Michigan’s Adventure
Michigan’s Adventure has been around for quite a while. The park originally opened in 1956 as a small animal park with the rather imaginative name Deer Park. Two years later, the Deer Park Special railroad became its first ride and marked the beginning of a gradual shift toward a traditional amusement park.
That transformation really picked up speed after Roger Jourden took over in 1968. By 1972, Deer Park had become Deer Park Funland, with a Tilt-a-Whirl, carousel, and Ferris wheel joining the lineup. Corkscrew arrived in 1979 as the park’s first roller coaster.
The Michigan’s Adventure name followed in 1988, the same year Wolverine Wildcat opened as the park’s first major wooden coaster. WildWater Adventure was added two years later, giving Michigan’s Adventure the amusement park/water park combination it still has today. Cedar Fair acquired the park in 2001.
Beyond its history, one of the first things that stands out is the park’s unusual layout. Most of Michigan’s Adventure is arranged around a central lake, but there is no continuous path all the way around it. Instead, both sides eventually come to a dead end. That is where the Timbertown Railway comes in handy, connecting the two ends of the park with a ride through the woods.
Zach’s Zoomer
Our first coaster is Zach’s Zoomer, one of the smaller wooden coasters built by CCI. Its layout should look familiar to anyone who has ridden the Woodstock Express coasters at Kings Island, Kings Dominion, or Carowinds.
A short right turn leads onto the lift hill. From the top, the train drops straight into the first descent and climbs into a broad turnaround. A small hill sends us through the wooden structure to the opposite side of the layout, followed by another turnaround and a handful of smaller hills. One more trip through the structure brings us back to the brake run.
Zach’s Zoomer may be small, but it is a genuinely fun little woodie. It is especially well suited as a first wooden coaster for younger riders while still offering enough of that classic wooden coaster feel to make the ride worthwhile.
Camp Snoopy and Woodstock Express
Right next to Zach’s Zoomer is Camp Snoopy, the park’s children’s area built around Snoopy and the other familiar Peanuts characters.
The area is also home to Woodstock Express, a Chance Rides Big Dipper. The layout is short and consists mostly of gentle drops and turns, but that fits the target audience perfectly. It also rides noticeably better than quite a few similar kiddie coasters.
Hydro Blaster
Leaving Camp Snoopy, the path takes us past WildWater Adventure. Right alongside it is Hydro Blaster, a large dinghy slide with two separate courses. Both offer plenty of turns and a few fun little jumps along the way. Simple, but a lot of fun.
Adventure Falls
A few steps farther along is Adventure Falls, a classic Intamin Spillwater. The boat climbs the lift, makes a large turn at the top, and then heads into the main drop.
The splash at the bottom is only part of the story, as the shower afterward makes sure there is very little chance of getting off dry. Great fun, and with WildWater Adventure right next door, this is one ride you can easily tackle in your swimsuit.
Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids keeps the water rides coming. This Intamin rapids ride follows a nicely laid-out course filled with turns and rapids, while the circular boats constantly rotate in the channel. That makes it almost impossible to predict who will take the next wave.
A larger waterfall near the end adds another good soaking before the boats return to the station. A very enjoyable rapids ride.
Thunderhawk
Directly across from Grand Rapids stands Thunderhawk, a classic Vekoma SLC. The compact layout with its collection of inversions still looks impressive, even if the ride itself shows its age.
Thunderhawk is definitely on the rougher side, and the familiar SLC hits are there, but it never becomes completely unpleasant. Not smooth by any means, but still perfectly rideable.
Timbertown Railway
After Thunderhawk, we use the Timbertown Railway to move over to the other side of the park. Most of the route runs through the woods, so there really is not much of Michigan’s Adventure to see along the way.
That actually makes it a rather peaceful little train ride — and, more importantly, a very handy connection between the two ends of the park.
Wolverine Wildcat
Wolverine Wildcat is our next wooden coaster. A right turn out of the station leads into a long tunnel, followed by another right turn onto the lift hill. The first big drop comes immediately after the lift, and the train then climbs into a large turnaround with a great view across to Thunderhawk.
