Yeah, MA feels like it's been neglected by Cedar Fair Sad that it's like the only park in my state and it's not great, I usually just end up going to Cedar Point instead Shivering Timbers is great but not worth the three hour drive when the rest of the park is kinda meh
And thank God. Michigan's adventure has a top tier water park imo. You can get through most of the coasters in a morning. It needs more love and cedar fair got add 7-8 more coasters with all the land they have. 2/3rds of the park is trees
Im so surprised shivering timber’s hasn’t collapsed yet from carrying the whole park 😂. I remember going to Michigan’s adventure every year when I lived in west Michigan. But even after all those visits the only ride I remember is shivering timbers. Truly a great ride.
Shivering Timbers, Thunderhawk Vekoma SLC, Wolverine Wildcat, Corkscrew, Mad Mouse. But mostly, spending 4 hours at the nicely kept water park and staring at my amazingly gorgeous West Michigan born-and-raised girlfriend Marissa in her string bikini in the sweet heart of summer... My life in summer 2019!!
as a Michigander, our west coast is one of the most forgotten yet amazing vacation destinations in America. Lake Michigan is beautiful, with not only the dunes as you mentioned but endless beautiful views, especially in Muskegon where Michigan's Adventure is located. For the nature appreciator, you can just walk around or google random state parks and stumble into massive staircases to stunning vantage points and beautiful gazebos, one of which was where a good friend of mine recently got married! If city life is more your style, Holly and Grand Rapids both are packed full of fun and Michigan history, with the latter having amazing nightlife. Sure our winters are brutal, but western Michigan in the summer is one of the most fun and underrated places to be, so really Shivering Timbers is just suffering from that same curse. TL;DR: Come to Michigan, we're a bit out of the way, but it's awesome here!
I'm crying! This is my home park and I can never find decent content about it bc no one likes this park but I love it. It's just a different kind of love than say Cedar Point.
@@legendbaon8752 I'm glad you're excited! It's a quiet family park so expect smaller lines but over all less to do. If u go open to close u can ride all the major rides, both flat and roller coasters. Shivering timbers is such a gem but it is moody. As a kid wolverine wildcat was my favorite but I don't hear anyone compliment it anymore. It's the perfect park to scratch ur coaster itch at but also take a breather. I can go here on a wim really easily but other parks feel like I need to plan super heavily.
He mentioned the silver lake sand dunes and the reason they exist is because logging was done there in the 1800s and the winds just kept pushing the sand up and over on the land ensuring no trees would grow.
Michigan's Adventure has such potential to be a destination park, especially when you consider that the existing park takes up literally less than half of the property. They have enough spare room to build a second park the same size right next to it and still have space left over.
The problem is getting there. I'm from the Grand Rapids area and we rarely went growing up. It's also in Muskegon. Now I'm aware the park is in the nice part of Muskegon, but I also remember going to track meets in Muskegon and being escorted off the bus by police and being warned not to leave the track or you might be shot. There's no lodging near the park so if you were to hotel it I would personally go all the way to Whitehall or Grand Haven where's it's safer. Yeah they have room to expand, but the park is just in a bad spot if it had been in let's say Rockford, Big Rapids, or Allendale it would at least be near a major city with an airport, lots of hotels, and easier access to other major cities in the state.
@@ninjagirl226 Yeah I grew up around Ann Arbor so Michigan's Adventure was a "once a year, maybe, if you're lucky" type of deal, and that was only because my family already vacationed in Pentwater fairly regularly. We never once had to think about actually staying the night in Muskegon lol. I still think they have room on-site to build a resort or a hotel or something, but I guess that wouldn't help with how few major cities are on the West side of the state.
@@ninjagirl226 you were not being escorted by police 🤣🤣 muskegon is nothing like this and it shows how delusional you are and how much you're looking in from the outside.
Thanks for giving at least some publicity to the all-star of my home park. I'm tired of the only park i can afford to visit most of the time being so continuously neglected.
