There's more magic in Southern California than just in Disneyland. There's also plenty of enchantment at Six Flags Magic Mountain, north of Hollywood.
This theme park is billed as "bigger than Disneyland and more thrilling than ever." With its wide open spaces and eight roller coasters, it's a coaster lover's dream that offers more excitement than can be enjoyed in a single day. (Even the park's main parking gate has a miniroller-coaster replica on top.)Admission is less than at Disneyland (but food seems to cost more), and the far shorter lines here mean more thrill for your buck. Six Flags will open a new attraction, the adjacent Hurricane Harbor, a water park for the whole family.
King of the Six Flag coasters is the Viper. Riders must be at least 54 inches tall. Eyeglasses, hats and hearing aids are not recommended on the lightning-fast ride. After getting off, you'll know why. Billed as the largest looping roller coaster ever built, the ride is 188 feet high and turns upside down at 70 mph.
The second most thrilling ride at the park (and probably its most crowded attraction) is Batman the Ride. Opened in 1994, it features ski lift-style trains suspended from the track above. Riders travel with their feet dangling in the air over hairpin turns, vertical loops and corkscrews with an almost zero-gravity spin. Riders must also be at least 54 inches tall.
The Batman ride is located in the Gotham City area of the park and themed for the comic book superhero, Batman - complete with a Batmobile on display. (Time Warner Entertainment owns part of Magic Mountain and the other nine Six Flags theme parks, as well as DC Comics, Batman Comics publisher.) Besides the Batman ride, there is a Gordon Gearworks (centrifugal force bowl) and the Adam Smasher Ride in Gotham.
The most noticeable ride in the park from nearby I-5 is the Colossus, a two-track wooden coaster like Lagoon's, only larger and offering about a minute longer ride. (Minimum 48 inches to ride.)
Two other wild coasters of note are the Flashback, offering a 540-degree upward spiral and the Ninja with trains that swing 180 degrees side-to-side while hanging from an overhead track.
The Psyclone is Magic Mountain's replica of New York's legendary Coney Island Cyclone.
The Freefall gets riders going 55 mph in two seconds during an unrestricted drop from a 10-story tower. (Minimum 42 inches tall to ride.)
Six Flags has four water rides, too - the Log Jammer, Jet Stream, Tidal Wave and the Roaring Rapids. The Log Jammer allows toddlers (but no children held in laps) and offers two long, separate drops.
There is also a Bugs Bunny World area with 10 rides for children under 54 inches tall. Kids can also enjoy a petting zoo and a Bugs Bunny "Rabbit Hood" show and other programs.
The 38-story Sky Tower is the park's centerpiece and landmark that helps you find your bearings and offers a spectacular view with an elevator ride to the top. A giant redwood tree replica in the kids' area also makes a good landmark.
Magic Mountain is indeed large and sprawled out in a hilly area at the north end of the Santa Clarita Valley. Ride locations are well-marked with many signs along the pathways. However, if your group gets split up, you'll have a long, hilly walk trying to find them - this park isn't called "Mountain" for nothing.
It also might be unnerving to see all the security guards and surveillance cameras at Six Flags, but you'll get used to it.
There are 14 motels within a 30-minute drive of Six Flags, including a Comfort Inn, Motel 6, Hampton Inn and Hilton Garden Inn. There are also two camping areas.
- General admission to Six Flags is $28 for persons 48 inches in height and over. Senior citizen admission is $18; its $15 for children under 48 inches and children 2 years and younger are free. Parking fee is $6. Various discount coupons on park admission are readily available at motels and Southern California tourist displays.
Six Flags is open daily from 10 a.m. each day through Oct. 31. Closing hours vary from 6 p.m. on weekdays to 8-10 p.m. on weekends.
When Hurricane Harbor is open from early summer through Sept. 4, its separate admission prices will be: $16 for adults and $10 for children below 48 inches tall and for senior citizens. A park/water combo day pass will sell for $42.
To reach Six Flags, go northbound on I-5 from Hollywood and exit on Magic Mountain Parkway.
For more information, call 818-992-0884 or 805-255-4100. Write to Magic Mountain, P.O. Box 5500, Valencia, CA 91385.