As discussed in our Silverwood Trip Planning guide, we recommend 2 days for most people visiting the park. In this article, we’ll take you through our suggested itinerary for what to do in those 2 days. The goal here isn’t to get on every single attraction as many times as possible, but rather, to provide a solid and even balance of rides, entertainment, and food. In essence, it’s what we would consider the “perfect” two days at the park. (Updated August 12, 2024)
Before we dive in, a couple points to keep in mind. We’ve written this from the perspective of having “Day 1” be your “Boulder Beach Day”, but we’d advise checking the weather first. Even in July and August, the weather in northern Idaho can be very unpredictable, and you don’t want to end up at the water park on a 70-degree cloudy day. So, whichever day ends up looking to be the hottest, make that your Boulder Beach Day. You won’t miss out on anything by switching our Day 1 with our Day 2.
Secondly, we’ve written this with a lot of suggestions that will seem counterintuitive at first. But our overall approach here is that if you want to maximize your day you need to “zig while others zag”, to borrow a quote from one of our favorite Disney bloggers. In other words, by bucking the norm and heading the opposite direction of the crowd, you’ll avoid a lot of long lines later in your day. It’s worth sacrificing the one or two lines that’ll be long regardless.
With all that out of the way, let’s jump in!
Most who are familiar with theme park visits can probably guess what we’re about to say first: get to the park early!! The first hour or two of your day are easily the most productive time you’ll have, as crowds will be low and lines will be short. At Silverwood, there is literally no excuse NOT to do this. The park opens at 11am every day of the regular season, so there is plenty of time to arrive early, even if you like to sleep in a bit! 🙂 We suggest pulling into the parking lot no later than 10am, especially on weekends. After you get through bag check and the ticket stands, swing over to the Silverwood Coffee Roasting Company for a drink and (more importantly) a bite to eat. This shop boasts some of the best baked-from-scratch goods you’ll find anywhere. The Cinnamon Rolls and the Blueberry Muffin Tops are our two favorites. Grab one or two, and head over to the entrance to Boulder Beach. If you arrive about 30-40 minutes before rope drop, you should be close to the front of the line. Use this time to enjoy your mid-morning snacks, and layer your group up with sunscreen.
Once you’re in the park, send part of your group over to the tube rental area to get tubes for your party, and the rest of you head to set up camp. Our favorite spot is the shaded chairs next to Riptide Racer. This is a nice, central location that gives you easy access to most of the water park. If you have very small children in your group (toddlers/infants), we would instead say to go get a spot by Toddler Springs.
Once you’re all set up, head straight over to Avalanche Mountain and Ricochet Rapids. These slides have the longest, slowest lines of essentially everything in the entire park, so you’ll want to do these first. Try and go for a couple rides on each if the lines stay short.
So here’s the first time you might be thinking this is a counterintuitive suggestion. Most will recommend heading to Eagle Hunt first, but trust us on this one. That ride queue fills up extremely fast, and you’ll end up waiting in line there, all while missing out on the prime time to do other things while the rest of the water park remains empty. So, go to Avalanche Mountain, Ricochet Rapids, and others, and do ALL of that while they’re walk-ons.
Next, head for the other big slide towers. We’re talking Velocity Peak (speed slides), Rumble Falls (tube slides), and Riptide Racer (mat racer). These all tend to get much busier in the afternoon when it gets a warmer. And while you may feel a tad bit chilly earlier in the day, you’ll definitely be spending more time on the slides and less time in line at this time of day.
Usually at this point it’s going to be at least 1pm, so many people are going to start thinking about getting food. But before you do, take a peek at the line for Eagle Hunt. We find that the line tapered off a bit around mealtimes, down to about 30-ish minutes. If the queue doesn’t extend much past the bottom of the staircase, now is the time to ride. Do the same around dinner time.
After you’ve ridden Eagle Hunt, it’s time to grab something to eat. We’ll be very blunt here: Boulder Beach does not have any food that we have found to be noteworthy. Mostly, it’s the standard “theme park” offerings. Nothing terrible, just nothing that has ever stood out to us. Sapphire Grill serves pizza, and Hawaiian rice bowls. Pablo’s serves Mexican food such as burritos, taco salads, and more. And Rapids Grill serves the rest – burgers, hot dogs, turkey legs, etc. Take your pick, whatever you’re in the mood for, and head back to your “camp” spot to enjoy.
While your food settles, this is the perfect time to enjoy the Lazy River, one of our favorite things at the water park. Take a couple laps around the river, enjoying all the scenery, water features, and sunshine. This is also a great time to enjoy the wave pools, toddler springs, and polliwog park. While everyone else is standing in the insanely long lines elsewhere in the park, you can kick back and relax. Spend a good couple hours getting your fill in of these attractions. When the clock hits somewhere around the 3pm-4pm time frame, that’s usually a good time to throw in the towel (no pun intended).
