15 Awesome Water Parks In California

If you’re looking to beat the heat look no further than the Water Parks of California.

From heart pounding rides sure to please avid thrill seekers to wild rafting rides in the dark, half pipes that defy gravity, to the lazy rivers, splashing wave pools, and kiddie areas made for hours of fun, each park offers something unique and exciting.

Grab your bathing suit as you’ll be sure to want to visit at least a few of these great attractions.

1. Boomerang Bay, Santa Clara

Admission to Boomerang Bay is included with park admission to California’s Great America so if you’re on the hunt for thrilling rides or looking to take in a few shows before hitting the waves, Boomerang Bay is a great way to stretch your buck.

Be sure to try the Didgeridoo Falls, a four person rafting ride that stands fifty four feet tall.

For other thrilling rides don’t miss the Tasmanian Typhoon and the Screamin’ Wombat.

If you’re just in the mood to relax, float down the Castaway Creek lazy river.

For the younger water park enthusiasts in your life, there’s plenty of rides as well as the Jackaroo landing complete with rope ladders, slides, and a tipping bucket of water.

2. LEGOLAND Water Park, Carlsbad

LEGOLAND Water Park is one of the coolest experiences and a total must see! For smaller swimmers there’s the Duplo Splash Safari.

Don’t miss Eglor’s Build-A-Boat where you design your own LEGO ship and set it sailing around already built scenes and buildings.

The Pirate Reef is also not to be missed. Choose your lucky ship and duel it out with water guns. There’s also a wave and splash pool.

When you’re finally ready to dry off, take in all the wonder of LEGOLAND as well.

Stay in the exciting LEGOLAND hotel and if you have enough time, the Sea Life Aquarium is worth a view as well!

3. Raging Waters, Sacramento

With over twenty-five attractions including thrilling slides, beautiful pools, and kid’s areas, Raging Waters in Sacramento is a water paradise.

Adventure seekers should enter the Dragon’s Den.

Ride through five stories of darkness to plummet into a misty shroud below.

Challenge the Cliffhanger or Great White slides.

The Honolulu Half Pipe, complete with massive waves and the Hurricane Bay Slide, six stories of darkness, are some other not to miss rides.

The park also features volleyball, tidal waves at Break Beach, and a beautiful lazy river.

The kiddie slides and kiddie areas are sure to make for hours of fun!

4. Waterworld California, Concord

For more bang for your buck, season passes to Waterworld California are quite affordable.

From the seasoned rider to the kiddie pools, Waterworld has a wide variety of rides for every age.

Whoosh down the Break Point Plunge if you dare.

The ride is over six stories tall and includes an encased launch capsule and two hundred and seventy feet of daring fun.

There are a host of other thrilling slides as well.

Try the raft slides and tubes slides for other thrilling adventures.

If you’re not up to free fall plunges there’s the more relaxing rivers and wave pools.

For the kids, check out the water playground and sprayground.

Food and drinks are conveniently available throughout the park.

5. WaterWorks Park, Redding

Featuring exciting rides and innovative kiddie areas, WaterWorks offers hours of wet and wild fun.

Be sure to check the website for specials and features! Meet The Beast if you dare.

The ride is over three hundred and fifty feet long of pitch black thrills, twists, turns and drops.

Toted as “the ride of a lifetime,” tube down The Cyclone.

Take a five story plunge to land in a giant bowl and eventually get sucked down into another enclosed slide.

A splashing waterfall ends the ride.

The Awesome Avalanche shoots you down four stories to land in a canyon and quickly shot up the sides.

When you want to relax, let the slow currents of the lazy river take you past tall palms and flowing waterfalls.

The kiddie area features a pool, slides, and fountain.

6. Raging Waters, San Dimas

The park features great rates for groups so if you’re planning a family reunion, a school trip, or a birthday, it’s a great way to stretch your dollar! The park features the Aqua Rocket, a wet coaster that takes you for a wild ride on a four person raft.

Try the Bermuda Triangle for twisting, turning, hair raising fun.

Don’t miss the Black Hole, the first two person raft ride through darkness in the country.

As with other Raging Waters locations, this park also features the Dragon’s Den.

Neptune’s Fury is sure to please even the most avid adrenaline junky.

The six hundred foot long ride takes a four man raft down a sixty foot drop at thirty miles an hour, and all in complete pitch black darkness! If you’re into racing, take a turn on the Ragin’ Racer’s eight lanes.

The park has many other exhilarating rides and slides as well as more relaxing wave pools and lazy rivers.

The kiddie areas are great as well!

7. Splash Kingdom Waterpark, Redlands

The giant Egyptian head with sunglasses at the entrance sets this park apart.

