The woman who checked me in asked, “Just the two of you?” and looked a bit puzzled when we said yes. However, when we walked inside, the check-in desk pointed us to the gift shop to get our wristbands before we could enter. A sign pointed us in the general direction of the water park, and we followed the thick smell of chlorine until we made it to the gates. I saw kids happily wearing pairs of wolf ears on their heads, part of Great Wolf Lodge’s trademark branding, that felt reminiscent of Disney ears.Ī main takeaway was that signs and procedures could be much more streamlined for day-trippers. I saw plenty of people in the lobby, but I could tell how packed this place could get based on the size of the resort. River Canyon Run at Great Wolf Lodge in Garden Grove, Calif., is a family-style raft ride that can fit up to four people. Parking was $5 an hour, capping at $32 for the day. When we arrived, however, it looked pretty full. We decided to go on a Monday to purchase the value day passes for just $60, so I anticipated the park would be empty. But I love a good amusement park that lets me connect with my inner child. This was obvious when we parked among all the minivans and watched parents hold hands with their tykes. I’m a child-free 25-year-old who dragged my partner along with me, so I’m not exactly the target audience. I recently visited the Garden Grove Great Wolf Lodge to determine if shelling out that kind of cash is indeed worth it.įoremost, Great Wolf Lodge is clearly for families. Great Wolf Lodge is a Midwestern resort and waterpark chain that opened its first location in 1997. If you’re a family of four, however, I could see how that would definitely keep some money in your pocket. That’s still cheaper than one-day tickets to Disneyland, which range from $104 to $179, but not by that much per person. At the Garden Grove location, only a few miles away from Disneyland, full-day passes start at $60, but during a busy time, like Memorial Day, those same-day passes can go for as high as $125. The water park is indoors, and the water temperature is controlled, meaning it can stay open all year round.ĭay passes to visit are available, but they can be costly. Unlike most water parks, which are only open between May and September (Knott’s Soak City near Anaheim, for example), Great Wolf Lodge is immune to weather concerns. Obscure | There’s an abandoned octagon house hidden in the SF woods History | The forgotten zoo in the middle of San Franciscoįood | The 30-year feud between two SF clown restaurants Local | When a visit to SF’s Union Square ‘was a special treat’ “Families have incredibly busy schedules now, so with Great Wolf Lodge, your family getaway is close - usually within a 3-4 hour drive.” “We chose to place our California resorts … because those locations are close to large populations of families, providing easy, close access for families in Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Jose and many other California cities,” a Great Wolf Lodge spokesperson told SFGATE in an email. The Garden Grove location near Anaheim opened in 2016, while the closest location in the Bay Area opened in Manteca in 2021. The first location opened in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, in 1997, and Great Wolf Lodge has become a Midwestern Disneyland. It hosts several family-friendly activities, but the heart is an indoor water park. The Wolf Tail is the center slide at Great Wolf Lodge, a resort chain with 22 locations in the U.S. And while the ride might scare your 10-year-old, I’d give it a five out of 10.įrom six stories high, the Wolf Tail at Great Wolf Lodge in Garden Grove, Calif., drops you at high speeds to the bottom of the park. The next thing I knew, I was gone, swirling to the bottom of the slide. I crossed my arms and legs in what felt like a dead man’s pose with anxious anticipation as I heard the ominous, albeit friendly, countdown from the speakers inside the glass tomb.
Still, I stepped inside the Wolf Tail, a trapdoor waterslide that drops you straight down six stories.
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