MASON, Ohio – Construction is underway on a new wooden roller coaster adventure for visitors to Kings Island.

 

Themed to an area surrounding a lumber company becoming overrun by a mysterious medusa-like overgrowth of vines as nature reclaims its land, Mystic Timbers will be 3,265 feet in length, reach 109 feet in height and weave along steep cliffs, down ravines, cross over water and go through an extreme S-turn, among a forest of trees, at speeds up to 53 mph.

 

The ride will feature a total of 16 airtime hills, a mid-course tunnel and interact with parts of the Kings Island & Miami Valley Railroad and White Water Canyon attractions.

 

“Mystic Timbers is naturally exciting because of its setting in a densely wooded area,” Kings Island’s vice-president and general manager Greg Scheid said. “The natural rugged terrain and tunnel ensures a unique and memorable ride experience.”

 

Mystic Timbers is custom designed and built for the topography of Kings Island by Great Coasters International, Inc. (GCI) of Sunbury, Pennsylvania.  Three trains will accommodate 24 passengers each (four riders per car and six cars per train) with a capacity of 1,200 riders per hour. Guests must be at least 48 inches tall to ride. The ride experience will last more than two minutes.

 

“Everyone who enjoys the fun and thrills of riding a roller coaster will want to experience this attraction,” Scheid said.

 

Mystic Timbers will debut in the spring of 2017 and become Kings Island’s 16th roller coaster and its fourth wooden.

 

With the addition of Mystic Timbers, Kings Island’s wooden roller coasters will combine to measure 18,804 feet of track, which will be the most at any amusement or theme park in the world.

 

Those who cannot wait until spring may take a virtual ride on Mystic Timbers at mystictimbers.visitkingsisland.com.  Visitors of the website may also access exclusive updates and features, including virtual ride renderings, ride statistics, construction photos and a live Web cam.

 

Kings Island is owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, a publicly traded partnership that is listed for trading on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “FUN.”

Last October, Kings Island announced to the world that they would be adding some exciting new rides to the Soak City water park for the 2016 season.  This includes a seven story water slide complex highlighted by three "capsule dropper" slides.  This adrenaline-inducing water slide places riders in a clear vertical tube where they wait for a few anguishing seconds before the floor drops out from under them and they free fall to commence their wet and wild experience.  

 

Tropical Plunge is being manufactured by White Waterwater West of Richmond, British Columbia, Canada.

 

In additional to Tropical Plunge, Kings Island announced that they would be building a new parking entrance.  This new entrance will be on the north end of the parking lot and will feature a larger, more welcoming entrance experience.

 

To see current photos of the construction of Tropical Plunge and the new parking entrance, click here.

 

 

From Kings Island's website:

Kings Island announced on August 19th a major expansion to its Soak City Waterpark for the2016 season with the addition of Tropical Plunge, a complex of six different water slide experiences towering nearly seven stories.

Three of the slides on the 65-foot tall complex will start with guests climbing inside an Aqua-Launch chamber where they will wait anxiously for the floor to drop out from underneath their feet, sending them into a high-speed, almost vertical free fall through a series of flat loops and S-curves in a translucent flume.

Tropical Plunge also features a slide that will send riders twisting and spiraling through an enclosed chute featuring four intense 360-degree loops across 449 feet of slide before they’re released out into a pool of water and dueling 337-foot long tube slides that zip riders through an enchanting series of drops and turns.

“This will be a high-adrenaline attraction that will increase the thrill factor for our park guests,” Kings Island’s Vice President and General Manager Greg Scheid said. “They have been asking for new and more thrilling waterpark attractions they are able to enjoy with family members and we think this answers their feedback plus brings another element of FUN to the overall experience of Kings Island.”

Tropical Plunge will expand the size of Kings Island’s waterpark to 35 acres. Once the attraction has been built, Soak City Waterpark will have a total of 36 slides; two wave pools; two coves; a lagoon and an action river plus children’s play areas among its more than 50 water activities.

Construction on Tropical Plunge is expected to begin this fall and will be ready by Memorial Day 2016, the start of the waterpark’s 27th season.

Thoughts?