IMO Shivering timbers is like a toned down El-toro mixed with voyage, a long airtime filled ride with crazy camelbacks... This park need so much love and frankly cedar fair isnt giving it to them
Shivering Timbers was my first stateside woodie. I live in the UK, and we have nothing like this. I have so much love for this ride, as well as Voyage.
There were so many plans for this park before Cedar Point bought them. We were supposed to get a hyper coaster for 1999. Cedar Fair keeps this place down in the dumps and I don't understand why when it's the most profitable park in the chain. Also West Michigan is going through a population boom at the moment.
Having a friend that lives near the park from what i understand its more the local government wont let them do stuff to the park and cf just spent like 5 million on a new kids area
Cedar Point is offering a trip for their employees to Michigan’s Adventure at the end of July. Even if it’s not open, I still want to take advantage of getting the chance to get up there
I've lived about an hour from this park all my life. It was growing fast in the 80s and 90s. Somewhere around 1990, the other decently sized wooden coaster Wolverine Wildcat opened and the park changed its name from Deer Park Funland to Michigan's Adventure to mark a change from a petting zoo with a corkscrew roller coaster and a few rides similar to what you would see at a carnival into the beginning of a true amusement park. The addition of water park a few years later only seemed to continue on this path. When Cedar Fair bought the mark, most of West Michigan thought it would mean extra cash resources would be available for expansion and a 3 or 4 hour drive (for Great America or Cedar Point, respectively) would now longer be necessary sooner than it would have been under the ownership of the Jordan family. Cruelly, the opposite seems to have happened.
Thank you so much for showing my little park love. Since Cedar Fair took over, it hasn't gotten nearly enough love or attention. Maybe a little positivity from coaster enthusiasts will help show Cedar Fair that there is so much promise here! I love Shivering Timbers, it was one of my first 'big' coasters.
As a kid, Timbers was my favorite ride, it was my OG favorite as a young enthusiast being a Michigan native. I first rode it in 2001, and it has implicitly shaped my idea of what out and back roller coasters should be ever since. It is absolutely full of airtime, and the trick track--back when it was smooth when I was a kid--was really fun, delivering strong laterals and a nice break from the minimalist, air-time filled approach of the rest of the ride. It really reminds me of an excellent hypercoaster; in fact if it were a hypercoaster, it would probably be my favorite. And while I wouldn't rank it above a lot of the rides you mentioned, it definitely belongs in my top 5 wooden coasters even all these years later. I'm glad to see it finally getting some love. It along with Wolverine Wildcat (which I also think is quite underrated, tbh) have been retracted by Martin & Velminckx a handful of times, and honestly I think it runs quite well for being 20+ years old. It is definitely a lot smoother in the past few years than it was around 2008-2012 (the turnaround, especially the drop from the turnaround, used to be extremely rough; and the trick track for its last few years was really harsh), so Cedar Fair is taking ok care of it recently. A couple potholes are to be expected, and they hopefully can be patched up soon. I've definitely been there on cool days where it is slightly sluggish. When it's too windy, the return trip, especially the Helix, can be a little sluggish since it runs east-west. But get there on a calm, sunny day, especially in the afternoon and evening, and it runs like a dream.d I also have a little bit of a theory as to why Cedar Fair has not been investing much into Michigan's Adventure beyond the "it'll compete with Cedar Point" thing (which never made sense to me given how much they pour into King's Island). The park is split between two townships, Dalton township and Fruitland township. The border between the townships is right to the east of Wolverine Wildcat. Most of the park is in Fruitland township, I think the only rides that are in Dalton are Shivering Timbers, Grand Rapids, and the train (although maybe a part of Wolverine Wildcat and Thunderhawk is over the line). Fruitland appears to have really strict zoning requirements that limit the ability of the park to grow. They have a specific amusement zoning that restricts the height of any amusement ride to 125 feet (conveniently just about the height of Shivering Timbers) (www.fruitlandtwp.org/Portals/34/2015%20zoning%20ordinances/ARTICLE%20XIII%20-%20AMUSEMENT%20PARK%20DISTRICT.pdf ), which would explain why they are not building anything big in the main part of the park. While it does appear that Dalton Township, where they might have the most room to grow, is not quite as strict (it is zoned as a normal commercial district), much of that land looks like it is a little swampy as it is surrounded by drainage ditches and man-made ponds. Judging by satellite images they use a lot of it for storage. I think Cedar Fair might not want to deal with a township and not great construction conditions--especially if, given its location, it will not be that profitable anyway.