After you’ve gathered your belongings and returned your tubes, make your way over to the dry park, but don’t be too worried about staying dry for very long. This is the perfect chance to hit up all the water rides in the park. Go straight for Thunder Canyon and the Log Flume. And if you’ve got time and patience, maybe even the Bumper Boats. Even if you get soaked, you’ve still got lots of sun left in the day to dry you out, and let’s be honest, your swim shorts are probably still wet from the water park anyways!
For dinner, we always recommend Lindy’s – it’s the best food in the park, and well worth the time and money. We gush enough about this place in our Lindy’s Restaraunt Review, so we won’t re-hash all of that here. Try and time your dinner so you can hit up the 7pm Train Ride afterwards. This is a great way to let your food settle: riding the 30-minute loop around the perimeter as the sun sets over the mountains. Make sure it’s not getting too dark though, otherwise you won’t get the robbery show.
If you’re at the park during summertime, you’ve likely still got at least another hour or so left in the day. And if you can swing it (i.e. if you don’t have a baby with you), close down the park by getting a big ride or two in at Coaster Alley. The last hour especially can be almost as productive as the first – the lines get shorter and the crowds get thinner. Plus, the coasters are much more fun in the evening!
And finally, as you’re walking out of the park, finish off your day by grabbing one of the many delicious treats available, such as a caramel apple at the stand just near the entrance to Country Carnival.
For Day 2 – you’ll repeat most of the same stuff we suggested for day 1. Get to the park early again, and grab a treat from the coffee shop (get whichever one(s) you skipped over the previous day). The only difference here is that we’re going to suggest heading to the dry park today. Go get a spot in line at the Country Carnival entrance, enjoy your treats, and again layer up on sunscreen.
Once the rope drops, head straight back to Coaster Alley. In case you hadn’t picked up on the pattern here, we’ve now sent you to the farthest ends of the parks for your first stops. And that’s because most people won’t get this far back until later on, so it’s your perfect chance to ride like crazy. Hit up all the big stuff while the lines are short. We’d suggest Aftershock and the two Woodies first. Then SpinCycle and Panic Plunge. All five of these are great rides. You should easily be able to get most of these in during the first hour or two of the day.
Don’t worry, we didn’t forget about Stunt Pilot. Hit that one up on the way out of Coaster Alley, but do not, we repeat: DO NOT go to Stunt Pilot first. It’s the only coaster that runs two trains, and as a result of the incredibly efficient loading process, usually has a very short line. Instead, you want to hit the other coasters and rides that will have much longer waits later in the day. So resist the urge, and save Stunt Pilot for AFTER you’ve done the other big rides.
For lunch, we recommend heading over to High Moon Saloon, where they’ve refreshed the menu and added some great mid-day entertainment. Depending on the day, you can watch the Engineers (trio of country singers) or see the Marvin the Moose show (animatronic animals). Either way it’s the perfect way to get off your feet and cool down from a busy morning of rides.
After lunch, you’ve got a sizeable amount of time to spend in the “mid sections” of the park: Country Carnival and Critter Camp. There are tons of flat rides and family rides to choose from here, so take your pick. A lot of this will depend on the ages of the little ones in your group. Younger ones will love the kiddie rides, whereas the older kids will be itching to get on some of the bigger stuff. The variety of rides are pretty well mingled together, so your group shouldn’t have to split up too much. There’s also plenty in the way of snacks to choose from if you get hungry in the middle of the afternoon. Take your pick from any of the various shops and stands throughout the area!
Lines that tend to get the longest in this area are the Bumper Boats and the Ferris Wheel. Yes, you read that right – the Ferris Wheel at Silverwood has one of the longest, slowest load/unload cycles we’ve ever seen. So even if the line looks short, don’t be deceived. You could chew up a solid hour on this thing. Instead, if you want to do this, go here first thing on your way to Coaster Alley in the morning. You’ll be on and off in about 10 mins, with plenty of time to enjoy the great views! And the Bumper Boats usually command a 30-60 minute wait all day long. Resist the urge, and pass both of these up during your afternoon; you’ll get a lot more out of your day, without missing anything critical.
One thing to not miss out on is the legendary Corkscrew roller coaster. By today’s standards, this doesn’t look like much, but you shouldn’t pass it up. As the first modern roller coaster to take riders upside down, it’s a true piece of theme park history.
After you’ve gotten your fill of rides in, head back towards the front of the park and hit up the best attraction in the park – Nick Norton’s magic show. Try and time it so you see either the 5pm or 7pm show. Either way, you’ll want to arrive at least 30 minutes before showtime in order to get a table and order your food. Caselli’s Pizzeria, which is inside the magic theater, serves surprisingly good pizzas for an insane price. The family meal gets you four drinks, four huge bread sticks, and a large pizza for $30 (no, that’s not a typo). After you put in your order, head back to your table to relax – they’ll bring the food out to you when it’s ready. And then, you’ll get the pleasure of watching one of the best performers at any theme park in the world while you eat. You don’t have to trust our opinion here, Nick Norton won that very award at IAPPA!
