Lagoon Amusement Park

Christopher Sakamoto

Sep 25

2 min read

When my son was 4, we were driving to Montana for a family reunion. From the back seat, he spotted a distant roller coaster and got very excited, asking if we could visit. Even at that age, he loved roller coasters. As a fellow enthusiast, I knew it would be years before he was tall enough to ride it. I promised him that once he was big enough, we would return. Nine years later, I fulfilled that promise, and we finally visited Lagoon Amusement Park.

As a dad, I want to share something. On our trip to Montana, we visited Yellowstone National Park. While driving to Old Faithful, we saw deer and a moose. On our way out, as the sun was setting, we spotted a fox and a bear. I was thrilled to see so many wild animals in one day... my son saw none of them.

The moose was just 3 feet from our truck, and the bear was 10 feet away. I tried to point them out, but he still missed them. The roller coaster he saw was 2 miles from the freeway... and I didn't point it out. To this day, he struggles to spot anything I try to show him.

Returning to the story, Lagoon Amusement Park is a historic, family-owned park in Farmington, Utah, about 17 miles north of Salt Lake City. Operating since 1886, it's one of the oldest amusement parks in the U.S., offering a mix of modern roller coasters, family rides, water attractions, and historical exhibits.

The park is known for its custom-engineered attractions, especially Cannibal (with a 208-foot elevator lift and a 116-degree drop) and Primordial (an interactive coaster and dark ride). While Primordial isn't the most intense ride, it's unique and worth the wait. Classic coasters include the historic wooden coaster named Roller Coaster (built in 1921), Wicked, Bombora, The Bat, Spider, and the Anton Schwarzkopf-designed Colossus the Fire Dragon. During our visit, there were 10 coasters, including a kiddy coaster, Puff the Little Fire Dragon, which we didn't ride.

We rode Jet Star 2, designed by Anton Schwarzkopf and Werner Stengel. It featured an electric spiral lift instead of a traditional chain lift hill, with cars using on-board electric pickups to spiral upward around a central tower. It was one of the few remaining models in the world when it was removed in 2025.

The park also has 2 dark rides: Terroride and Dracula's Castle. Both are excellently done and a must-ride for dark ride enthusiasts.

If you ever get the chance to visit, it's worth every penny. We really enjoyed this amusement park. The grounds were very nice and the food was good. It has a great family atmosphere. We will definitely go again if we have the chance.

Cannibal