We LOVE Silverwood! If you’ve never been, Silverwood is an amusement park located in Athol, Idaho. Admission grants you access to not one, but TWO parks – Silverwood AND Boulder Beach! You get amusement park rides PLUS water park slides! It’s a combo that can’t be beat – especially on a warm summer day.
While my family’s “Perfect Day at Silverwood” includes more than ten things to do and enjoy, I’ve narrowed down our list to our Top Ten Things we MUST do each and every time we visit the park.
Enjoy your trip to Silverwood!!
1. Ride the Wooden Coasters
As soon as we enter the park, we head towards Tremors, and then make our way over to Timber Terror. It’s a much shorter wait first thing in the morning, and a great way to begin the day!
2. Pizza at the Theater of Illusion
While we’ve never chosen to watch the magic show (because we’re all about the rides and slides!), this is hands-down one of the BEST deals for dining in the entire park. There is a family meal option that includes a pizza, drinks, and breadsticks, and the price can’t be beat. Bonus – the pizza is really good!
We’ve sat inside the theater and have also enjoyed sitting at the picnic tables out on the lawn near the theater.
3. Prepare for Boulder Beach by Getting WET at Silverwood!
After lunch, before heading over to Boulder Beach, we hit up the water rides inside Silverwood. We’re big fans of the Roaring Creek Log Flume.
Another fan favorite tucked away in the Country Carnival section of Silverwood is Thunder Canyon. It’s a white-water rapids ride where you’re guaranteed to get wet and cool off! (Bonus – the scenery and theming in this section of the park are super cute and perfect for a photo opp!)
4. Float Elkhorn Creek (Aka – the Lazy River)
We ALWAYS begin our time at Boulder Beach with at least 3 laps around Elkhorn Creek. It’s the perfect way to get acclimated to the water.
5. Ride the waves in the wave pool at Boulder Beach Bay
We LOVE the wave pools at Boulder Beach – and always make sure to stay for at least two bells. (If you’ve never been, the bell signals when the waves are about to begin.) Half of our family loves the action at the very front of the wave pool, opting to ride out the biggest waves, while the others like to hang out in the back, enjoying a gentler ride. Either way, it’s a great way to spend an afternoon.
6. Ride Ricochet Rapids
Once we leave the wave pool, we make our way up the hill to Ricochet Rapids – a family raft ride that you’ll want to ride again and again! I love hearing the screams and giggles from my family as we make our way down the drops of this fast-paced slide.
While you’re up the hill, make sure you also ride Avalanche Mountain. It’s not quite as intense as Ricochet Rapids, but still a lot of fun! (And the line is never very long!)
7. Ice Cream for Dinner!
No trip to Silverwood is complete without a stop at the infamous Silverwood Ice Creamery. It has become our tradition to stop and have ice cream for “dinner” as soon as we’re done at Boulder Beach. But -be forewarned (or pleasantly surprised!) – the “Single Scoop” is very generous and the next size up is pretty much an entire carton’s worth of ice cream! (Be ready to share! Or not. You’re at Silverwood and on vacation! Do what you want!)
8. Ride the Steam Engine Train
Enjoy a trip around the Silverwood property on this surprise-filled train ride. (If you’ve never been, I don’t want to spoil the surprises – but know you’re in for an attraction that blends a traditional ride with both incredible scenery, comedy, AND entertainment!
The train runs every hour on the hour and tends to fill up quickly! Make sure to get in line by quarter till, so you’re sure to get seats!
9. Ride the Paratrooper at Night
The Paratrooper, found near the Bumper Boats in the Country Carnival section of Silverwood is one of our hands-down favorite rides in the park. While we usually ride the Paratrooper more than once per visit, I HIGHLY recommend riding at night as it offers a stunning view of the park all lit up.
I snapped this image while riding the Paratrooper on a rainy day at Silverwood. Even on a cloudy day, the view was incredible!
And look how pretty the ride looks lit up! It’s our favorite “last ride” on every trip to Silverwood.
10. Grab a Souvenir
During our first trip to Silverwood, we could not believe how affordable the souvenirs and Silverwood merchandise were! From plushies to t-shirts, each of us chose something we loved to commemorate our trip and remind us of one of our favorite places all year long. (And I don’t think we’ve ever spent more than $20 for any souvenir we’ve purchased at Silverwood. We definitely can’t say that about our other favorite amusement park!)
To find out more about Silverwood, please visit: https://www.silverwoodthemepark.com/ .
If you visit and try one of my suggestions, let me know about it in the comments. If you have something YOU must do at Silverwood that isn’t on my list, let me know that too!
