We had heard the rumors. A park so dangerous that the owner had to insure it through an insurance company he opened in the Cayman Islands. An amusement park that had earned the nickname “Class Action Park” from all the injury lawsuits during its operation.

Well after a couple years of talking about visiting, it was finally time to check out the infamous Action Park in Vernon, New Jersey. Although the name has been changed multiple times and a few of the most dangerous attractions have been since removed, it was truly a step back in time to the 1980s. Although it is now known as the Mountain Creek Waterpark, most people still refer to it by its former name.

 

Accommodations

I found an excellent rate of only $94 a night at the Courtyard in Parsippany, NJ, which was only a short drive from the park.

Due to my Marriott Platinum status, we were upgraded to a balcony room upon arrival, which gave us a little more room to spread out. The room was clean, comfortable and certainly fulfilled all of our requirements, and although Courtyards in the USA don’t typically offer free breakfast, the rate more than made up for it.

 

Night One: Sampling the Madness

Shortly before embarking on our trip, we noticed they were holding an “adult night” at the park for ages 21 and up on the first night we were in town. Tickets were only $10 for 6:30 PM to 11:00 PM, so getting another day in the park was a no-brainer.

We arrived shortly after opening and pulled into the parking lot to find scores of twenty-somethings “pregaming” by their cars. Understandably, it was necessary for most visitors to liquor up to fully numb their bodies to the pain that they were to likely endure.

After purchasing our tickets and likely agreeing to some sort of waiver by doing so, we made our way into the park. After checking out a couple milder rides, we made our way to the Colorado River attraction.

Although very few of the rides could be considered anything but tame, the Colorado River was truly the most insane ride in the park. Customers are actually issued helmets for safety.

Most of the original slides aren’t constructed out of fiberglass like in most waterparks. Instead, they appear to be fashioned out of crudely shaped concrete and paint. I can assure you that there is probably a reason that most other parks utilize fiberglass and probably consult an engineer before sending paying customers down their slides, but what’s the fun in that!

After a few rides down the river, we made our way to check out the bar. Unlike most amusement parks, there really aren’t any designated drinking areas. You can just carry your adult beverage anywhere you want.

It was also pouring down raining at this point, but still no lightning, so the rides operated as usual.

We made our way into the wave pool with our drinks in tow. At this point, most guests were also drinking, or were already good and drunk.

After an evening of merriment and shenanigans and probably multiple bruises, we made our way back the the hotel to retire and rest up for the next day.

 

Day Two: I Can’t Believe Someone Actually Insures This Place

After getting some rest, we made our way back to the park for more punishment. We picked up our tickets at the window and headed inside. Although adult admission typically goes for $45.99, we had purchased Groupons to the park for the low, low price of only $20 each.

We began the day by taking a few dives off the cliff jumps.

Nowhere else will you find a 23-foot diving platforms surrounded by railings made of welded rebar.

From what I read, the bottom of the pool was repainted white so that the lifeguards could see the bodies of anyone at the bottom who happened to be drowning.

Although all of us have jumped from much higher heights, none of this was done at a bona fide water park. We definitely began to hurt after a few jumps.

After the Cliff Jumps and a few rides on The Gauley and Colorado River, we made our way over to Surf hill. Similar to the six lane mat racers at traditional water parks, this one was also fashioned out of concrete and was much faster and steeper than any I’ve ever been on. The video for this and the other rides is below. Be warned, it contains some mild adult language.

 

Overall, the park was a ton of fun and we hope to make it back again before the insurance companies get wise and close it again. It provided us with lots of thrills and entertainment for a very reasonable price and we managed to not get too injured while enjoying it all.

Hope you liked the post!

Happy travels,

Matt