Cedar Point Aerial Shot

[KIBeast]

And people say that Cedar Point is a concrete jungle. Ha!

concrete jungle?

I wouldn't assume that PKI will have a lot less trees and scenery under CF management.

[MrPKI]

If you look closer, most of those trees are in areas that house the rides, not the paths.......maybe excluding Kiddie Kingdom and Frotiertown. Everywhere else in the park doesn't really have that many trees. It's just the way CP evolved.

I wouldn't assume that CF removes KI's trees. That would be unnecessary, but that doesn't mean they won't start putting in more concrete on the paths.

[thejoker8388]

Most of the trees I see are back by MF to Mean Streak. This picture was taken before the addition of skyhawk so I'll also assume that at the time of this picture WWL was still there. So for CP right now, cut out almost that entire spot of trees for MF to Mean Streak and that would be a more accurate depiction of how many trees CP has right now. With that factored in I'll say it's pretty lacking in trees.

[KIBeast]

I know what you mean, Mr. PKI. Still, I'd rather have concrete than black top.

I remember the first time I went to CP and thought, where is all of the scenery? Second trip, I really paid attention to that kind of thing and was surprised by my previous inobservation. There were plenty of trees and scenery, especially in Frontiertown. Just didn't really take the time to look for that kind of thing. I do like, however, that CP has a lot of their queue lines covered as PKI really doesn't. I can only think of Delirium, Drop Zone, and Face/Off. And, if they aren't covered, they have the misting fans, like over at Magnum XL200. Sometimes, it's a combination of both.

[CoastersRZ]

The thing that kills me with PKI is that the removed so many tree from the Antique car site. That ride is just not as aesthetically pleasing as what the Antique Cars were.

In recent years, Kings Island has been installing concrete midways instead of asphalt. The asphalt tend to absorb the heat from the sun and create a much hotter walking area. While the concrete reflects the sun and create a much brighter midway. Another reason why the park has been going to conrete is related to product life. Concrete, although more exspensive upfront, will last longer and not crack as much as asphalt will. So it will not need to be replaced as often as asphalt.

And yes, Cedar Point did remove a lot of trees on the former White Water Landing site, which is not clearly illustrated in that old image.

[KIBeast]

^But, they will probably plant some younger trees to replace the others. CP has been doing this for a while, but you don't notice yet since they are not full grown. And, I agree about the tiques area. It seemed really serene. A very scenic car ride, if you will.

[CoastersNSich]

Another reason for these wide, concrete pathways? Crowds. The narrow pathways may have character, but on busy days, they can create problems - especially for staff that need to respond to an incident, such as a ride that is down, a fight, an ill/injured guest, etc. Last Saturday, during BeastBuzz at KI, you could hardly move on portions of International Street, especially in front of LaRosa's. While the current layout of I-street affords tree-lined seating, the old layout from 1972-82 was much more open, like that of an actual street (albeit with asphalt).

[CoastersRZ]

But the old way also posed tripping hazards by actually having a "street" with sidewalks. Additionally, there was no shade provided by large trees on I-Street like there is now.

[Jasper]

Most of the trees I see are back by MF to Mean Streak.

That is exactly what i was going to say.

[RailRider]

CP has one of the best midways of any themepark. The old historic ballroom the buildings, the great fountains, flower gardens, and the sky ride down the middle. Cedar Points middway is better than any out there for just strolling and people watching, not to mention some of the best rides are directly off the midway.

Stay at the breakers, in the historic section, on a week day late in the seasson and go to the point and as you stroll down the middway it almost feels like a different era.

Eventhough some areas lack trees, frontiertown is such a nicely wooded area and especially how the paths just wind through that section. Great area to tack a break from the thrill rides of CP.

[The Interpreter]

A better illustration of what Cedar Fair does to trees can be found at Knotts Berry Farm or Dorney or Worlds of Fun. Parks they acquired. Compare the number of trees at ANY of them to the number before the acqusition. Especially at Dorney.

Dorney still has quite a few large trees, but for the most part the larger trees have all been removed. And not replaced with smaller ones, either.

Jazzland had that problem down in New Orleans. After Six Flags bought the property, they installed literally hundreds of mature trees at a cost of thousands each. And the hurricane wiped the entire park away, trees and all...

Virtually ALL park chains seem to make more moves to save trees and build around them than they used to. That is what concerns me about the new ride at Cedar Point. I certainly hope it was NECESSARY to clearcut that area.

I feel that way about Italian Job, too. No matter what one thinks of the ride, it could have been placed in such a way to better conserve the tranquility and beauty of the park. At Kings Dominion, it was.