Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park
Mt. Olympus in Wisconsin Dells is the kind of amusement park you rarely come across. Its origins lie in a small go-kart operation, which over the years developed into Big Chief Karts & Coasters and eventually into today’s Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park. Even now, the numerous and often elaborately elevated go-kart tracks play at least as important a role as the roller coasters.
The concept might seem surprisingly familiar to RollerCoaster Tycoon players. It is often suggested that the Karts & Coasters scenario was inspired by the former Big Chief Karts & Coasters. Whether that was actually the case is another matter, but walking through the park with all its go-kart tracks and wooden roller coasters certainly brings back memories of the classic game.
By now, however, Mt. Olympus offers far more than just karts and coasters. The resort also includes a large outdoor water park and an indoor water park, so there is plenty to explore. I started my visit among the wooden coasters and go-kart tracks of the Outdoor Theme Park before eventually heading for the water.
Outdoor Theme Park
Zeus
My tour of the Outdoor Theme Park began with Zeus. The wooden coaster by CCI actually starts before the lift hill with a nicely curved drop and a small hill before climbing to the highest point of the ride.
What follows is essentially a classic out-and-back layout, albeit with a few interesting twists. Even the large turnaround is filled with several dips, giving it considerably more dynamics than one might initially expect. Most importantly, Zeus delivers plenty of airtime, which in typical CCI fashion can be rather brutal at times.
The coaster was also running surprisingly well during my visit. Zeus is a real airtime machine, and I had a lot of fun with its varied out-and-back layout.
Hades 360
Like Zeus, Hades 360 starts quite high up on the hillside, but takes considerably more time before reaching the actual lift hill. Straight out of the station, the train drops down a sizeable descent, followed by a curved climb, a double down and a change of direction. Unfortunately, the ride already feels noticeably rougher than Zeus at this point – not exactly a good omen for what is still to come.
After the lift hill, Hades 360 reaches a height of around 130 feet. There is not much time to enjoy the view, however, as moments later you plunge down the huge first drop and straight into the tunnel. With a deafening roar, the train races all the way underneath the parking lot. Rather than simply running in a straight line, the track features several curves and some considerable banking, making things pretty wild even underground.
As soon as you emerge into daylight on the other side, you head straight into the huge corkscrew. A slightly overbanked turn and another hill then lead back into the tunnel. This time, the track runs parallel to the section already travelled and throws plenty of lateral forces into the mix. Combined with the tremendous noise, this part of the ride feels particularly brutal.
Back in the park, another hill followed by a double down takes you towards the station. The ride is far from over, though. Several long turns and hills follow before a huge helix finally brings this wild ride towards its conclusion.
Hades 360 has an absolutely insane layout and is certainly one of the most unusual wooden roller coasters I have ridden so far. Unfortunately, it runs pretty rough for much of the course, which can get quite intense considering how wild the layout already is. Nevertheless, Hades 360 is a really good coaster, and its extraordinary layout and crazy tunnel sections in particular make it a ride to remember.
The Underworld Go-Kart Track
After Hades 360, it was time to continue on four wheels for a while. The Underworld is one of the many go-kart tracks at Mt. Olympus and certainly lives up to its name, as part of the course leads underground through a tunnel.
The track is very nicely laid out and features a good mix of turns and elevation changes. The constant change between the outdoor sections and the tunnel makes The Underground one of the more interesting go-kart tracks in the park.
Cyclops
Continuing through the park, I passed Cyclops. Unfortunately, the compact CCI wooden coaster was closed during my visit. Instead of riding it, I could only watch the workers replacing sections of track and carrying out refurbishment work.
That was doubly unfortunate, as Cyclops is particularly well known for its pronounced airtime. I would have really liked to give this coaster a try.
Trojan Horse Go-Karts
Next up were the Trojan Horse Go-Karts, one of the most striking go-kart tracks at Mt. Olympus. The attraction takes its name from the enormous Trojan horse towering above the course and catching the eye from quite some distance away.