If you don’t want to do pizza for dinner, that’s fine, as going to Lindy’s again is not a bad idea. But skipping Nick’s magic show is a terrible idea, so be sure to at least stop by the theater for the performance. DO NOT miss it – no trip to Silverwood is complete without it!
After your meal is a great chance to stroll along Main Street while your food settles. Be sure to stop into the Main Street Theater for a couple minutes – even if they aren’t playing any movies that interest you, it’s fun to see an old-fashioned theater still in operation.
In your remaining hours in the park, head back to Coaster Alley and get another ride or two in on whatever your favorite thrill rides are. But keep an eye on the clock, and be sure to leave yourself about 15 minutes before the park closes. Right around that time, start heading over to country carnival, and get in line at the Ice Creamery. Here, you’ll get to enjoy what is quickly becoming one of Silverwood’s most iconic treats: the “signature scoop” ice cream. Those who have experienced this know that it’s in reality more like 5 scoops, and you can choose up to three different flavors of decent ice cream. Amazingly cheap and delicious, this the perfect way to cap off your two-day adventure.
Hopefully this helps you as you plan out your trip to Silverwood. We’ve tried to offer a well-rounded and balanced approach to your days in the parks, with a smattering of “greatest hits” for both food and attractions. And don’t be afraid to deviate from this if you see something that you want to try that we haven’t mentioned. Spontaneity is key to some of the best memories we’ve had, both at Silverwood and elsewhere. In other words, whatever your specific plan ends up being, give it room to breathe, and you’ll be set. Enjoy!
Planning a trip to Silverwood this year? Be sure to check out our Silverwood Trip Planning Guide to get some great ideas on how to plan your trip. Also, our Silverwood Rides and Attractions Guide and Boulder Beach Attractions Guide have even more details on which rides, slides, and shows to hit up while you're there!
Did we miss anything that you consider a "must do" in our itinerary? Any other spots you'd recommend? Do you have questions about our suggestions? We love hearing from you, so let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
The official Silverwood Theme Park website can be found at: www.silverwoodthemepark.com. All business-related questions should be directed to this site.
Thank you for this! Very helpful article, planning a trip July of 2023 for a surprise birthday gift to our niece and needed this knowledgeable insight!
Thank you for the comment Maddie! Glad you found this helpful, and hope you have a great trip. Happy Birthday to your niece!
Thanks for this (the update for this year) I’ve been going to Silverwood each week wanting to ride Eagle Hunt each time, but the line was always so long that I didn’t bother, but after reading this I went ahead, and tried it this time since as you put it the line didn’t extend very far past the Staircase. The ride was great, but my only problem with it, is that it REQUIRES two people who have to be combined under 450 lb so you might be waiting awhile for another Rider. Thankfully for me there was someone there who had been waiting by himself for a bit so I got to ride with him.
Also I don’t know if you saw my last reply, but I mentioned that the picture they had on the big Park Maps for the new Scarywood Haunts, had shown something like a Television with a staticky, bloodied face on it. They’ve changed the picture now, and it seems to be Wolf themed, so combined with the previous television picture, maybe it will be themed after Monsters from TV? That one might have just been a placeholder though so it could just be the Wolves/Werewolves. I often have strange Dreams of Silverwood, and Scarywood during the year, and often there are randomly a bunch of Wolves in them (like I’m on the Train, and suddenly a bunch of Wolves are jumping all over.) so to a certain extent I guess my Dreams could be coming true.
Thanks for the comment, Joshua! Glad you were able to finally get a ride in on Eagle Hunt; now that the operations have improved and they’re getting people through the line faster, it’s definitely not too bad of a wait, at least the times we have gone this summer.
And thank you for your comments and info on the Scarywood new haunt; looks like we finally got an announcement yesterday. Sounds like we will be seeing some of the props and costumes from the old “Freak Farm” theme on Terror Canyon re-used for this new one. That was one of our favorite themes from years past, so we’re excited to check it out. Will have more commentary on that later. 🙂
Yeah I don’t know if the “Wolf” themed advert was another placeholder or not, as the Haunt is Pig themed, but there is the Wolf from the Three Pigs story so I’m not sure I guess it could have been a vague hint with the previous Television one definitely being a placeholder. On the Scarywood website it doesn’t have the “Hellbillies” listed so I guess they won’t have it this year, but it shows “The Swine” as being in the Pavilions (Where Hellbillies was last year.) so I’m also wondering if it will be set up like “Total Darkness” in the same area, or if it will be in the new Building you mentioned before. If it’s not in the new Building maybe that will be something for next year?