I was super impressed with Silverwood Theme Park way up at the top of Idaho. Not that it has the biggest, best roller coasters, but it has such a genuinely good-hearted atmosphere. Plus, there’s a real theme here, with a lovely Wild West Main Street complete with appropriate music, a carnival area with all the flat rides, and “Roller Coaster Alley” with almost all the roller coasters right there together. Even if it’s not Disney Star Wars-level themed, it’s a beautiful park to walk around.
The whole park’s attitude is to slow down, don’t rush, there’s plenty of time to see everything. And you should lean into it! It’s so nice not to have to rush around just to get your money’s worth. The lines never seemed too long, even on a Saturday in June. It’s the kind of feeling you could never get from a Six Flags park.
Not to mention that driving to the area is beautiful. You’re either driving up Idaho past Coeur d’Alene or through the mountains of Montana. (Or over from Spokane, the biggest nearby city.) My 10+ hour drive up from Salt Lake City and Lagoon Amusement Park, from Missoula to my Airbnb in Sandpoint was almost directly west. I ended up being treated to what felt like an hours-long sunset through the mountains. It is a stunningly beautiful part of the country.
(in the opposite direction of the rides)
Silverwood Theme Park
The layout of Silverwood is a little odd. First of all, you park on the other side of the highway and walk through a tunnel to get to the park entrance. When you emerge, you’re at the skinniest part of the park and can go either left to the rides or right to the water park. You don’t walk down Main Street to get to everything else, you kind of have to go out of your way to see it. It puts the train station, carousel, and some shops and shows out of the way of most traffic.
On the other hand, it makes some nice quiet spaces to retreat to if you need to. There’s a lovely, air-conditioned theater at the far end of Main Street. And right near all the children’s rides is a quiet garden, in case you or your kids need a sensory break.
Roller Coasters
Let’s take a look at all the rides, and rank them, just for fun. First up are Silverwood’s seven Roller Coasters. For videos of all the roller coasters, check out my Roller Coasters in Idaho post.
#7 – Tiny Toot Coaster
Tiny Toot Roller Coaster is the park’s kiddiest kiddie coaster – a little powered train around a lightly undulating oval track. It’s nicely set next to a play tree you can climb up into for decent views of the ride.
#6 – Krazy Koaster
Nearby, the Krazy Koaster is another kiddie ride, but a little more adventurous. This one is one of those spinning figure-8 jobs you can find in indoor arcades and family fun centers across the country. It’s pretty much half lift hill. But it’s kinda fun! I went on this one and wasn’t disappointed.
#5 – Corkscrew
Corkscrew is the only proper roller coaster not in Roller Coaster Alley. Instead, it’s over by the water rides – the log flume and river rapids. True to its name, it pretty much does one thing – a double corkscrew element and that’s about it.
Corkscrew is the oldest roller coaster in the park, built originally at Knott’s Berry Farm in 1975. Moving here in 1990, it’s still the oldest installation. As such, it’s the headache ride of the park.
#4 – Aftershock
Next, we have Aftershock, which gets us into the great coaster rides of the park. This inverted double-spike shuttle coaster packs a solid punch, plus serves as a towering, acid-green “weenie” to draw you deeper into the area.
Aftershock is inverted, meaning you hang suspended from the track above. From the station, the train is pulled back to the top of the first tower, then released back through the station, through a cobra roll and a verticle loop, and up to the top of the second tower. Then you’re pulled up and released again, and travel back through all the elements backward! It’s worth riding in the very front and the very back, to get the most height on the towers.
I found the front to be a smoother ride than the back, which can bang your head around more. But first thing in the morning, even on a Saturday, it was a walk-on twice and I was the only rider on the train the first time.
#3 – Timber Terror
Timber Terror is Silverwood’s wooden coaster that runs next to the highway. It’s a solid woodie with nice drops and airtime, but it is a very LOUD ride. If Corkscrew didn’t give you a headache, this one might.
#2 – Stunt Pilot
If you are looking for a buttery-smooth ride, the single-rail Stunt Pilot coaster is where it’s at! SUPER smooth and extremely fast loading – the train doesn’t even stop in the station! You hop on while it’s still moving.
Seats are in single-file along the train, so there’s no issue of being a single rider, which I like. And it just feels like flying, it’s amazing. Stunt Pilot has a nice, tight layout and it’s so quick-loading that I think every park in America should have one of these single-rail coasters.
#1 – Tremors
Tremors, Silverwood’s other wooden coaster, is the best roller coaster in the park. It’s got great speed and four underground tunnels! Including one that goes right under the exit building & gift shop, making the name “tremors” a rumbling reality.
You can find it right in the middle of the park, or at least the roller coaster side of it, making it very kinetic to the rest of the park – spotting it through the trees everywhere. Tremors’ was also the first properly long line I met. The ride operators aren’t quick – nothing except the rides move fast here – but it’s worth the wait. Still, I’d make this the first ride of the day to avoid any long waits. I rode it again in the afternoon without any kind of wait at all.