The track itself is nicely integrated into the terrain and runs on several levels around the huge horse. There are plenty of turns as well as numerous climbs and descents. Unfortunately, the enormous helix is not actually used – a shame, as it looks particularly promising from the outside.
Turbo Go-Karts
Turbo was yet another of the park’s numerous go-kart tracks. Unlike the previous courses, this one remains largely flat, but its many turns still make for a decent lap.
Orion and Tiny Heroes Go-Karts
With Orion and Tiny Heroes, Mt. Olympus also offers two go-kart tracks specifically for younger visitors. These considerably smaller courses give children the opportunity to drive a few laps themselves.
Little Titans
Little Titans is a small family coaster by E&F Miler Industries. Opened in 2000, the coaster stands just under 16 feet tall and, after the lift hill, features a small drop, a helix and several bunny hops.
I did not ride Little Titans during my visit, though.
Apollo’s Swing
Directly opposite Little Titans is Apollo’s Swing, an S&S Screamin’ Swing. It is an unusually small installation, with space for only four riders per cycle.
A ride also costs extra. Considering the fairly substantial upcharge and the extremely low capacity, I was content to simply watch this one during my visit.
Pegasus
Next up was Pegasus, another wooden coaster by CCI. The ride is considerably more compact than the two wooden coasters I had ridden earlier and features a rather peculiar layout.
Most noticeable are the numerous barely banked turns, some of which are taken at a surprisingly decent speed. There are also a few smaller drops and hills in between, but the ride never really managed to convince me. Overall, Pegasus is a rather strange coaster and was one of the weaker rides in the park for me.
Titan’s Go-Karts
Directly underneath Pegasus is the next go-kart track, Titan’s Go-Karts. The course winds its way underneath and between the wooden structure of the coaster, creating a rather interesting interaction between the two attractions.
The track itself is once again nicely laid out and features plenty of turns. Its location directly beneath Pegasus makes Titan’s one of the more interesting go-kart tracks in the park.
Manticore
Manticore is the large chair swing at Mt. Olympus. During the ride, the entire carousel rises high above the ground, allowing you to circle the park at a considerable height.
The ride itself is pleasantly relaxing and, more than anything, offers a great view across Mt. Olympus and the surrounding Wisconsin Dells. After all those wooden coasters and go-karts, Manticore made for a nice change of pace.
Batting Cages and Helios Go-Karts
I then passed the Batting Cages, where you can try your hand at hitting a few baseballs. I think this is a really cool thing to offer at an amusement park and honestly wonder why you do not see something like this more often.
From there, I headed to the Helios Go-Karts, the final go-kart track on my tour of the Outdoor Theme Park. The elevated wooden structure consists mainly of several helices, which take you spiralling upwards and back down again. In general, I really like these multi-level wooden go-kart tracks, and Helios is no exception.
Outdoor Water Park
Poseidon’s Rage
My tour of the Outdoor Water Park began with Poseidon’s Rage, a rather different kind of wave pool. Instead of producing lots of small waves, the pool generates a single enormous wave at regular intervals, sending a huge mass of water surging through the pool.
What happens here is not only incredibly fun but also seriously impressive to watch. Seeing the huge mass of water build up before rolling through the pool gives you a good idea of the forces involved. From a technical perspective, Poseidon’s Rage is also a fascinating attraction and was one of the highlights of the water park for me.
Triton’s Rage and Triton’s Fury
Triton’s Rage and Triton’s Fury are two family raft slides which, despite their similar construction, offer two quite different experiences.
After an initial turn, Triton’s Fury immediately transitions into a long, undulating descent. The raft repeatedly lifts off over the crests, resulting in some surprisingly good airtime.
Triton’s Rage, on the other hand, mainly consists of numerous turns as the raft winds its way downhill. The boat repeatedly tilts quite dramatically and swings high up the sidewalls. I really enjoyed both slides in their own way.
Triton’s Challenge
The same slide tower is also home to Triton’s Challenge, a classic mat slide. Lying face-first on the mat, you race down a long, undulating descent, repeatedly lifting off over the individual crests. A simple but very entertaining slide that I also really enjoyed.
