of the ride all began!
After taking my first ride on Yukon Striker, I took a photo of the new bin system, which wasn't quite completed at the time. As passengers enter the line to board the trains, they will but their loose articles in a bin that then follows a track that goes over the station and eventually ends up at the exit. It's quite unique! During the day, I had the chance to ride Yukon Striker a total of 10 times, allowing me to ride in different rows and seats! It was quite the experience! Also during the course of the event, attendees were treated to a wonderful buffet lunch at the Backlot Cafe! Later in the day, I was invited by some newly made friends to ride Yukon Striker with them as they filmed a reverse on-ride POV. It can be viewed below!
The Yukon Striker water tower which holds the sign is a nice touch as you approach the coaster in the newly transformed Frontier Canada section at the park!
As a guest at the Yukon Striker First Rider/Media Day event, I had received this nice lanyard to commemorate the event.
Here is the backside of the lanyard which displays the statistics of Yukon Striker.
As 4pm neared, I managed to finish my day by taking in my 10th ride on the final train of the day before the First Rider event wrapped up. It was a great way to end such an amazing day! I would like to thank my friend Aldo for inviting me as a guest to the Yukon Striker First Rider Event as it would not have been possible without him doing so! I would also like to thank the staff at Canada's Wonderland for planning such an amazing event! It was a day I greatly enjoyed and one that I will never forget!
Thank you for taking the time to look at my post of photos from the Yukon Striker First Rider Event held on April 24th, 2019! Luckily there are only a few months remaining until you can visit Canada's Wonderland and ride Yukon Striker once again, along with the other amazing attractions at the park. Stay tuned until then! :-)
The weather was nice and sunny, so it warranted another visit to Canada's Wonderland for the season! Today (August 28th) marked visit number nine of the season for me, so I wasn't bothered by the crowds and had an amazing time! It was nice to be back at the park after nearly a month of being away!
Be sure to check out the photos below of the great day my Mom and I had!
After being away from Canada's Wonderland for nearly one month, we decided it was time to pay another visit. Our day started out partially cloudy as we rolled into the parking lot.
It was nice to see Wonder Mountain once again. Although the higher fountains were off during our visit.
Before you know it, it'll be Halloween Haunt season once again at Canada's Wonderland! Halloween Haunt runs on weekend nights starting September 27th. Be sure to visit Canada's Wonderland's website for hours and ticket pricing.
Also coming up this year is the all-new Winterfest! The park will be transformed into a Winter Wonderland starting November 22nd and operating on select days through December 31st. Be sure to visit the park's website for more details!
After getting two rides on Yukon Striker, one ride on Behemoth, and a ride on the one and only Sledge Hammer, I captured this photo of it.
Shortly after, I managed to get a decent ride on Flight Deck. Keeping your head firmly against the headrest and making your restraint nice and tight allows for you to have a decent ride on the Vekoma manufactured SLC.
Drop Tower was drawing in the crowds on this very busy end of summer Wednesday.
The hanging flowers in Medieval Faire were displaying a beautiful bloom.
Young amusement park visitors and those young at heart were taking relaxing and scenic rides on Kidzville Station (foreground) and Jokey's Jalopies track rides while Lumberjack looped in the distance.
With the new for 2020 rides announced a couple of weeks ago, news has been shared that one of the additions, Beagle Brigade Airfield will be replacing Peanuts Putt Putt Mini golf in Planet Snoopy.
This mini golf attraction originally opened with the park in 1981, known as City Zoo Golf.
It happened to be quite popular today as the park was busy. While it is kind of sad to see another original park attraction fade into history, it is nice to see a new ride that generations to come will enjoy.
After catching a ride on the timeless Ghoster Coaster, we ventured through the neighbouring Kidzville. It sure was packed!
Here's Yukon Striker under the afternoon clouds.
Psyclone was also eating up the crowds of guests as the late afternoon arrived.
Many visitors were even taking the opportunity to fly on the Xtreme Skyflyer attraction throughout the day.
After catching a ride on the Antique Carousel, my Mom and I decided it was time to head on home. Here's a beautiful view of the International Street Royal Fountain.
Here's my Mom and I after spending another great time at Canada's Wonderland! Thanks for checking out my photos! :-)