Looks great I’ll have to get up there some day. I love how Ryan snuck a section about block zones in there as well lmao he didn’t need to but at the same time he really did
So pumped you did this video. This was my first and favorite coaster. I've always loved it and wondered why every wooden coaster I had been on seemed like it paled in comparison.
Yay! I’m glad to see that this coaster is getting recognition. I don’t ride it often, but when I do it’s a blast! Edit: Good news! I recently visited, and I saw Shivering Timber’s running! Looks like it’s all fixed up. :D Another edit: Drinking game, take a shot whenever he says “airtime”.
A couple of things. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! I have been saying for years that Shivering Timbers is vastly underrated. There is a ferry service that runs between Muskegon and Milwaukee. That saves hours very helpful if you want to go to Mt Olympus or SFGAM. Finally not only is Silver lake near but also Sleep Bear sand dunes which were voted most beautiful place in America. Well worth anybody's time.
I clicked so god damn fast when I saw we had a new ElToroRyan coaster breakdown, never knew how much I was interested in rollercoasters before finding this channel! never change dude!
I really hope it happens someday and someone gets ejected into the parking lot. Ya know, so long as it doesn't hurt the park more than it already is hurting.
@@jackknueve4645 why would you hope that? If you're going to take your seat belt off on a roller coaster, that coaster has my blessing to ejector air time you out of the park, into the parking lot.
@@JayFlowie Good one! For all the hate B&M's get, if they are such weak rides with no "intensity" nor "airtime" let the haters ride Leviathan, Fury, or Orion without the clamshell restraints or seat belts... if the ride's as weak as they say, they'll be fine!
@@racingphotographer8251 honestly.... I rode Orion a few weeks ago in 3 different spots. It wasn't very exciting to me lol. I think it's a good ride, a smooth b&m. But honestly I wouldn't even say it was in my top 3 at kings island. Sorry dude.
Going to MIA this Monday, it’s my home park and always has been. From northern Michigan, and I can I just say how amazing it is to finally see it get some attention!
Yes!!! This ride looks so freaking underated, I can feel the airtime from literally watching a POV, great work and I absolutely cannot wait for the other vlogs mang. 👍
@@coastaku1954 I've ridden it somewhere in the realm of 100-200 times and it has never failed to give me incredible sustained floater airtime in any seat. You're probably just expecting ejector airtime, in which case, yes, it has none.
Great to see this coaster getting attention. MI Adventure is my home park and I can still remember when this beast first was built. Best brace yourselves though, because she's a rough one!
Something to consider for coaster enthusiasts traveling between parks in the Midwest: there is a boat ferry between Milwaukee (30 minutes north of SF Great America) and Muskegon. This cuts the 4.5 hour (read: 6 hours with Chicago traffic and the time change) down to less than two hours.
Luckily Michigan’s Adventure received a Camp Snoopy this year, which gives them Woodstock Express, their first coaster addition since 2008. Hopefully it’s a sign of things to come and Cedar Fair will build up to potentially a new coaster addition in the next decade.
Wicked Twister is closing at Cedar Point. It's my sincere hope that it will get moved up here to MA. There's so much space in the park. It could really become a great asset for the area if they just made the access to it better. This park needs love, and the area could really make it a mark of pride too if they'd just develop that area a bit more.