Lost City of Atlantis
Next up was the Lost City of Atlantis. The large WhiteWater water play structure offers plenty of water features as well as several full-sized slides.
On the Boomerango, an initial turn is followed by a steep descent straight into the main element. With plenty of momentum, the raft races high up the opposite wall, swings back down and then glides across the shallow runout pool. Boomerangos are pretty much always fun, and this one was no exception.
More unusual is the Champagne Bowl. Here you complete several laps around the large bowl until eventually coming to a stop. You then simply climb out and leave the slide via a staircase in the middle of the bowl. A rather curious way to end a waterslide.
There is also a classic tube slide consisting mainly of numerous turns. It is a perfectly decent ride, but compared to the other two slides, it did not leave much of an impression on me.
The Rise of Icarus
The Rise of Icarus is the structure that towers above everything else in the Outdoor Water Park. Standing around 160 feet tall, the enormous slide tower dominates the entire water park and is almost impossible to miss even from a distance. A total of five body slides with different layouts start from the tower.
The main attraction is The Fall. While the other slides begin considerably further down the tower, The Fall takes you almost all the way to the top. Its starting point is around 145 feet above the ground, and the view down from there is suitably impressive.
The subsequent descent is not only extremely fast but also damn long. Unfortunately, the joints on The Fall are rather poorly finished, meaning you can clearly feel the transitions throughout the entire ride. What seems quite amusing at first becomes increasingly uncomfortable as the ride continues, and at some point I found myself simply wishing for the slide to finally come to an end. Especially on a brand-new installation by WhiteWater, I would not have expected such a rough finish.
The remaining slides start considerably lower down the tower and consist of various speed slides as well as a classic kamikaze slide. Things are suitably fast here as well, although I actually preferred these considerably shorter descents.
Icaria Splash ’n Slide
Directly in the shadow of The Rise of Icarus is Icaria Splash ’n Slide, a larger area for small children. Alongside shallow pools, there are various small slides and water features aimed primarily at the park’s youngest visitors.
River Troy and Tidal Wave
Alongside its many slides, the Outdoor Water Park also features River Troy, a classic lazy river where you can simply float your way around the park. There is also a large wave pool called Tidal Wave. Together, the two attractions nicely round off the already extensive outdoor offering.
Indoor Water Park
To finish off my visit, I headed into the Indoor Water Park. While this area is considerably smaller and mainly offers a handful of smaller slides, it does have one real highlight in the form of Medusa’s Slidewheel.
Medusa’s Slidewheel
Medusa’s Slidewheel is one of the most unusual waterslides in the entire park. Rather than following a conventional slide layout, this family raft slide takes you through an enormous, slowly rotating wheel. Inside, the ride consists almost entirely of curved climbs and descents, repeatedly lifting the raft, sending it backwards and then allowing it to pick up speed again.
The resulting experience is completely different from a normal waterslide and wonderfully crazy. You are constantly travelling up, down or sideways through the rotating Slidewheel, and above all, you spend a surprisingly long time inside it. With all those curved climbs and descents, the ride seems to go on forever and is tremendous fun throughout. For me, it was easily the highlight of the water park and one of the best waterslides I have ever ridden.
Pictures Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park
Conclusion Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park
Overall, I really enjoyed Mt. Olympus. The combination of wooden roller coasters, numerous go-kart tracks and two water parks is surprisingly well balanced and provides plenty of variety throughout the day. Zeus and Hades 360 are two really good wooden coasters, while the elevated go-kart tracks in particular give the amusement park a character all of its own.
I was especially impressed by the selection of waterslides. While the amusement park feels rather traditional with its wooden coasters and go-kart tracks, the water parks clearly make an effort to keep up with the latest technology. Attractions such as The Rise of Icarus and, of course, Medusa’s Slidewheel demonstrate this particularly well. Poseidon’s Rage is another technically fascinating attraction.
After my visit, I found it rather difficult to understand some of the negative opinions about Mt. Olympus within the enthusiast community. Certainly, not everything here is perfect, but overall the park offers a really strong and unusually varied package. I certainly had a great day here.
