The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (160 page)

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FastView:
 
You’ll want to ride this one again and again, so wear a poncho or bring a change of socks and T shirt!
]

When Guests wander through the
Grizzly Peak
area south of
Condor Flats
it’s almost impossible even for those in the know to remember that until 2001, all of this land was a flat, paved parking lot.  The present illusion of a tranquil, forested Northern California wilderness park is stunning, every sight, sound, texture, and scent.

The environment is immersive, from the forests of pines, redwoods
, and deciduous trees, to the soil, pebbles, boulders, and rocky outcroppings, the flowers and plants, the creeks, waterfalls, and roiling rapids, the bird song and animal paw prints, and, literally rising above all, massive
Grizzly Peak
, which looks like the head and shoulders of a nobly snarling bear.

The
E-ticket
thriller of this district is
Grizzly River Run
(
GRR
), a white-water flume attraction that winds up, down, and around
Grizzly Peak
.  On
DCA
’s
Opening Day
,
Grizzly River Run
boasted the highest plunge on the planet for comparable flume rides.

Despite the
general criticisms
DCA Park
endured from its opening in 2001 until 2012 (or thereabouts),
Grizzly River Run
has escaped complaint and has in fact been a reliably popular
DCA
attraction. 
DCA
’s extensive overhaul, which concluded in 2012, hardly touched
Grizzly River Run
; a proven winner, it remained intact aside from some largely cosmetic upgrades.

The
Grizzly River Run
queue entrance is just across the trail from the
Grand Californian
’s private park entrance, in the shadow of a tall wooden bear statue that wears a life-vest and holds a double-bladed kayak paddle.  The monumental bear looks pretty rugged, and Guests can take that as a warning. 
Grizzly River Run
isn’t a real white water journey, but it’s a darned good facsimile, and not for everyone.  As posted signs indicate, Guests shorter than 42” or prone to motion sickness or certain physical or medical conditions shouldn’t raft these waters.

Not sure if this experience is for you?  A number of trails and lookout points wrap around the attrac
tion, giving Guests vantage points from which to watch loved ones and total strangers whirling down the final waterfall.  It’s up to you whether that last 21-foot plunge, the gallons of rushing water, and the spinning rafts make this attraction too over-the-top for your taste.

If you decide not to ride, but the others in your party do, don’t despair; there are plenty of nearby benches where you can rest in the shade or sun, the
Rushin’ River Outfitters
shop is next door, and the
Happy Camper
often plays cheerful tunes just up the trail.

G
rizzly River Run
is one of the most richly themed attractions at
DCA
.  The queue winds above a forested river below
Grizzly Peak
, past outbuildings containing paddles, kayaks, helmets, maps–all the paraphernalia of a rafting excursion outfit in the wilds of California.  Adding another layer of interest:  The river rafting company has set up shop in a historic old mining facility.

A boulder near the queue entrance bears (pardon the pun) the mountain’s back story.  Succinctly put,
Ah-ha-le
, the Coyote, turned brave
Oo-soo-ma-te
, the Grizzly Bear, into a mountain peak that would always stand its ground against intruders and serve as guardian of the land.

Before joining the queue, you’re well advised to visit the lockers north of the attraction near the
Grizzly Peak
legend boulder.  There’s no charge for your locker the first several hours you use it; stow any valuables that you don’t want swept away by the rapids, and you might consider stowing a dry pair of socks and shoes for you and your little ones too.  Put your locker ticket, with its secret access code, in a safe and dry place so you don’t lose it.

On hot summer days the
Grizzly River Run
queue can be an hour or more.  If time is an issue, a
FastPass
is recommended, or, if you alone are braving the rapids, take advantage of the much shorter
Single Riders
queue.

If you must wait in a long line, this is one of the better queues; it has plenty of shade and interesting views of the final waterfall and the eerie, steaming, Yellowstone-like landscape and geysers of the river journey’s final leg.  There’s plenty to take in while you wait, and then before you know it you and your party will be descending the worn wooden stairs that lead to the loading dock.

A Cast Member in the loading zone will ask the number of Guests in your party, then direct you to one of the empty rafts by the raft’s color and by number (example:  red, number three).  You and your party step lively but carefully along the rotating plank platform against which the empty rafts are secured, and make your way to the assigned raft.

Board with caution as the steps, floor and seats of the raft will be slippery. 
You take your seats–there are eight per raft–and fasten your seatbelts.  Because they’re wet, the seatbelts are often difficult to adjust and fasten.  Take your time.  Once you’re secure, help any little ones in your party fasten their restraints.

Your raft will spin free of the rotating dock and float gently below the
Rushin’ River Outfitters
shop, then glide around a bend and bear southeast.  You’ll be caught by a conveyer belt that will pull you at a steep angle up the 300-foot long ore trestle of the abandoned gold mine that serves as the
Grizzly Peak Rafting Company
headquarters.  As you slowly ascend the trestle, you’ll be sprayed by water from leaky pipes and you’ll enjoy incredible views of the park and of the nearby
Grand Californian Hotel & Spa
.

You’ll be able to tell
which Guests in the raft have never experienced
Grizzly River Run
before, because now is the time that they start biting their nails and looking around nervously.  Their loved ones will either reassure them or tease them, depending on the nature of their family!

The first drop is so mild, it’s deceptive.  Your raft slides gently off the trestle’s peak and into the river proper.  Above you looms the noble granite bear head of the mountain.  You’ve reached
Grizzly Summit
, at the purported elevation of 1,401 feet (actually 110 feet), and, well, really, how bad was that?  This river trip will be cake after all, think some nervous novices!

Not exactly.  Within a few seconds, your raft spins and lurches wildly into a dark cave in the great grizzly’s “throat”
.  Water sloshes over the sides of the craft as it twirls through the darkness accompanied by the deep tones of a howling wind that sounds like a growling, howling bear.  Appropriately enough, this tunnel is named
Howling Cavern
.