So many coasters have the main drop and then try to twist and turn you in all directions. This one is dips dips dips dips and then more dips. Incredible! There used to be a coaster at the former West View Park in Pittsburgh called "The Dips" that was mostly all dips, like this coaster. To me, THAT is what makes for a great roller coater!! They used to call these types of coasters "Out and Back" coasters. I usually watch coaster videos just two or three times. I have watched this "Shivering Timbers" video at least two dozen times so far. I can't seem to get enough of it !! I never travel. I just love watching roller coaster videos. This is the FIRST coaster video I have ever watched which actually has me saying, "I want to GO to that park!!". GREAT video also!
Do you guys know there’s a lake ferry that goes between Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Muskegon, Michigan? So if you want to pair Michigan’s Adventure with Six Flags Great America and the parks in Wisconsin, the lake ferry acts as a convenient shortcut.
I waited and boarded this coaster with my kids expecting a regular coaster. I was unprepared for the speed and excitement of this coaster. This is a phenomenal coaster and this coaster is my fav. IMO - the seat 2/3 of the way back is best airtime.
As someone who has ridden the ride nearly annually for about the last decade, it actually receives more trackwork and care than you'd expect. It's very common to see fresh wood and track on sizable portions of the layout each year. Because it's such a vital part of the park, it doesn't get neglected like other wooden coasters at some more popular parks. They probably haven't touched it since the pandemic which is why the wood looks worse than it really is. Also, from what I hear, Michigan's Adventure is one of Cedar Fair's most profitable parks which is probably why they never closed it (don't quote me though). It kinda makes sense since MA doesn't get a new multi-million dollar coaster every couple of years and still has a very consistent attendance. It still needs a new coaster or two just to put it back on the map, though.
But even then they could use some touch ups. Like maybe entend the operating season. I find it strange that the park closes in early September even though Canada’s Wonderland is more northern than MA. Like, have a Halloween event or something.
Will definitely have to get out to Michigan’s Adventure to do Shivering Timbers. It’s always looked really good imo and it’s great to hear that it is capable of running well even nowadays.
Went to Michigan’s adventure on opening weekend and shivering timber and thunder hawk were closed. That was the first time I’ve been to Michigan’s adventure in like 8 years so I was massively disappointed. Shivering timber is one of my most ridden coasters still as I rode it about 25 times in a row last time I was there.
Death Game: Take a shot every time Ryan says "Air Time". Thanks for looking at this one, I honestly completely forgot I ever visited Michigan's Adventure back in the 2000's as a kid, and this brough back so many memories.
I rode this about ten years ago and remember it being pretty crazy, and it’s only 3 hours from Chicago! I’ve already put in about 12 days at Great America this year turning into a real enthusiast so I might have to make the trip!
I was just riding this a couple weeks ago. Best ride at the park, and surprisingly not-that-rough as the very straight layout removes a ton of the jostling that most wooden coasters have, even at 20+ years old. Also you don't have to wait in line for hours at Michigan's Adventure because it's not as popular, which improves ride experiences dramatically. Edits: - The staff do not seem to be as trained or efficient as other Cedar Fair parks I have been too, but that accident is pretty embarrassing. - The Sleeping Bear Dunes also exist in Michigan a few hours away, the whole west coast of the state has dunes. - While Cedar Fair didn't save Geagua Lake, it was already a failing park with plummeting attendance BEFORE they bought it so they hardly can be said to have killed it on purpose (bad attendance still probably caused by its proximity to Cedar Point though)
@@DoswarePictures DuneHack: Run down a big lakeside dune then walk down the beach to somewhere a friend can pick you up. Works especially well at the 400-ft dune on Pierce Stocking Drive in the national park, walk down the beach to North Bar Lake and laugh at the people who are taking a literal hour to climb back up.
