In most water parks, you have to work for fun – riding the slides involves climbing a lot of stairs. Action Park is not like most water parks… but it still has to work for your fun. Built into the side of a mountain, just going through the park’s main gate and reaching the lockers involves walking up a steep path. Most of the attractions use the natural topography of the mountain and do not rise above the ground or require climbing towers. And what wild rides! Even the park’s “family” raft ride seems designed for a family of extreme thrill seekers.
Telephone:
973-864-8444
Hours of Operation:
Location and directions:
The physical address is 200 Route 94 in Vernon, New Jersey. For GPS, use address 200 McAfee Vernon Road, Vernon, NJ. It is in northern New Jersey, about an hour from New York City.
From New York, take the Holland Tunnel (14th St.) to NJ-139 W. Merge onto US 1-9 N to ramp RT-3 W to New Jersey Turnpike / Rt. 495 to NJ-3 W. Take US -46 W to NJ-23 to Wayne. Turn right onto CR-515 / Stockholm Vernon Rd., Then left onto NJ-94 / McAfee Vernon Rd. Park.
Admission Policy
Hotel Information:
Black Creek Sanctuary in Action Park
Compare Black Creek Sanctuary prices on TripAdvisor.
See the water park:
Amusement Park Photo Tour
Water park features:
High Anxiety Funnel Trip Review.
New to the park:
For 2009, the park introduced Alpine Pipeline, an enclosed double tube slide.
Water park overview
“The action is back.” So proclaims the advertising copy of Action Park. The slogan has something of a double meaning. Many of the park’s attractions are quite aggressive and provide more than a good amount of action. But the motto also refers to the origins of the park.
When it opened in 1976, the new concept was known as Action Park. Almost the same vintage as the pioneers River Country at Walt Disney World and Orlando’s Wet ‘n Wild, Action Park was one of the industry’s first water parks. With hundreds of water parks around the world, the industry has matured ever since. Most parks now get their rides from a handful of manufacturers and they tend to be cookie cutter knockoffs. But without a prototype, the Action Park developers had to invent it as they went along.
That led to some tragic missteps when a series of injuries occurred at the park in the 1980s. Not surprisingly, then, its new owner changed the park’s name in 1998 to Mountain Creek. But the legend endured, and despite past calamities, the owners reclaimed the Action Park name in 2014.
The most notorious attractions are gone, but there are still echoes of the distinctive water park. Instead of towers of slides that rise from the ground, most of the attractions use the terrain of the mountain. That means walking up the steep slope of the park requires a bit of huffing and puffing. It also means that none of the slides or other attractions are visible to motorists along Route 94. In fact, with its small signs and low profile, passersby may not know the park is there unless they do. are looking for.
Beware of the tycoons
Once inside the park, it can be a bit disorienting trying to find the rides. Because they use the topography of the mountain, many of the slides meander underneath the trails, twisting and turning around each other, and are otherwise camouflaged by the park’s dense trees. A sure way to find the games: follow the screams.
Action Park’s unique attractions, particularly the older ones, are unusually tough. For example, the Colorado River, which the park rather benignly describes as a family raft ride, is devilishly noisy. Family members need to endure life as the steep slope of the river increases at tremendous speed and the magnates incorporated into the canal send the rafts at full speed. As if that wasn’t puzzling enough, at one point the rafts enter a cave-like structure for a near-lightless ride. I’m not complaining, yes.
Emotions are the Holy Grail for many park enthusiasts, myself included. But the red diamond rating of the Colorado River, the second-highest level in the park, combined with its designation as a family outing is misleading. This was almost as wild as any waterslide I have ever tried.
Untamed experiences, almost out of control, abound in Action Park. Bombs Away’s short slide ends abruptly and sends the brave souls free falling about 15 feet into a ravine. Adjacent Canyon cliffs skip the slide; daredevils simply jump off the edge for a 20-foot dive into the water. Even Cannon Ball Falls, a pair of enclosed body slides that appear to be at the mill, speed up quickly (they meet on a particularly steep part of the mountain) and throw riders about seven feet over a pool of water where, cartoon character style, momentarily defy gravity before falling with a thud.
You may have high anxiety
Other attractions include High Anxiety, a fun and visually fun funnel ride. At 99 feet, H2-Oh-No is among the tallest and fastest waterslides in the world. Located at the highest point along the mountain, the view adds to the excitement and offers a breathtaking view. Riders on Tarzan’s Swings use a trapeze (sorry, no vines) to swing over a pool. Some drop the trapeze at the height of their bow and launch themselves gracefully. Others panic and drop just above the water to deliver a knockout blow.
In addition to its status as one of the oldest water parks, Action Park is also among the largest. With around 24 attractions spread across its 36 acres, there is a sense of discovery as guests stumble upon another partially hidden slide in the wooded setting. And while the park is full of thrills, there are plenty of attractions for the less adventurous fun-loving. The Hightide Wavepool is huge and can accommodate a group of swimmers looking for their surfing or some relief from the heat between waves. Young kids have their own mini lazy river (funnily enough, Action Park doesn’t have a lazy river for big fans, a staple at almost every other water park) and plenty of other diversions.
There are many food stalls and a good variety of foods, but the prices are a bit high. The park does not allow guests to bring food, but does allow guests to bring their own bottled water. Take them in the offer.
