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Photo TR: Lagoon Amusement Park


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There are a lot of images here - just a warning to those with slower connections! And unfortunately I'm no photographer, so most of the images kind of suck.

 

Not only does Utah have terrible air quality, it's also not a very good place for theme park enthusiasts. Regardless, we do have one wonderful gem here, and that is the Lagoon!

 

I decided to embark on this trip because I haven't been to a theme park in an insanely long amount of time. Finances and a stressful, time-consuming college major have made that difficult. The last park I had been to was over a year ago...also the Lagoon. Before that, I had gone to Six Flags Magic Mountain. I love SFMM, but I was chaperoning a youth group at my church, and none of them really liked roller coasters. They only came because the trip was free (a guy had won the tickets in a radio competition). So we had to leave after just a few hours, right when I was in line for Batman the Ride. I think all I rode with the amount of time we had was Goliath, Superman, and X2. Not cool!

 

This ended up being a solo trip. I hang out mostly with programmers and animators due to my course of study, and apparently that particular brand of nerd doesn't have much of an affinity for theme parks, because I couldn't find anyone who wanted to go. I'm also not the most extroverted person in the world, so there's that too. My brother was considering coming, but after the doctor told him his running injury had originated in his back, he realized that it would be a bad idea.

 

On the bright side, that meant that I was in full control of my day, which means staying for much longer than what most people like to do. I.e., opening until closing! I also found a promotional code via KUTV that got me $20 off, so that was nice.

 

Also, I apologize in advance for TPR's sly little insertion of a pseudonym for a certain word that starts with L.

 

Anyway, enough of the talking and onto the photos! When I report on trips, I like to structure it like a narrative, which means that I started with some photos from my walk along the Lagoon trail. So feel free to skip down to the actual ride photos.

 

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The lovely SUV that served as my transportation!

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No trip to a theme park is complete without mediocre pop music!

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Since I got there early, I had enough time to walk the fabled Lagoon trail, which circles around the park and lets you see a different view of some of the attractions. And trust me, I needed the calorie burn.

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Cool gazebo thingy

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Cool stone thingy

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Where I started on the trail. This first little chunk is just outside the parking lot. I should also mention that I didn't get there as early as I wanted, so I had to turn around early.

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This is the Lagoon campground. It looks nice, but since I only live an hour away, I haven't tried it out myself.

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Oh, hello, Wicked.

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Nice little river alongside the trail. Saw my first wasp of the day here. That's one thing you have to be wary of - probably because of all the water, wasps LOVE the Lagoon. They also love stinging people, but as long as you keep an eye out you'll probably be fine.

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These plants are pretty sick. You pass by a power plant after that, which rather ruins the otherwise scenic trail.

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Lagoon trail marker. Nice artwork of a carousel horse!

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Another trail sign

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I guess this is a warning sign to bikers? At any rate, I didn't see any on the trail, and I was on it at around 10-ish.

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The Lagoon has a small zoo in addition to the rides and water park. You can see some of the animals from the trail, so if you want to see some without paying the admission fee, OR save time so you'll have more time to devote to rides, this is something to consider.

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This horse was very excited to see me. Unfortunately, I did not bring it food, so that excitement was short-lived.

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After a short walk on the trail (about 25 minutes), I went to go park my car. Lagoon doesn't open until 11 AM on weekdays during the summer, and I entered the parking lot at around 10:40ish. While there were definitely people there, there were also a ton of really good spots. If you get here after 11, you will not get a good spot, which is bad if you want to go back to your car at any point during the day.

 

Lagoon allows you in the park before 11 (not sure how early) to await the rope drop! So here is a bunch of people waiting to ride the Cannibal!

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Cannibal, looking majestic in the midmorning light! :D This was my first ride of the day. Single rider lines rock!

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It's wise to get on the water rides early in the day to avoid lines. It's hot as heck even at 11 AM, so you won't regret getting wet early in the day. The log flume here is kinda wimpy, but it's in a beautiful setting and actually rather enjoyable.

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There was this random quail walking around the log flume, which made me very happy.

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Rattlesnake rapids is awesome!

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Yay!

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Next was the excellent Colossus: The Fire Dragon! I love this coaster.

