Great Wolf Lodge is planning to open a massive indoor water park about a mile from from Disneyland. The $300 million, 600 room resort will be the company’s largest indoor-outdoor water park in the United States. We found some concept art for Great Wolf Lodge California that gives us a first look at the water slides and attractions planned for the 10.3-acre resort. Plans always change, but based on this early look it appears they have a whole lot in store for the new California water park.
Great Wolf Lodge encloses their water parks so they can be kept at 84 degrees year-round. Many of the resorts have an outdoor area that is used seasonally, as weather allows. In this concept art, you can see the lower part of the walls that mark the boundaries of the indoor area and just how much space is devoted to the outdoor pool. The upper part of the walls (which is a wall of window panels) is not shown in this concept art.
Outdoor Space
The outdoor space appears to have two pools, a large outdoor pool and a second pool connected to the lazy river. Typically, the large outdoor pool areas will range from zero-depth entry to four feet in depth and include water basketball, kiddie activities, floor geysers and spray features, as well as heated water. The concept art doesn’t show much detail for the outdoor water play amenities, but we can see a small structure in the east section of the pool.
The large pool is surrounded by a patio area with tables and chairs so you can relax in the sun. Great Wolf Resorts are mostly located on the east coast, which is why the outdoor areas are typically open Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend. California has more moderate weather year-round, so we likely will see this outdoor area open the majority of the year.
Along the edge of the large pool are several cabanas, which have become a very popular amenity at the Great Wolf resorts. The cabanas are typically available to rent daily and have seating for four with a table & chairs, a flat screen TV, and a mini refrigerator that is stocked with an assortment of non-alcoholic beverages.
The second outdoor pool area is to the right and is connected to the main pool by a meandering, sloped path. The pool appears to be just an entry point for the lazy river and there is a large door in the wall that can can be closed during bad weather to seal off the outdoor portion of the river.
Indoor Rides
There are several big water slides shown in the concept art, which should give families plenty to do. The first thing most people will see is Fort Mackenzie, the signature 4-story interactive tree house that is always at the center center of the Great Wolf Lodge water parks. The play structure includes a few suspension bridges, swinging cargo nets, soaking spray stations, and the massive 1,000-gallon bucket that drenches you every few minutes. Fort Mackenzie typically has two water slides, the Totem Towers. These three story water slides are great, even for younger children.
Another signature feature of Great Wolf Lodge water parks is the Slap Tail Pond which generates waves up to three feet tall. This wave pool is always a popular attraction and is a lot of fun to play in. The concept art shows lots of lounge chairs and umbrellas around the pool, which isn’t typical for an indoor water park. This seems to indicate that the roof will have more skylights than normal to make indoor sunbathing an option. Or who knows, maybe the person making the concept art just thought the indoor umbrellas and trees looked good.
To the side of the wave pool is a Flowrider surf simulator called the Wolf Rider Wipeout, where you can learn the basics or try doing a kneeboard 360. This will likely be a very popular attraction at the new water park.
Just above the wave pool appears to be the Cub Paw pool, the play area for toddlers. This is a good play area for little ones because they can safely toddle along, exploring the spray-and-play features, or wade into the zero-depth entry kiddie pool. The water typically has a maximum depth of 1’6″, so it is perfect for this age group.
Water Slides
Of course, the thrill attractions are always the big draw for any water park. In the concept art, we can see at least ten water slides, but even then we might be missing a few in our count.
In the bottom right, you can see the 6-story funnel for the Howlin’ Tornado. You get in the raft, with up to three others and then go through a dark tunnel before dropping down into the funnel, where you swirl 30 feet up the sides. It is a whole lot of fun.
The top of the water slide structure shows a large bowl shaped slide that looks similar to the Coyote Cannon. This ride is a family attraction, but thrilling none the less, as you go down a 40′ drop into the bowl.
The south end of the structure has a large tube, which seems to be the River Canyon Run, one of Great Wolf Lodge’s signature rides. Your family boards a raft for this ride, which has plenty of twists and turns. This is one of my family’s favorite attractions at the Washington water park.
One of the rides I am most excited to try is the Triple Twist, which is the water slide with the multiple funnels in the top right of the picture. Popular Mechanics called the Triple Twist one of the world’s wildest water slides because of its topsy turvy design that takes you through back to back curves followed by unexpected drops through the funnels. Great Wolf Lodge typically has LED lights in the funnel rides, which creates a neat light show when you go on it in the evening.
The left side of the water slide tower shows four separate pipes for water slides. These slides take you around in a circle before dropping you down a big hill and into the pool at the end. We can also see a single, plunging water slide. This fifth slide should give you a big thrill as you drop down the steep incline before splashing into the pool.
Water Play Areas
At the edges of the water park layout, we can see areas for a Chinook Cove Activity Pool and Big Foot Pass. These water play areas are great for kids because you can play a little water basketball, test your balance while climbing on one of the floating animal shapes, or just goof around in the pool area. At the Washington water park, this water play area is one of the most popular because it gives kids a chance to horse around in a large pool.
The Big Foot Pass is the lilly pad bridge that you see in many of Great Wolf Lodge’s promotional materials. Your child grabs onto a rope net above as they try to cross the bridge of floating lily pads below. My son loves this activity, even when he occasionally takes a dip before making it all the way across.
Coming Soon
Update: Great Wolf Lodge announced that the new Garden Grove water park will open in “early 2016.” This is a typical construction timeline when Great Wolf Lodge builds a new location from the ground up.
And while the concept art gives us a glimpse of what might be found in the water park, it is still a mystery what “dry land” activities might be found inside the hotel. We can expect the standard activities like MagiQuest, the Northern Lights Arcade, and the Cub Club. But beyond that, Great Wolf Lodge locations can offer anything from glow golf, to bowling, to laser mazes. It will be fun to see what they decide to install at the California location.
Artwork via McWhinney Properties
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