Featuring the Tower of Kings, the country’s tallest freestanding waterslide tower, many other heart racing slides, a lazy river, wave pool, wave simulator, fountains, splash parks and activity parks, Splash Kingdom is a delight.

However, that’s not the end of it.

The park also offers the Big Air Trampoline Park! If you’re lucky enough to visit the park in October, it becomes Scream Kingdom and features exciting and terrifying mazes and scarezones.

Don’t worry about coming hungry.

The park offers some great eats and treats with Egyptian statues throughout!

8. Knott’s Soak City, Buena Park

Knott’s Soak City in Buena Park offers all the heart racing slides, rafting options, tidal wave bay, lazy river, and mat racers that you can handle.

The Toyota Beach House features three stories of water fun including a giant bucket of water that dumps on anyone standing below.

There’s some great food, treat, and shopping options in the park as well.

For one great price you can buy a ride and slide ticket which allows you entry into both the Knott’s Berry Farm and Soak City.

Check the website for pricing, schedules and details!

9. Wild Water Adventure Park, Clovis

From high thrills to kiddie pools, Wild Water Adventure Park in Clovis has it all.

For those who dare, the GhostSlider, the park’s most extreme ride awaits.

Soar down the slide into a super bowl before entering the cool water.

Try the Sidewinder, a halfpipe style tube ride, enter the Black Hole slide, or challenge Vortex & Vertigo- dark tube rides.

The park also features The Blue Wave, California’s largest (thirty thousand square foot) wave pool.

If you’re up for a race, check out the Kings River Waterworks, a four lane mat slide.

For smaller water lovers there’s Adventure Bay, California’s largest kiddie area.

The fifteen thousand square foot area comes complete with a tropical garden, beautiful sea creatures and tons of slides and activities.

Uniquely, Wild Water Adventures also has three lakes for fishing.

Bring a pole (license is covered by admission fee) and fish for Bass, Crappie, Catfish and Bluegill.

Check out the website for fishing details and other equipment to bring.

10. Raging Waters, San Jose

This twenty-three acre park in San Jose is Northern California’s largest water park featuring tons of different rides, slides, rivers, wave pools and kiddie areas.

New to the park is the Sidewinder, the first inside-outside head first quad racer! Try the hair raising Bombs Away ride where you’ll plummet through over two hundred feet of twists and turns.

This Raging Waters location also has the Dragon’s Den, a mysterious and dark ride featuring a misty abyss.

Plastic water bottles are allowed in the park but no other outside food or drinks may be brought in so be sure to check out the many dining options inside the park including funnel cakes and cotton candy!

11. Six Flags hurricane Harbour, Valencia

For a day of wet and wild fun, look no further than Six Flags.

Ride the Black Snake Summit or the Taboo Tower if you dare.

Raft down the Tornado or Lost Temple Rapids.

Ride the lazy River Cruise or relax in the Forgotten Sea Wave Pool.

Cool down in the Lizard Lagoon or check out the Splash Island and Castaway Cove for the kids.

Take in the Dive in movies or enjoy some of the great food and snacks.

The park also offers unique shopping.

12. The Wave Waterpark, Vista

Besides great rides and hours of wet, cool fun, the park offers swim lessons, splash camps and other programs.

Check out their website for details and schedules.

If you happen to be going to the park on select Fridays, be sure to check out the Friday Nite Splash Events.

The park is home to exciting slides, simulated waves, a crazy lazy river and a competition pool which offers lane swimming and lessons.

Check out Rippity’s Rainforest for smaller children.

Be sure to check out the concession shops including the Sugar Shack cart for some delicious treats!

13. Dry Town waterpark, Palmdale

Once a booming town of ten thousand people thanks to the gold mines of California’s gold rush, Drytown in Palmdale is a California Historical Landmark.

The DryTown waterpark features rides named for the historical goldish and is itself, a gold mine of exciting water fun.

If you’re in a racing mood, try Dusty’s Mineshaft Racer, a high speed mat race with three hundred and sixty degree turns and forty foot drops.

The Devil’s Punch Bowl is sure to thrill.

Rocket down an enclosed slide into the bowl where you spin round and round before sliding down to the pool below.

Try a dark plunge in Rattler’s Revenge or test your luck on the Wildcatter.

The park also features the Big Rock River, a nine hundred and twenty-five foot long lazy river, and the Little Miner’s Camp area that includes spray cannons and the giant tipping water bucket.

14. Island Waterpark, Fresno

Located in Fresno, Central California, Island Waterpark has a wide variety of attractions for people of all ages.

Daring slides, freefall plunges, and great kiddie areas all add up to make this park an exciting place to visit.

Be sure to check the calendar and schedule of events on the website for the special events that the park often hosts.