You emerge
from the cave and the craft revolves and see-saws up and down in the wild white water.  First this side of the raft, then the other, is flooded and drenched.  You can never predict which Guest will be soaked and which will remain nearly bone dry.  Tip:  To avoid
completely
drenched socks and sneakers, lift your feet and then tuck them under your seat or balance them on the center post.

How much water is roiling through the
Grizzly River Run
channels?  How about
250,000 gallons
!  Gifted
Imagineer
Mark Sumner
, who also engineered
Soarin’ Over California
’s innovative ride system, designed
Grizzly River Run
so that its pumps and machinery are concealed within the mountain, and so that its 250,000 gallons of water draw from the nearby tidal basin of
Pacific Wharf
, a vast water source essentially hiding in plain sight.

After racing out of
Howling Cavern
and around a couple of bends, past petro glyphs and the easel of a
plein-air
painter, you make your first
real
plunge down the
Bear Claw Falls
, a short but steep drop that spins your raft about 180 degrees.

Passengers laugh, shriek
, and sputter as they’re splashed by big waves, and before anyone can recover you’re dashing through
Eureka Mine Shaft #13
!  Then it’s back out into the light, and more twists and turns and the
Pinball Rapids
, and then that final 21-foot plunge down the
Grizzly-Go-Round
falls.  The final falls spin your raft 360 degrees and it’s unlikely anyone will escape
some
level of soaking in the maelstrom of water and waves!

As everyone wrings out their braids and hats and jackets, your raft drifts through a misty, spooky landscape inspired by Yellowstone Park’s hot springs.  The land bubbles and steams
like you’ve time-traveled back to primeval days, and tall geysers shoot up unexpectedly.  A recent refurbishment added more geysers, but they’re all located at the edges of the waterway; they’ll spray you, but they won’t soak you.  After navigating the geysers, your raft passes through a series of gates, finally locking to the dock turntable.

Unbuckle your seatbelt and your little ones’ seatbelts, and carefully exit the raft–carefully because
the raft is slippery and in motion and you’re probably still a little dizzy from the
Grizzly-Go-Round
.  Expect to be a bit wobbly on your pins for a moment, like most water travelers returning to dry land, and remember you’re walking on a turntable.

As you stagger up the worn wooden steps, clutching the rail with one hand and your kids with the other, you can pat yourself on the back (figuratively, anyway). 
Grizzly River
beckoned, and you met it head on! 
Did You Know?
  The Sierra Nevadas (literally, “snowy mountain range”) are the inspiration for
Grizzly Peak
and the
Grizzly Peak Recreation Area
.  In his last press conference before he passed away,
Walt
discussed his plans for
Mineral King
, the incredible wilderness resort he intended to build in the southern Sierra Nevadas. 
Walt
fell for the mountains and the sport of skiing when he chaired the
Pageantry Committee
for the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley. 
Walt
’s proposed
Mineral King
Resort
, had he lived and had it been built, would’ve included a lovely alpine village designed to harmonize with its surroundings, and would’ve been a paradise for skiers, hikers, equestrians, and nature lovers, a 3,000-Guest oasis that respected and complemented the natural beauty in which it was built.  In the 1970’s, the area where
Walt
had wanted to build
Mineral King
was incorporated into Sequoia National Park and resort development was prohibited. 
Did You Also Know?
  It’s appropriate that the
Imagineers
selected a grizzly bear as
DCA
’s central icon, because the grizzly bear is California’s official state animal.  The grizzly always appeared on the California State Seal, which was adopted in 1849, the year the gold rush exploded and the year before California officially became a U.S. state.  However, it wasn’t until 1953 that the grizzly was named California’s state animal.  Sadly, by 1922 California grizzly bears had been hunted down and eliminated because of their real and perceived danger to livestock and humans. 
Did You Also Know?
 
Grizzly River Run
is a Guest favorite that never gets old and rewards repeat rides.  Visit it as soon as
DCA
opens or on an off-season day when the queue is short, and ride it multiple times in a row.  The record in our family is held by my niece and me; one morning we braved
Grizzly River Run
five times in a row.  I was so waterlogged that I had to buy not only a new pair of socks but a new outfit at
Rushin’ River Outfitters
.  Some riders wear ponchos, which can be purchased for around $10 at
Rushin’ River Outfitters
and other park shops. 
Night Vision:
  For an extraordinary experience, challenge the
Grizzly River Run
after the sun sets.  Spinning along the white water through the caverns and over the falls in the darkness is a singularly beautiful experience that transports you to the pioneer era when small parties of explorers like Lewis and Clark shot the rapids along unfamiliar rivers, never knowing what would appear beyond each bend.  An added bonus of a night ride:  When darkness falls the lines are much shorter and you won’t have to wait long to board. 
Single Riders:
  Yes,
Grizzly River Run
offers a
Single Rider
option.  If you can’t convince anyone else in your party to brave the rapids, that means a much shorter queue for you!  Follow the
Single Rider
signs up the exit stairs and then down to the loading turntable.  Let the Cast Member on duty know that you’re a
Single Rider
, and they’ll direct you to fill in an empty space on one of the rafts that’s being loaded. 
FastPass:
Yes.  Especially on hot summer days, unless you’re willing to wait 45 minutes to an hour, you’ll want to get a
FastPass
.  But during weekdays, off-season, and on drizzly days wait times can be as brief as five minutes. 
Kid’s Eye View:
  This is my favorite ride in the park.  It’s only fun in the summer; in the winter you can get really cold.  There are only two drops and they’re not too steep.  It seems like it would be scary to go backward over the drops, but actually it’s less scary when you’re riding backward.