The second drop takes us all the way down to ground level. Two shallow hills follow while the track gradually bends to the left. Another climb and turnaround set up the next drop.
My favorite part comes right afterward: a double up that gains height in two separate steps, immediately followed by a double down doing the same thing in reverse. Another turnaround leads into one more drop and several smaller hills before the final turn into the brakes.
Wolverine Wildcat runs nicely and offers airtime throughout the course, although most of it is fairly mild. The double up and double down were easily the most memorable part of the ride for me.
Logger’s Run
Next along the way is Logger’s Run. The layout is about as straightforward as a log flume can get: a long elevated section followed by the final plunge into the water.
Unfortunately, Logger’s Run was closed during my visit, so I only got to see it from the midway.
Sea Dragon and Rocky Point Mini Golf
Right on the lakeshore is Sea Dragon, a classic Chance Rides pirate ship. It delivers some pretty decent airtime at the ends of the swings and gives you a great view across the water at the same time.
A short walk farther along, Rocky Point Mini Golf occupies a peninsula extending into the lake. The classic adventure golf course has several nicely designed obstacles, but it is really the location that makes it stand out.
Corkscrew
Corkscrew is up next. This is classic Arrow territory: lift hill, drop, and two namesake corkscrews. There really is not much more to the layout, making it a very short ride, but that old-school Arrow profiling still has its charm and the ride quality is fine as well.
Lakeside Gliders, Dodgem, and Giant Gondola Wheel
The front section of the park also has a few more traditional rides, including Lakeside Gliders and Dodgem.
Behind the bumper cars stands the Giant Gondola Wheel, offering a nice view over the lake and the surrounding park.
Mad Mouse
A little farther along is Mad Mouse, one of the relatively rare wild mouse coasters built by Arrow Dynamics.
The first half delivers the expected tight hairpin turns, while the second mixes in several small drops and some unusually banked curves. I have always had a soft spot for these Arrow mice, and this one is no exception. A really great ride!
Classic American Rides
Behind Logger’s Run is a nice collection of classic American flat rides. The lineup includes Flying Trapeze, a Chance Rides Yo-Yo, a Sellner Tilt-a-Whirl, a Chance Rides Thunderbolt, and an Eli Bridge Company Scrambler.
The Thunderbolt was particularly interesting to me, as this was my first ride on one of Chance’s versions. That alone made the visit worthwhile.
Shivering Timbers
We save the biggest wooden coaster for last. Shivering Timbers starts with a left turn out of the station before climbing the roughly 125-foot lift hill.
At the top, the train dives straight into the first drop and begins what feels like an endless run of airtime hills. Two large hills are followed by a somewhat smaller one before the track climbs high again. A two-stage climb eventually leads into the huge turnaround, which even features a small dip of its own.
A long straight section high above the ground comes next before a left-hand drop picks up the pace again. Another airtime hill leads into a double up and another plunge. A speed bump sends us briefly through the wooden structure, followed almost immediately by another hill.
From there, a long descending ramp leads into another speed bump through the structure. One more airtime hill and two smaller hills set up the finale: a double helix that suddenly throws some surprisingly strong lateral forces into the mix before the train hits the brakes.
Shivering Timbers is an absolute beast. The hills keep delivering great airtime, and the sheer length of the layout makes the ride feel substantial from beginning to end. It has definitely developed a bit of a rough edge in places, but not enough to take much away from the experience.
Pictures Michigan’s Adventure
Conclusion Michigan’s Adventure
I really enjoyed Michigan’s Adventure. It is a nicely laid-out park with a good mix of coasters, classic flat rides, and water attractions.
Shivering Timbers is obviously the star of the show, but Zach’s Zoomer, Wolverine Wildcat, and Mad Mouse were all highlights as well. WildWater Adventure is also a big part of what gives Michigan’s Adventure its character. Spending part of the day in the amusement park and part in the water park simply works really well here and makes for a very complete day out.
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