There's always a lot of talk about coasters, and for good reason, but I was wondering, out of all the parks you all have been to, whats the best water ride you've ever been on?

My vote goes for the Smoky Mountain Slidewinder at Dollywood. Some years back, it was named #1 Non-rollercoaster Ride in America. Basically, you walk up a mountain, then there at two tracks going down the mountain with ice cold water running down them. They weigh groups of people and either send them to the left or right tracks/slides where you get into a foam rubber water toboggan and away you go! It almost feels like you could fly out of the track/slide when you hit the turns. Definitely worth the walk up the mountain. I have created a blog where its all about Tennessee and I am doing several posts on Dollywood. My post on the Rides of Dollywood also has pics I took along with links to the ride videos on YouTube. Check it out Somewhere In The Mountains: The Rides of Dollywood.

So what are the other cool water rides out there?

1- Penguin's Blizzard River @ SFKK
2- Mile High Falls @ SFKK
3- Canyon River Rapids @ HersheyPark
4- Log Jammer @ Kiddieland, IL
5- Roaring Rapids @ SFGAm

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1- Grizzly River Run
2- Splash Mountain
3- Jurassic Park River Adventure
4- Kali River Rapids
5- Perilous Plunge

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If we're talking full-blown themed elements and all...for me, it's Disneyland's Splash Mountain.

If you're talking bare-bones straight-to-the-point getting you wet and for thrills...Knott's Berry Farm's Perilous Plunge.

Lake Compounce's Thunder River or IOAs Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges for raft rides.. (And I gotta give a shout out to Phantasialand AMAZING River Quest)

Oakwood's Hydro as far as Shoots/Splashboats go

And for flumes... I'll go with Blackpool's Valhalla

Probably the worst, because it's probably one of the first models after the prototype Astroworld model, water rides I've been on is my own homepark SFGADV's Congo Rapids. It doesn't have dousing side waterfalls like a lot of rapid rides. I've been on plenty of them but don't really pay too much to many of them.

Penguin's Blizzard River I found to be really cool recently after DHollon suggested taking a spin on it. I'm not too crazy about Disney rapids with the sliding rafts downhill falls. Splash Mountain is just Splash Mountain to me. Popeye's was pretty cool but for some reason I expected more. The rapids at Hershey and SFOG recently impressed me.

Thinking about it, the concrete jungle SFNE Blizzard River might take the cake for worst water ride.

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Thrillnetwork Moderator - Sophomore Original sn: CHILLERLC1
2008 & 2009 TN Coaster Draft Champion
You knew I wanted the other repeat too

I always thought Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls had one of the most awesome airtime moments for a flume ride.

As for the ulitmate big drop-and-get-wet ride, I definitely think Perilous Plunge takes the cake.

1. Dudley Do Right's Ripsaw Falls by far
2. Jurrasic Park
3. Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges
4. Splash Mountain
5. Journey to Atlantis (Sea World Orlando)
6. Lost River of the Ozarks (SDC)

Islands of Adventure has the most mind-blowing water rides. BUT even though it doesn't look like you get wet on this ride, this has got to be among the best water rides in the world...Atlantis Adventure at Lotte World in South Korea


They have basically the same thing at SDC, and it's really fun but probably not in my top 10 even...I'd take their log flume and Lost Rive of the Ozarks over that.

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Dirty Tramp

1. Tidal Wave - SFSL - short but man you get soaked! Esp standing on the ledge on the way out!
2. Thunder River - SFSL great rapids ride
3. Daredevil Falls - Dollywood -
4. Pilgrims Plunge - Holiday World - would rate higher if the splash was alot bigger
5. Peguins Blizzard River - SFKK - Man those boats hold water!

This is just off the top of my head but I suppose what sticks out is what sticks out in one's mind! I

blizzard beach in disney had the best water rides and i love the lazy river takes you any where in the park you want to go

Dollywood's version is alot wilder, from what i've been told- seeing as it's course is on a ridgeface and all...

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2008 - Tennessee Tornado Crew

Happy 10th Anniversary to the coaster that started it all- Tennessee Tornado!

I did the one at SDC. It was neat.. But not worth a long wait (It was a walk on for me)
Dollys was closed when I went, along with ALL the other water rides.. Oh wait, it was December.

I love water rides as it is, so it's really hard for me to pick my favorite.

Some memorable ones are:
Splash Mountain @ WDW
Dudley Do Right @ IoA
Wilderness Adventure @ Ontario Place
White Water Landing @ Dorney

Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges @ IoA
Thunder Canyon @ Dorney
Kali River Rapids @ WDW

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ThrillNetwork Moderator
The user formerly known as WildeFyre
UOIT Mechanical Engineering Student

Jeez this is tough, there are so many variations of water rides that it's hard to put them all in one category.

Flume:
1. Ripsaw Falls

Boat (Shoot the Chute):
1. Cedar Point's Snake River Falls - This ride doesn't do much, but few other rides get you as wet as this does, both on the ride and off.
2. Jurassic Park
3. Escape from Pompeii - Good theming, but no soak factor

Rapids Raft Ride:
1. Cedar Point's Thunder Canyon - A great raft ride. Gets you plenty wet with several waterfalls, and entirely engulfed in trees. A wild night ride.

Body Slide:
1. Kings Island's Awesome Aussie Twister - I thought I was going to die on this slide. I've never experienced such wild forces on a slide.
2. Double JJ Ranch's Rustler's Gulch - A small indoor waterpark/resort outside of Muskegon, MI, this was my all-time favorite bodyslide until riding AAT.
3. Water Country USA's Peppermint Twist - Another great airtime slide
4. Any body-bowl

Raft slide:
1. Gotta give it to the Tornadoes. Ride this with one other person. If you're the heavier of the two, expect some awesome hangtime going up the side of the funnel.

I've never ridden any of DW's water rides either because I used to go in December, also.

I don't think I can say what water rides are the best because I really haven't ridden enough of them. I'll just say that Thunder River at SFOG is a good rapids ride, nothing compares to real whitewater rafting, and that it's impossible to stay dry at Skull Island.

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Jurassic Park the Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood. It is 3 years older than the one at IOA. It has awesome theming, I love the animatronic Dinosaurs. Also, I love the indoor lifts with the low ceiling, it freaked me out. Not to metion the indoor drop, which is BTW the steepest in the world/

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Rollercoasters are my life, and so are B&M'S .
Oh yeah, MF is awesome too.
And TTD is great too.
Ride on Ride Warriors.