Today marked the halfway point of my annual roller coaster road trip for 2021. The destination today was Hot Springs Arkansas, which is where Hot Springs National Park is.
So you may question why go to the middle of Arkansas on a roller coaster road trip? Well, the area I was heading has an amusement park called Magic Springs, and as explained later in the trip report, would have one of the rarest roller coaster credits around.
Upon arriving at Magic Springs, I noticed that the parking lot was quite crowded. I assumed that this was mainly because of the waterpark, given the high temperature today. I entered through the gate and made my way to the first ride of today, which would be Gauntlet.
The Gauntlet
Heading towards the Gauntlet, I was well aware of what to expect. Vekoma's SLC (Suspended Looping Coaster) models are infamous for their roughness, causing intense head banging during the entire ride. This 2260 ft coaster was a true test of endurance, leaving me in need of pain relief. Additionally, the five inversions along the layout only added to the discomfort. Time to move on to the next ride!
Big Bad John
Although the next rollercoaster on my list was meant to be X-Coaster, it was out of service when I reached it. Consequently, I headed over to experience their mine ride called Big Bad John. This ride was a simple mine ride with an exciting conclusion. What sets it apart is that it was moved here from Dollywood. In the context of this park, it served as a pleasant family coaster and a welcome respite from the discomfort I felt after riding Gauntlet.
X-Coaster
After walking through the park for a while, I eventually noticed that the X-Coaster was operating in the distance. I made my way there and found that the line at the station was quite long. However, the actual wait time for the ride was much longer than expected, with each cycle taking about 10 minutes or more. Therefore, despite the station wait, it ended up being a 30-minute wait to board the ride.
The ride was exhilarating and instilled a sense of concern for safety because of the restraints and the appearance of the structure, which seemed like a haphazard assembly of scrap metal. It ascends 151 feet with a lift hill that twists before executing a barrel roll, hurtling back through the station at 65mph. It then ascends almost to the top, descends backward, climbs the dive loop once more, descends again, and finally comes to a stop on the lift hill.
I decided to leave the park after seeing that the Arkansas Twister was closed. Overall, I can see spending a day at this park if you are doing the waterpark as well. Otherwise if you are here for the roller coasters, you wont spend more then 2 hrs here. Also before you make the trek here, check to see if their is any admission deals. The 70 dollar admission price was pretty hefty in my opinion.
Park Pictures are provided below. As always, keep Coast 'n'.
Some Say the Springs Have Magic. The sign does at least.
X-Coaster Went down, On to the Gauntlet Suspended Looping Coaster.
If people could stop building these ride, that would be great. Ugh the Headaches
A Kids Mine ride is not something you see everyday
The X-Coaster has reopened in the background. By the way, I will never ride that drop tower. Big Bad Johns Entry is on the right.
The waterpark appeared to be quite nice. I began to question the reason for all the cars in the parking lot. There weren't many people at either the waterpark or the amusement park.
It hadn't occurred to me that there are burning cigarettes scattered all over the ground. I need to be more cautious about where I step.
That's everything for the moment. Appreciate this aerial perspective of Magic Springs from the Hot Springs National Park Observation deck.
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