THANK YOU!!! Michigan's Adventure is my home park and despite the park lacking... a lot this coaster is a world class airtime machine. I never noticed that the first drop had such an odd profile but I personally think that this ride is the quintessential out and back coaster in its purest form. I just wish we'd have a new coaster since they haven't given us one since 2008 with a used Vecoma SLC from a dead park. *sigh* one can dream I guess. Edit: oh wait you did mention Thunderhawk lol
WHEN I FIRST RODE THIS IN 1998 IT WAS EXTRAMLY SMOOTH.. SO GLAD U GOT HERE TO MICHIGAN thankyou for showing some love to my home park!! the place i grew up..
So many memories 💞 I marathonned this thing when it was still new (and still had the trick track) but hadn't been back for aaages until 2019 when I marathonned it again... it definitely feels rougher (or maybe I'm just getting older!) But it sure still feels FAST!
Fun fact about Shivering Timbers, if you look to the left on the second and third airtime hills you can see the ride graveyard in the wood where they dump old MA attractions.
I totally agree!! I think one reason it "faded" was rough track, a few bouncy valleys, and shuffling. They seemed to have remedied that. It is a GREAT ride.
😱😱😱 Who would’ve known this would be on El Toro Ryan’s top 15! I was thinking about checking out Michigan adventure when I last went to Michigan four years ago. Now I instantly regret not going because of this ride!
OMG, awesome vid. I used to go to Michigan's Adventure every summer with my family and wouldn't you know it, you guessed exactly what we used to do. We always stayed at a campground by the Silver Lake Sand Dunes and would spend several days there having fun at the beach and going on dune rides and such. Then, the highlight of the trip would be trekking over to Michigan's Adventure where we would spend the day riding rides and playing in the water park!
I went to Michigan for the picture rocks kayaking tour. I live in Indiana, and convinced my mom to take me there on our way back. We have about 3 hours until we arrive. Really excited for this one ride.
I went to Michigan’s Adventure on opening day this year for the first time, and Thunderhawk and Shivering Timbers were closed. I did not enjoy my time, but after seeing this video, I’m convinced I need to go back in late July. Another awesome video btw
Thank you very much for featuring this coaster! I remember seeing it featured in a History Channel show on coasters when it was new (I think it was Modern Marvels), but I couldn't remember what park it was for.
Can we just take a moment to appreciate how much effort ElToroRyan puts in to make these videos both accessible and incredibly detailed? Borderline-obssessively repeating every statistic in both metric and imperial, continuing to explain fairly basic stuff in each video in an effort to be welcoming to laymen and first-time viewers, and never coming off as pretentious or entitled even when making criticisms. All while providing the most thorough technical breakdowns out there for just about every coaster he reviews, going through each coaster element-by element (even when it's just airtime hill after airtime hill for the whole ride), and taking the time to research and explain the history and context behind every one of these rides and parks.
I used to be scared of roller coasters after riding Wolverine Wildcat back in the early 90s. That all changed on June 6 of 2000, when my mom and I went to Michigan's Adventure for my 7th grade end of year trip. I first rode Big Dipper then Mad Mouse, and then Wolverine Wildcat. I was very nervous when getting on Shivering Timbers due to its 53 degree first drop. After riding it, I was hooked on roller coasters!
I got to ride it with the Trick-Track around 2001. I remember everyone really talking about that because it was a throw back to woodies in the early 20th Century. Seriously, I remember being on that turn around straight track and thinking, there should be a block break here?! It's got to be attendance at the park never mandated having dispatch need it.
I love Shivering Timbers! I've ridden that coaster far more than any other. I went to Michigan's Adventure every summer as a kid, and there was never more than a fifteen twenty minute wait. Most of the time, of be able to walk up the que and get right on. I'd ridden that thing probably four or five hundred times.
we were there yesterday; i have lived here for 55 years and never went to this park. This ride is truly a great wooden coaster. My son and i were impressed with it. the other coasters were meh as he said. Cedar Fair has a ton of property here and could easily expand and invest in this park My son kept saying how much potential is there.
I remember the nonstop advertisements for this on television when it was first being built. I lived and still live a little under an hour away from the park, but it's been well over a decade since I've been there.
