Photo TR: A quick visit to Darien Lake!

So, this morning I got a call from my company that they were closed for the day due to a water main break close to the office. While most people would be overjoyed, it kind of sucks for me because that means I won't be getting paid. Seeing that nearly all of my other friends and family were busy today, I took a quick trip up to my home park, Darien Lake.

This is my first big photo TR, and I have a few warnings. I do not own any fancy equipment. All pictures were taken using my Samsung Galaxy. While it is a pretty good camera, I'm sure not all pictures will be of magnificent 4k quality.

Darien Lake's setting reminds me of Holiday World a lot. It's kind of in the middle of nowhere in farm country, but has great landscaping, a large waterpark, and a friendly atmosphere. Many of DL's coasters are cloned, but there are a few gems which we will get to. Overall, I think Ride of Steel alone makes this a place to get to at least once, and you could create a multi-day trip with their hotel and campground. The park could REALLY use another coaster to draw people in a little more, but it is a great park to visit for a credit run and to ride some of the unique flats they have. Onto the pictures!

Ironically, my Rav4 is parked in the Rav4 lot. I swear I didn't plan this!

It's nearly 90 degrees out today. I can't believe nobody is in line for this water ride.

The guy in the dark brown shirt and tan cap is park GM Chris Thorpe. He's currently in his second stint with the park and is doing a wonderful job despite the cards he was dealt. He was on his way to wipe off a bench with some napkins. You just don't see corporate guys this committed anymore.

One of DL's rare flats, Haymaker. Basically a paratrooper built by a company called Heintz Fahtze. They only built a few rides.

Some parks have mandatory pictures. This is basically Darien Lake's mandatory shot.

Brand new train that is the envy of the other two Superman "clones". Generic T-bars with no brackets or giant thigh crushing cushions.

Hopefully next year they order another one. One train operations at this park is killing me on busy days.

No, it's not a two tone paint job. Darien Lake just never finishes paint jobs anymore. I believe their contractor is Professor Calamitous.

Up, up, and away!

This finale sure as hell beats Millennium Force's sorry excuse for one. (Sorry CP fanboys, it's true)

Nobody wincing now that the restraints are heavenly.

One of the new panels installed with the new train. The only downside is now they have to unlock the entire train if there is an issue. They cannot unlock specific rows anymore.

I didn't want these people to think I'm a pedophile taking a picture of this kid, but here's a good shot of the new restraints.

I will never break the chain (Happy birthday to Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie!)

They should name this ride Faded Glory. The paint already fits the theme.

Yeah, this ride is rough. And everyone hates it. But it's still my second favorite in the park. Great Airtime and laterals all over.

New wood. RMC confirmed.

Predator was closed for the moment, which was a sigh of relief for my back and neck

Utility marking across from Predator. RMC confirmed x2

The Boardwalk area was recently redone by Herschend. Looks very nice.

Not sure what Ride of the Week even means, but it wasn't enough to convince me to ride. My finger was very excited about it though.

These girls don't look ready to Blast Off.

Too bad!

The Anchor Bar is the reason why we have chicken wings. The Boomerang is the reason why we have Tylenol.

That's false advertisement. They don't even repair canoes. I asked!

It's tough getting a good photo of the Giant Wheel because it's so huge. P.S. CP Fanboys, ours is bigger. Whatcha gonna do about it?

DL has some great landscaping, and some not so great coasters. At least they look nice. (Actually, our Boomerang is pretty smooth)

Twister has been down long term for two years now. Wish they would replace it like many other parks are doing.

World's second Batwing. Since Orient Express is gone, that makes this the oldest.

Prepare for whiplash!

This security guard did nothing to protect those poor people!

While a night picture of this would be beautiful, our wheel is lit by only big ugly flood lights.

World's first coaster to go upside down five times. Impressive!

Second train coming soon...

The yellow grass is a good indicator of how hot and dry it's been for the last couple of weeks

Ranger is gone now. It only sat SBNO for like two years. Honestly the dead grass that replaced it looks much better too.

Now here's a story about one of my rides on Viper today. As I was riding in the last car, two knuckleheads in front of me thought it would be a genius ides to light up a blunt while we were on the lift hill. Maybe they were trying to avoid the whiplash of the batwing, or maybe they were just that plain dumb. As we were going through the corkscrew, one of them dropped it and it missed my face by a few inches. Why do people nowadays have to ruin things for others? You cannot just ride the roller coaster like everyone else? You need a blunt to make a theme park more enjoyable? This is why people aggravate me so much.

