A Day at Kings Island and Tracking My Steps – Is There a Better Way?

[JohnathonCinda]

Hey everyone! I had an amazing day at Kings Island recently, and I thought I’d share my experience and see if anyone else has had similar thoughts or advice. I spent the entire day walking around the park, and while it was a blast, I couldn’t help but think about a small challenge I encountered that maybe some of you have dealt with too.

To start, I arrived early to take advantage of the cooler morning hours, but by mid-afternoon, the park was getting super crowded. My day began at the iconic Diamondback—definitely worth the wait! After that, I made my way over to The Beast, which has been one of my all-time favorites since I was a kid. But here's where I hit my first snag: by lunchtime, I realized I’d been walking around aimlessly for hours without really planning my route. I know that sounds a bit silly, but it got me thinking about how I could have used my time (and energy) more efficiently.

As I wandered from ride to ride, I started thinking about how much ground I was covering. I’ve recently become more aware of my daily steps and was curious about how much walking I was doing. This got me to check out a walking tracker tool I’ve used before, but I’m not sure I’m utilizing it in the best way while at amusement parks. Since I was getting hungry and tired by this point, I wished there was a way I could keep better track of my path through the park to avoid doubling back and forth between attractions. It felt like I was going from one end of the park to the other without much thought, and as the day wore on, I realized I was getting more tired than I expected.

This is where I’d love to hear some of your thoughts! Does anyone else track their steps or map out their path ahead of time when visiting parks like Kings Island? I’ve been using a walking tracker tool (which I’m sure many of you do too), but I’m not entirely sure if I’m taking full advantage of it. I started using it for daily exercise motivation, but I’ve recently been inspired to use it positively in other areas, like amusement parks, where walking is such a big part of the experience. I feel like it would be helpful to better organize my path through the park, but I’m not sure how others are doing this or if there’s a smarter way to plan a route.

For those who might not be familiar, a walking tracker is a tool designed to monitor and record the number of steps you take each day, offering real-time data on your movement. It’s a handy way to stay motivated and keep an eye on your activity levels. Many trackers also function as an accurate daily walking distance tracker, meaning they measure the total distance you’ve walked based on your steps, which can be really useful in places like amusement parks, where you’re on your feet all day. I’ve found that using a tracker gives me a better sense of how active I am, but I’m still learning how to apply this data to plan my day more efficiently.

I feel like it would be helpful to better organize my path through the park, but I’m not sure how others are doing this or if there’s a smarter way to plan a route.

After lunch, I tried using the walking tracker a bit more actively to see if it would help me avoid unnecessary backtracking, but it didn’t really change much. I still found myself walking from one end of the park to the other several times, especially when I wanted to go back and re-ride something. I even had to take a couple of breaks, which wasn’t part of the plan, but after walking what felt like miles, it was necessary.

I’m curious if there’s a way to map out rides and food stops in a way that saves energy and steps, especially during peak crowd times. Do you think using a tool like this to plan your day at the park could work better, or am I missing something obvious here? I’ve seen people mention other tools to track walking or plan their day, but I’m not sure which ones might work best for amusement parks specifically.

Also, what’s your strategy for navigating the park? Do you follow a specific order for rides or have a method for making sure you’re not going back and forth all day? I feel like with a little more planning, my next trip could be even better, especially if I can figure out how to minimize unnecessary walking and avoid the exhaustion I felt by the end of the day.

Thanks in advance for your help! I’d love to hear your tips and experiences, especially if you’ve found a tool or strategy that works for you at Kings Island or other parks.

[johnjniehaus]

I personally have a system to conquer the park but I have no idea how many steps I take to do it. I almost always start the day in Coney Mall. If I'm there at open FoF is first ride of the day. If I'm coming up after work it's racer. Then I usually work back towards adv Express and then Action Zone so that I'm near the entrance at lunch time (most of my family doesn't eat in the park but if we do, grain and grill or festhaus are near Action Zone). After lunch we hit boo blaster and then rivertown.