Other Rides
Again, it’s kind of fun that Silverwood arranges its rides into sections. Even the most thrilling non-coaster rides are placed by the coasters, while the rest are in the “country carnival” area. All the kid’s rides are in a “critter camp” section. It’s almost a whole different demographic in each area of the park.
Let’s rank these too, from least to most thrilling (more or less.)
#15 – Kid’s Rides
First up, let’s talk about rides just for the smaller kids. Many of these adults can go on too, but they’re mainly for littles. All are in the Critter Camp section of the park, along with the two kiddie coasters.
In here, we’ve got the Butterflyer swing, Climbing Trees treehouse, a Froghopper, a Kiddie Ferris Wheel, and Flying Elephants, Kiddie Copters, Puppy-Go-Round, and Red Baron, all in-a-circle rides. Barnstormer is an interesting platform ride that I haven’t seen anywhere else.
#14 – Krazy Kars
As always, bumper cars land at the bottom of the list for me. They just don’t hold any appeal. The Krazy Kars at Silverwood are those round ones that you more often see at arcades, however.
#13 – Bumper Boats
Bumper Boats are only a slim step up from bumper cars, but at least you can get wet! I swear I never saw these, or at least, never saw them in action. They live in a little bay around the Paratrooper, which I swear I also never saw. You might have to make sure to walk behind the BBQ place.
#12 – Carousel
Silverwood’s Carousel looks nice enough, but it’s way out of the way of everything else. To find it, head to the right from the entrance, near the Main Street buildings. If you’re not actively seeking it out, you might only find it on your way to Boulder Beach.
#11 – Antique Cars
The Antique Cars are a fun family outing, skirting along the base of the Corkscrew. So, a nice little drive with some extra screaming. There’s no scenery to speak of along the way.
#10 – Scrambler
The Scrambler is pretty typical, also in the shadow of the Corkscrew. It’s a good ride to squish your parents or loved ones on.
#9 – Tilt-A-Whirl
Similarly, the Tilt-A-Whirl here is pretty typical. Although I’ve never seen another Tilt-A-Whirl that doesn’t have the dome over the top of each ride vehicle. These are just open, like heathens! I guess they’re high enough for your head to still rest on the back – the most important aspect of a Tilt-A-Whirl when it really gets spinning. It just looks so odd.
#8 – Paratrooper
The Paratrooper lives on a little island in the Bumper Boat bay, which is a cool setting for one. I’m always surprised at how fun these are.
#7 – Ferris Wheel
Like the Bumper Boats and the Paratrooper, I seem to have completely missed the classic Ferris Wheel here at Silverwood. It’s right next to the Bumper Boat pool, so it might have a decent view. I also like that these “regular” type Ferris Wheels don’t ban single riders like the bigger gondola style.
(Looking at the map now, I must have walked past it on my way to Roller Coaster Alley. But I must have bypassed it on my way back around the other side. <shrug>)
#6 – Round-Up
I did manage to ride the Round-Up, something I haven’t done in many years. It’s kinda fun and kinda uncomfortable. Makes me want to seek out an old Rotor ride, to really stick to the walls.
#5 – Roaring Creek Log Flume
Now getting into properly fun rides, we come to the Roaring Creek Log Flume. I like that the line and loading platform are mainly indoors and out of the sun. But the ride itself hardly gets you wet!
There’s the flume along the ground for most of the ride, then a little tunnel right before the only lift hill and splashdown. It’s fun, but definitely not the most thrilling of its kind.
#4 – Thunder Canyon
Thunder Canyon, the river rapids ride, is much more thrilling than the log flume, but I still didn’t get very wet. Mostly, it douses your shoes. There’s no lift hill or splashdown, and the ride exits in a different place than the entrance. So, first of all, there’s no place to put your stuff. And second, you can’t see how wet people are when they get off!
I guess there’s a possibility you’ll get totally soaked, but without any big splashes, waterfalls, or geysers (or quarter-operated cannons), it’s not super likely.
#3 – Steam Engine Train
One of the hallmarks of Silverwood Theme Park is its Steam Engine Train with a show onboard. It’s called “Rescue Mission: Saving Sasquatch” but is kind of an old-fashioned train robbery show with lots of ham. Trains leave the station every hour on the hour, but not all hourly trains have the show. During my visit, trains between noon & 6 pm featured a show, except for a break at 3:00. Make sure to check the daily schedule at the train station when you enter for the day.
I didn’t take the train until the end of the day, so I unwittingly missed the show completely. If I had to do it over again, I’d walk over here for a ride after lunch. Show trains are a 30-minute trip. Non-show trains are only 20 minutes. Trains leave on the hour but load up to 30 minutes before. I wandered around Main Street waiting to board the train and almost missed getting a seat. But I did see a lovely sunset in the woods during my ride.
