The Timber Mountain Log Ride is a themed

log flume A log flume or lumber flume is a watertight flume constructed to transport lumber and logs down mountainous terrain using flowing water. Flumes replaced horse- or oxen-drawn carriages on dangerous mountain trails in the late 19th century. Loggi ...

water

dark ride A dark ride—or ghost train when horror themed—is an indoor amusement ride on which passengers aboard guided vehicles travel through specially lit scenes that typically contain Animatronics, animation, sound, music and Special effect#Live spe ...

Knott's Berry Farm Knott's Berry Farm is a amusement park in Buena Park, California, United States, owned and operated by Six Flags. In March 2015, it was ranked as the List of amusement park rankings#North America, twelfth-most-visited theme park in North Ameri ...

in Buena Park,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The ride is themed after the Knott's Calico Ghost Town. It is one of the oldest log flumes in the United States and is one of the most popular rides at the park. In 2013, the ride received a major refurbishment and celebrated its 50th anniversary on July 11, 2019.

History

The original concept of the Timber Mountain Log Ride was not a

, but rather a

roller coaster A roller coaster is a type of list of amusement rides, amusement ride employing a form of elevated Railway track, railroad track that carries passengers on a roller coaster train, train through tight turns, steep slopes, and other elements, usua ...

which appeared to float in a trough. However, after discussions with

Arrow Development Arrow Development was an amusement park ride and roller coaster design and manufacturing company, incorporated in California on November 16, 1945, and based in Mountain View, California, Mountain View. It was founded by Angus "Andy" Anderson, Ka ...

co-founders Ed Morgan and Karl Bacon, the ride's designer Bud Hurlbut chose to use a log flume ride system. The development of scenes throughout the ride saw Walter Knott approve the ride for construction. The initial $3.5 million cost for the ride was funded by the Hurlbut Amusement Company, with the ride later being sold to the park. Timber Mountain Log Ride opened on July 11, 1969 with

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

on its inaugural ride. During December 2012, Knott's Berry Farm decided to give the attraction a major overhaul and upgrade. This was beginning of a major change in the park's direction with moving back into themed attractions rather than just thrills. The park's owner,

Cedar Fair Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, or simply Cedar Fair, was an American company headquartered at its flagship Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. The company was a publicly traded master limited partnership that origina ...

, had originally planned to add another major roller coaster in Knott's Ghost Town area. However, with a change in leadership at the park and Cedar Fair, it was decided to cancel the plans for another roller coaster. Instead, Knott's used those funds to begin a major refurbishment and upgrade to the Timber Mountain Log Ride. On January 6, 2013, the ride closed to undergo a five-month renovation done by Garner Holt Productions to include animatronic figures and new scenes, while retaining its theme of a lumber camp. The park's in-house staff also assisted in the renovation of the ride by adding roughly 100 sequoia trees, a distinctive feature of the mountain. The ride reopened on May 31, 2013. On July 11, 2019, the park celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Timber Mountain Log Ride. As part of the celebration, 2 new animatronics were added (designed by Garner Holt) and all 36 logs were retrofitted with individual seats (similar to

Splash Mountain Splash Mountain is a log flume ride at Tokyo Disneyland. Other versions, which have since been rethemed, were formerly located at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom. The attraction is based on the animated sequences of Disney's 1946 film ''Song of th ...

at nearby

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...

) as opposed to the previous lap sitting seat design. Most of the logs feature 3 or 4 individual seats. Another major improvement made to the ride was the addition of a soundtrack. An exclusive soundtrack was developed for the ride by Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies, giving a much improved ride experience.

Ride

Originally known as the "Calico Log Ride" (considered groundbreaking in its time) it takes riders through a 330-foot long mountain with a theme of a 19th-century

lumber camp A logging camp (or lumber camp) is a transitory work site used in the logging industry. Before the second half of the 20th century, these camps were the primary place where lumberjacks would live and work to fell trees in a particular area. Many ...

. The ride is housed in an eight-story building that contains 24,000 gallons of water and finishes in a 42-foot free fall. The ride features 24 animal animatronic and 39 human figure animatronic figures. The ride's forest scenes (2nd and 4th) feature a distinctive pinecone smell, giving riders the experience of an authentic forest setting.

Photo Gallery

File:Timber Mountain Log Ride 3.jpg, Timber Mountain Log Ride's Entrance. File:Timber Mountain Log Ride 18.jpg, The entrance during the ride's 50th anniversary. File:Timber Mountain Log Ride 2.jpg, A Timber Mountain Log Ride's log (prior to the 50th anniversary upgrade). File:Timber Mountain Log Ride 16.jpg, A redesigned log added as part of the 50th anniversary that now features 3 or 4 guests per log. File:Timber Mountain Log Ride 17.jpg, A log heads up the lift hill File:Timber Mountain Log Ride 12.jpg, One of the new animatronics added on July 11, 2019 as part of the ride's 50th anniversary File:Timber Mountain Log Ride 13.jpg, Logger animatronics File:Timber Mountain Log Ride 4.jpg, A dog animatronic and a log cabin in the background. File:Timber Mountain Log Ride 14.jpg, The second indoor dark scene featuring animatronics in a forest setting File:Sky Cabin 5.jpg, Timber Mountain Log Ride as viewed from the Sky Cabin.

References

External links

Official Timber Mountain Log Ride pageThe Timber Mountain Log Ride is old school... and fast , How Your Favorite Ride Was Made

History

Ride

Photo Gallery

References

External links

See Also