I didn't let it ruin my day, but it did bug me. the security office is conveniently located next to Viper's exit, so I took a minute to report it.

Thanks for reading! Part two coming soon!

Part 2:

I usually don't take pictures when I visit the park because I go there so often and am with other people. Today I had the chance to take my time and really get some shots of everything.

This is Darien Lake's only themed/interactive kind of ride

This is another one that's hard to photograph without being seen as a pedo.

I believe one Moose is named Marty Moose. It's fitting because he needs to say "Sorry folks, ride's closed" a lot.

It's very low capacity and unreliable, but it was done quite nice. This is another Herschend addition. I believe Robb visited a park with a similar ride on his Europe trip. These weren't made for large scale theme parks.

Nicely landscaped Larson Skooter.

How can a ride be so photogenic, yet brutal at the same time?

I wish I brought my swim stuff. Grizzly Run looks refreshing on this 90 degree day.

This is as close as I'm getting to Mind Eraser today

Second train parts sitting on pallets for 2 years

This isn't a roller coaster. It's Vekoma's attempt at abstract art.

Another half paint job. Half the supports look good, half are peeling. The track hasn't even been touched yet.

If the government wants to get information out of terrorists, just throw them on this and don't let them out.

Here lies the remains of a water slide that shall not be named.

Confusing three-way sign. Rolling Thunder is a much better roller coaster than Mind Eraser *Ducks for incoming chair thrown at me*

Thunder Rapids is hard to get a picture of because of the trees.

Skloosh!

The ride is named Corn Popper, but they don't give you any popcorn at the end

Ugh, why did I leave my swim stuff at home?

I envy them

Take the tunnel!

Hopefully coasterbill approves of my multiple flume pictures.

Only Heintz Fahtze enterprise in operation. I like it better than Huss or Schwarzkopf models.

It's small size gives it more force IMO. It's a pretty short cycle though

I spent 4 dollars and change for these fries. Not bad at all, and they give you a lot for a "regular" size. These came from the stand near Viper's exit.

Premier is no Herschend, but they did a nice job with this little plaza

Predator is back open, I am the only one in the world who is happy about that...

You do get some ejector air on these hills. It's like El Toro but instead of being the smoothest woodie in the world, this is the roughest.

Astroworld fans will remember this slide. It's the most photogenic, but probably the most boring one in the water park. And the line is always long.

Ride of Steel is the real star of this photo

The "Flotation Station"

Darien's water park is very modern and popular with the guests

New for this year: Ripcurl Racer! This thing is very fun, a people eater, and family friendly.

Darien Lake really likes Proslide. This 4 slide complex is called Swirl City

New last year was Brain Drain. A very intense Proslide pod-drop slide. The only downside is it's capacity.

Twisty!

Not the best shot to end the TR, but I was very exhausted from the heat when I took this.

Thanks for reading! Not bad for my first full TR. I know that the comments start getting skimpy towards the end, but I am very tired after walking on the blacktop all day in this heat. Don't hesitate to give me some constructive comments or ask questions!

Very nice report, thanks for posting! Haven't been to this park in quite a few years.

I had no idea whatsoever that they bought a new train for Ride of Steel, as I hadn't followed the park's discussion thread. I'm a huuge fan of those first-gen Intamin trains and had no idea that they still would make one of those without it being the newer, lighter Bizarro/Superman the Ride style. The restraints seem to be of the Xcelerator/TTD/Colossos variety, which are every bit as comfortable as the older ones.

Thanks for posting! I'll be in that area in a few weeks and was thinking about visiting, but the only ride that I'm interested in is SRoS so it's probably pointless.

Awesome report! This seems like a nice park, and I do plan to visit one day in the future. I to think if this park added another coaster it would truly draw in more crowds. It has so much potential.

Did Darien Lake get rid of that building that was the former 'Cuda Falls entrance?

Very nice report, thanks for posting! Haven't been to this park in quite a few years.

 

I had no idea whatsoever that they bought a new train for Ride of Steel, as I hadn't followed the park's discussion thread. I'm a huuge fan of those first-gen Intamin trains and had no idea that they still would make one of those without it being the newer, lighter Bizarro/Superman the Ride style. The restraints seem to be of the Xcelerator/TTD/Colossos variety, which are every bit as comfortable as the older ones.

Thank you! Those restraints do make the ride much more comfortable. I like them a lot more than what we previously had because the side brackets would restrict my leg movement and crush them. The trains are much more accommodating to larger riders too from what I've seen. No "walks of shame" yet this year.