#2 – Panic Plunge
Panic Plunge is Silverwood’s drop tower, found over by the roller coasters. Most of the fun here came from the very invested ride op, but it’s reasonably thrilling. I like that it spins some, so you don’t have to be so choosy as to which side you end up on for a good view.
#1 – Spincycle
For a properly thrilling ride, Spincycle is great! It’s one of those swinging pendulum rides, but it goes completely over and even holds you upside down! I also like that the line is shaded and there are water misters to keep you cool.
Boulder Beach Waterpark
On the other end of Silverwood Theme Park is their water park, Boulder Beach. Beautifully landscaped, it’s got a kid’s splash tower and a toddler splash zone, side-by-side wave pools, a mat racer, high-speed body slides, 4 tube slides, and two big family raft rides. A lazy river in the middle seemed to be the most popular, chock full of adults carrying drinks from the attached float-up bar.
Since I managed to finish all the rides on the dry side by around 3 in the afternoon (even with re-rides on Tremors and Stunt Pilot), I went out to my car to get my swimsuit for the water park. I mainly floated around the lazy river about 4 times and rode the tube slides, but that’s all I cared to do. It seems like everyone else in the whole park was in the lazy river too! Maybe if you’re more local, this is how you spend your Saturdays – on the lazy river with a drink.
Live Entertainment
Besides the show on the train, there are a few other opportunities for live entertainment at Silverwood. One pretty permanent show is a seasoned magic show in a pizza restaurant. There are long tables and even bleachers in the back to watch the show from (and eat pizza, though you don’t have to in order to see the show.)
The other show spot is High Noon Saloon. It looks like there’s a more kid-oriented animatronic moose show in the mornings, and a silly variety show in the afternoons. It’s a small space, so if you want to see a show, check the sandwich board near the entrance and get there early.
Food & Shopping
There are plenty of places to eat meals and snacks tucked around the park, but the main places seem to be the Theater of Illusions Pizzaria near the entrance, plus a full-service Lindy’s Restaurant on Main Street. At the extreme other end of the park is Chuckwagon all-you-can-eat BBQ, back near Aftershock. And in the water park is a grill. A beautiful little Victorian house on Main Street sells coffee and pastries.
I ate lunch at a small Mexican counter-service place called Kool Cactus and got some serviceable nachos. Mostly, it wasn’t too expensive, which is nice in a theme park. I honestly can’t remember eating dinner – I think it was mostly ice cream and fresh lemonade.
Shopping isn’t too in your face here. It’s not an exit-through-the-gift-shop kind of park. There are little places tucked all around, of course. But even the main candy store is well off the beaten track. You’d have to walk to the end of Main Street and cross the train tracks to get there. You don’t even pass it on your way to the water park.
Events
There are several events throughout the season at Silverwood, most of them, especially through May & June, are discount weekends for one group or another. Mother’s, Father’s, and Grandparent’s Days, even kid’s days, and weekends honoring teachers, first responders, and healthcare workers.
On Labor Day weekend, Silverwood hosts a big classic car show. And Thursdays-Saturdays in late September to Late October, they put on Scarywood, with 5 haunted attractions, 9 scare zones, roaming monsters, and rides in the dark on many classic attractions.
Amenities
A huge parking lot is provided on the opposite side of the highway from the park. A tunnel underneath the road provides access. There is security on the parking lot side to go through each time you enter. Parking costs $10 per car per day.
There is Wifi in the parks! And while there is no park app, you can scan a QR code for a live entertainment schedule, and probably pull up a park map from the website. After Lagoon, having wifi provided in the park is a relief.
As for loose articles – almost all rides have a place to put your stuff. Usually cubbyholes on the ride platform. The only ride I note that doesn’t have anywhere to put your stuff is Thunder Canyon, which has a separate entrance & exit. Which is the ride you most need to leave your stuff behind, but oh well!
There is an RV Park attached to Silverwood, adjacent to the big parking lot. Staying there puts you in walking distance. (And there are not many hotels immediately nearby.) Silverwood is also associated with a Best Western Plus in Couer d’Alene, about 25 minutes south. Spokane isn’t a terrible home base either, a little under an hour away. I ended up in a pretty Airbnb in Sandpoint, about 30 minutes north.
Hours
Silverwood Theme Park will open for weekends in May and start full-week operation in June. That continues through August, when they cut back to weekends again in September and through the Scarywood season in October.
Tickets
Tickets for a day at Silverwood tops out at around $84 at the gate, but you can save money by buying online. Right now, adult tickets are on sale in the pre-season for $66, and youth (3-7) and seniors (65+) are $44. They also sell 2- and 3-day tickets that you don’t even have to use consecutively. 2-day tickets cost $107/67 and 3-day are $149/89. Season passes are around the $250 mark. You can print your tickets at home or show them on your phone.
None of these options include Scarywood, not even the season passes. It looks like in 2023, Scarywood was $68, with $8 off if you buy online at least the day before.
You get discounted tickets if you stay at the RV park, and that Best Western Plus has a play & stay package too. Also make sure to look out for free-admission weekends, especially in the early season.
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