Shivering Timbers is one of the greatest wood coasters in existence! The only problems with this marvelous video is the ending helix goes left, but slams right (not slams left like stated in the video), and the focus on this coaster being "glass smooth." It is NOT "glass smooth," but a wooden coaster isn't supposed to be, (like El Toro when it was new). Roughness is to be expected and appreciated with a wood coaster, unless it's severe and due to maintenance neglect. I also take issue comparing a wood coaster with steel coasters. They're two completely separate categories! Shivering Timbers is one of the most powerful wood coasters in the world. The airtime is incredible, as described so well in this video. I believe the lack of attention has to do with it's out-of-the-way location in Michigan, many coaster hobbyists aren't willing to go that far out of the way, especially for a park that's deemed not-so-great. I don't give a damn about a park, I'm a coaster hobbyist and focus mainly on the particular roller coaster. So I'll go far out of my way for a wood coaster regardless of the opinions of the park. Thanks for such a marvelous video!
I really enjoyed this park when I went. No head banging on Thunderhawk and Corkscrew, no long lines, and Shivering Timber’s is insane. So many pops of airtime over and over. It was so insane we broke it after my first and only ride of the day on it :(
I think it looks great. Considering going in August. I expect it to be better than Mystic Timbers. I got blown away by Ravine Flyer II a few weeks ago and I expect this to do the same to be honest.
I grew up not far from this park. It was frequently a school field trip destination. But that was before Shivering Timbers was built. We had the Corkscrew and then the Wolverine Wildcat, but it was essentially a kiddie park. I even remember when the park was called Deer Park Funland.
I attended the ACE Preservation Con in 2018 at Indiana Beach and Michigan's Adventure. Other than the fact that Michigan's Adventure was really crowded during normal park hours, it was a fantastic time. ERT on Shivering Timbers was so much fun, especially at night. There was a a big dirt racing event going on just down the road from the park, so even as during the first half of the ride we were racing through the dark and starry night, dead ahead was a massive glow of light on the horizon, from a source we could not see. It was really spooky feeling, especially before I realized it was from the raceway, as it felt like we were out in the middle of nowhere, far from anything except the park. Its a shame that less than 70 people attended the event - well except the fact that this made the ERT all the better.
This is the amusement park i grew up going to ;w; it's so nice to see somebody show some love to it. I felt absolutely spoiled by the wooden coasters there.
Glad to see some love for this fantastic coaster. Definitely the smoothest wooden roller coaster I've ever been on. If you like lots of air-time and a fast ride without the sudden jerking around allot of coasters can have, this is the coaster for you.
I'm going to Michigan's Adventure in a couple weeks. I can't wait to ride Shivering Timbers! I got to ride the Voyage eight times last month for the first time, and it's my new favorite coaster. It's going to be fun to compare the two coasters.
My Mom took my two brothers and I to Michigan's Adventure since the summer of me going into third grade year and got us hooked on roller coasters! I remember heading into 5th grade summer 1998 with stories about Cedar Pointe spinning in my brain from my family!!! My brothers and I knew Shivering Timbers was opening up and my mom was testing the three of us to see if we could handle going to Cedar Pointe and the huge coasters!!!! We were PSYCHED!!! We also all three basically shit our pants when we turned the corner and the view of it entered our mindblown heads!!!! I was scared shitless, but still excited and we walked directly to the thing on opening year and I don't even think there was 5 minute line!!! My Mom rode it in the second train with my younger brother, but I have a picture of me on it with my older brother after pulling into the station and it is EUPHORIC!!!! Going to Michigan's Adventure was absolutely precious and still is, but I can accurately say without rose colored glasses that it was a true treat when I was a kid!!! No lines at all anywhere!!! Huge waterpark!!!! Truly treasured memories!!! Shivering Timbers, Maverick and The Magnum are my all time favorite, although I have much to explore! I remember one day in 2006 I lost my glasses somewhere and I couldn't find any of my friends so I rode shivering Timbers 25 times, my back hurt, but I loved it!