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Slightly better shot of Wicked! I actually forgot that it launched before the first lift hill, so that was a bit of a shock. Btw, Cannibal and Wicked both have single-rider lines. All the major coasters have lockers to put your stuff in, which are free for an hour (and since you'll be transporting your stuff between different rides, it actually makes a lot of sense to leave it at each one). Single rider meant that Wicked was a walk-on for me!

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Fun little explanation of the science and engineering behind Wicked's launch system.

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The classic Roller Coaster! One of the good woodies that doesn't bang your head around too much.

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The merry-go-round, complete with some dude with a stroller. I really need an excuse to go on one of these again...

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Got some Subway for lunch! Just a warning - it closes at 2 PM. Park doesn't tell you that though, so I barely made it in time. Also, none of the food places are marked on the park map. There's a generic fork icon to show that a restaurant exists, sure, but it's not labeled. This is very annoying.

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Tried a beaver tail for the first time. It's worth both the cost and the extra calories. :D

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Turn of the Century, picturesque as always. This is my favorite swing ride of its type.

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The express train is always fun. It takes you through the Lagoon's mini zoo. It's especially popular with the kiddies, and people like me who still get unnecessarily ecstatic when seeing exotic animals.

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A ton of little black fish live in the lagoon, which is funny considering that it's disgusting. :O

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They closed the swinging ship ride for the day :(

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Lots of controversy exists around the very small enclosures that Lagoon has for their animals. I do agree that something should be done about this, although I'm not sure what. Lagoon is next door to residential areas and the Lagoon trail, so it's not like expansion is really an option. And it would be sad if they took the animals out. However, it doesn't appear to be particularly comfortable for them... :/

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Zebras!

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Elk thingy!

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Le exotic camel

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When I was a young warthooooooog!

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Skyride, from down below! This ride actually scares me way more than the coasters do. I don't like the lack of a secure seatbelt (there is one, but it's just a little non-locking lap bar). I do like it, though. But some people sit sideways on it and even recline. Meanwhile, I clutch my bag with one hand and the bar with the other hand, and pray that there isn't an earthquake or something. :p

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Terroride was closed for my other two trips to the Lagoon. So it was awesome to get a ride on it this time. It's much better than the carnival zombie rides, although the format is simpler. I legitimately jumped a few times. :p

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Be afraid! Be terrified!

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Are those abs or fat rolls on the green dude? If he's anything like me, it's an odd combination of both. See, kids, this is what happens when you love to do crunches but you also like to eat copious amounts of cinnamon rolls.

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This vulture threatens to eat the children, if I recall correctly. He's a nasty little varmint.

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Flying Tigers is one of Lagoon's new kiddie rides, and it's looking good. I didn't go on it because I didn't want to look like a creeper, but if I had someone to do it with, I totally would. It's like a suspended, swinging version of the Charlie Brown Speedway at Knott's.

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Wild Mouse! Nice and zippy.

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Another shot of the Sky Ride, with Lagoon's beautiful foliage surrounding it.

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I love this little Paratrooper. It's actually quite fast.

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Samurai is ALWAYS CLOSED. Thus, I've never actually been on it. For whatever reason, it was only open for two small intervals during the day, during both of which I was on other rides. So even after 3 trips to the Lagoon, I still haven't gotten on it, because it's been closed every time I go over there. They really need to do something about this...

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They moved Centennial Screamer to this part of the park, and replaced it with a nondescript building which I can only assume is for some sort of internal park operations.

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Shot of the giant wheel and Cannibal, the latter of which I went on for a second time. I thought riding the wheel at sunset would be a good idea, but there was a pretty big line and I wanted to get to the water park, so I didn't. I need to get on this next time.

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Went to Lagoon-A-Beach, the water park, during the afternoon. Just a fair warning, all the l.ockers here cost money. However, there isn't a time limit for how long you can use them for.

 

I went on the two smaller Body Slides, and also Liquid Lightning. Ended up swallowing a bunch of water on that one because the pool came a lot quicker than I thought it would. I also hit the bottom of the pool each time I came out of a slide, but thankfully it's really well padded so it didn't hurt. I also went around the lazy river a few times, and on one of the tube slides. I intentionally skipped Outrigger - it's impossible to stay on top of your raft whenever you hit one of those little pools, and the operators get annoyed at this even though it wasn't your fault.

