October 12th Camelback: Indoor Waterpark Progress, Alpine Coaster, and Ziplines

On Sunday we had the privilege to take in the autumn activities at Camelback, Tannersville, PA in the Pocono Mountains. At this time of year it is an autumn wonderland. The new Camelback Lodge is really starting to take shape! By the time it is completed, the complex will have 453 rooms and contain the largest indoor waterpark in the Northeast part of the country. Between the neighboring outdoor Camelbeach waterpark, the Great Wolf Lodge, the planned Blue Mountain Ski Area water park, the Kalahari opening at the same time as the new Camelback Lodge next year, and a handful of other area water parks, this region will have a solid claim towards being the water attractions capital of the world. Within close proximity of both New York City and Philadelphia, the Poconos look primed for a resurgence back to the glory days of the old resorts. 

Here is the progress on the massive new building.

Here are the waterside pieces all lined up.

Even with how large this addition is, it looks tiny from the top of the mountain! The majesty of this view of the Poconos is unmatched. 

 Now for what we visited for: thrills! Since it is a little too chilly to operate the 37 watersides at the outdoor Camelbeach, we are going to fly on the Alpine Coaster and Ziplines! I was not quite sure of what to expect with the Alpine Coaster.  

 The autumn yellows were especially vivid!

 It is the option of the riders to go as fast or slow as they like thanks to hand braking! You read that right, the rider controls the speed and stopping! It does not look like it is that intense, but I was definitely wrong.

 The ride is also open year round! I will have to see if we can get up here again in the winter

The coaster travels along 4500 feet of track, good for second longest in the state to Dorney Park's Steel Force. With a single car, this length of this coaster feels even longer! Throughout the course it flies through drops and helix elements that switchback down the Camelback slopes that have made the resort a huge destination. 

 Knowing me, you know that I chose to not brake at all until the end. This ride provides a huge thrill, especially on the helix elements. When the car really starts flying, you are really in for a wild ride with nothing but a single seatbelt holding you in. 

 The view from the top of the mountain is phenomenal. Big Pocono State Park is located there and provides one of the most stunning vistas of the Pocono Mountains. This view is looking down the Asp expert trail. Just to think in just over a month you will see nothing but snow in this view. This is where the longest and tallest zipline in North America is launched from.

 Zipline time!

With the huge expansion coming and the plethora of thrills offered throughout the resort, the future looks really bright. I would love to see them contact nearby Great Coasters International to build a tremendous terrain hugging wood coaster at some point in the near future in addition to adding some more amusement ride attractions. The huge new indoor waterpark resort should be a big hit for the resort.

Available now is our 2015 Roller Coaster Calendar. It is on early-bird special and available through this link!