Thanks for posting! I'll be in that area in a few weeks and was thinking about visiting, but the only ride that I'm interested in is SRoS so it's probably pointless.

Of course I'm biased, but I don't think it's ever pointless to stop by this park. Predator, Viper, and Motocoaster are all fun and there are some unique flats that you cannot ride anywhere. The water park is large and modern too if you're into them. Thanks for reading!

Loved the review!

Will be visiting Darien Lake for the 1st time next year as part of a USA/Canada road trip with my best mate - really looking forward to this park after your review!

Great TR! I still am excited to finally visit Darien Lake in the future (possibly next summer). The water park looks like it has really found its place, but the dry park still seems neglected and a bit awkward. Nice park but hopefully they can really fix it up going forward. I love flats though so it's definitely my kind of park.

Nice report! And yes, I approve of the multiple flume pictures.

Great TR! I still am excited to finally visit Darien Lake in the future (possibly next summer). The water park looks like it has really found its place, but the dry park still seems neglected and a bit awkward. Nice park but hopefully they can really fix it up going forward. I love flats though so it's definitely my kind of park.

Yeah I have to agree with you. Unfortunately, the park has had to remove a lot of our thrill rides over the past few years because it is just too costly to maintain them, and Huss won't supply any parts to fix them. Only about half of the rides they have removed have been replaced. Now with Ranger gone, and Twister doesn't seem to be opening any time soon, it would be nice if they focused on the dry side next year. Our current operator, Premier, has apparently made it a goal to add something every year, similar to Six Flags.

The water park has become extremely popular since the 2010 expansion. The additions over there are cheap, but satisfy many and bring in people. I feel like it is sort of set for now, and the attention needs to be brought back to the other side. There are many gaps to fill, and rides still in need of attention. Fingers crossed, but there were some rumors of a Frisbee attraction being a possibility for the future. Plus, Predator still is a possibility for a big project, and it would do great whether they went the traditional way (ala Ghost Rider), or of course RMC. I think I would prefer the traditional route, because it has an awesome layout.

The water park has become extremely popular since the 2010 expansion. The additions over there are cheap, but satisfy many and bring in people. I feel like it is sort of set for now, and the attention needs to be brought back to the other side.

I agree wholeheartedly. I thought after Brain Drain they would be set for a few years so in a sense I was surprised that they would install the racing slide so soon. Last year was ideal as at least both sides got something new, even if it was a Larson Super Loop.

With the water park basically right by the main gate I wonder how many people actually stay after the water park closes for rides rather then just go ahead and leave. That seems to be the biggest draw back of having the water park up towards the front.

'Cuda Falls

Whats the caption "RMC Confirmed" mean?

It was just a sarcastic comment. Since Predator was closed at the moment, there was some new wood on the track, and utility markers near it, I just used that as a typical fanboy overhype exaggeration. As of right now, its operating as usual and no real signs of rehab upcoming.

Yeah I have to agree with you. Unfortunately, the park has had to remove a lot of our thrill rides over the past few years because it is just too costly to maintain them, and Huss won't supply any parts to fix them. Only about half of the rides they have removed have been replaced. Now with Ranger gone, and Twister doesn't seem to be opening any time soon, it would be nice if they focused on the dry side next year. Our current operator, Premier, has apparently made it a goal to add something every year, similar to Six Flags.

To be fair they only removed 3 flat rides. Ranger, Raging seas, and UFO (while they claim its being refurbished). (and the kiddy motor bikes)

But in the last 5 years have added:

-Rolling Thunder

-Blast Off

-Hornet's Nest

-Moose on The Loose

Yeah I have to agree with you. Unfortunately, the park has had to remove a lot of our thrill rides over the past few years because it is just too costly to maintain them, and Huss won't supply any parts to fix them. Only about half of the rides they have removed have been replaced. Now with Ranger gone, and Twister doesn't seem to be opening any time soon, it would be nice if they focused on the dry side next year. Our current operator, Premier, has apparently made it a goal to add something every year, similar to Six Flags.

 

To be fair they only removed 3 flat rides. Ranger, Raging seas, and UFO (while they claim its being refurbished). (and the kiddy motor bikes)

 

But in the last 5 years have added:

-Rolling Thunder

-Blast Off

-Hornet's Nest

-Moose on The Loose

And Heave Ho. And brought Scrambler back. The bikes were sent to another park I believe.