 

There is a nice recreational pool in the center of the water park, too.

 

You also get a coupon for a free drink after turning in your raft, which is pretty nice.

 

Next time, I'll be testing out The Drop!

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Went back to the car to drop off my swim gear, and got this lovely shot of Roller Coaster at sunset!

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Got some Teriyaki Stix, and redeemed my free drink coupon. Teriyaki Stix is good, but a bit too salty. Still would recommend it though.

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Another shot of the body slides from just outside of Lagoon-A-Beach!

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Spent like 10 minutes at Pioneer Village before it closed. It's actually kinda spooky at night, especially because it's not well-lit and most people leave after the sun sets.

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Yeah! This thing!

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Pioneer Village is really charming, and next time I'll probably spend a bit more time there.

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Creepy organ music was coming out of this building, and nobody was in it. Decided to skip it. :S

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Odysea, looking good! Didn't want to get wet again after showering at Lagoon-A-Beach, though. So I saved it for next time.

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Air Race and the Rocket are both wonderful rides! For the Rocket, I prefer the Blast Off to Re-Entry. But both are great. Air Race is super fun at night!

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Sorry for the bad quality of this one. I was in a rush. D:

 

"Fire up the tilt-a-whirl / And we'll see you all in hell!"

 

I really hope you don't get that reference. If you do, yay for our shared enjoyment of sketchy underground hip-hop music! :D

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I love theme parks at night. So much. It's even better than the beach. I mean, what's more romantic than this?

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Once they actually opened Samurai, the line was long, so I went to Air Race and then Cannibal. It actually would've been smarter to get on Samurai, because they managed to get through the entire queue...and close it right as I was walking up, after Air Race. -_-

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I'm going on this next time, regardless of how long the lines are.

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Pokémon Go teaches you many things.

I didn't ride Jet Star 2 because it's a groups only ride, and it's a bit too up close and personal to be ridden with random strangers. :S

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Final ride on Cannibal...Last ride of the day... I was in one of the last groups to get on. The train actually started at closing time, exactly.

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Terroride logo looks awesome at night

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Stopped at a gift shop just because I didn't want to leave. And this is so true...

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Yes, this is a rainbow colored poop emoji. You know you want it.

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BUT I DON'T WANNA GO :( :( :(

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One last wistful look at the park entrance...

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And one last look at Roller Coaster and Wicked...

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Seriously. I did not want to leave, haha. But the park was closed for the night...

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But I made it back safe, sound, sore, and in bad need of a hot shower.

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I forgot to mention that I also got an awesome souvenir shirt! Take my money, Lagoon. TAKE IT

 

All in all, this was an excellent trip, and I will definitely be coming back! Thanks for reading if you actually got this far! ;D

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Samurai was closed all of 2017 after a tree fell on the MCC at the end of 2016. It got a new MCC, new paint, and since it re-opened, it's been operating wonderfully, except when it can't find zero. I've yet to see it go down for an entire day or even hours. Also, the new South Bathrooms are what replaced Screamer. As of Today, they are installing tile at the entrance.

 

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

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Great report

 

I adore this park. I feel bad saying that because it seems like the kind of thing you would do to be a dick since you know it’s so annoying to get to (like the people that act as if the Edmonton Mindbender was handcrafted by Jesus Christ himself) but Lagoon is an absolute gem of a place. I love everything about it.

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this is a really nice report from a park I've never been to (but want to go).

 

especially like the animal pics (I had no idea they had so many varieties there!. .. tho are you sure that's not a peacock by the log flume?).

 

the trail around the outside of the park is just lovely too.

 

glad you had a great time, and by the way - your pics are great! no need to apologize for anything, you are a better photographer than you are giving yourself credit for - and the angled up at the Ferris Wheel pic at the end of the night is fantastic! you have a great eye for framing

 

However, I *do* need to take issue with this:

 

The merry-go-round, complete with some dude with a stroller. I really need an excuse to go on one of these again...

 

one never needs an excuse to ride a Carousel

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