Shoot The Rapids
2010 - 2015

Shoot The Rapids was a water ride located on the Frontier Trail. 

The 2000's were a very good time for Cedar Point. Within that time period the park opened 3 roller coasters , 2 massive thrill rides, a children's area as well as multiple park updates! Millennium Force opened in 2000 as the first Giga Coaster in the world. In 2002 Wicked Twister opened as the world's first double twisted impulse roller coaster. Top Thrill Dragster was the first roller coast to take riders over 400 feet when it opened in 2003. In 2005 maXair would spin riders 140 feet into the sky. Skyhawk became the tallest and fastest screaming' swing when it opened in 2006. In 2007 riders would twist and turn thru canyons on Maverick. Planet Snoopy moved to Cedar Point in 2008 from Geauga Lake. In 2009 Cedar Point added the Starlight Specular to the Frontier Trail. 

During the summer of 2009, Cedar Point began clearing land on the island for the future improvement of the park!

After months of speculation, Cedar Point announced in September 2009 that it was building the park's 3rd water ride, Shoot the Rapids.

With a price tag of 10.5 Million Dollars, Shoot the Rapids was the most expensive water ride in the park's history! It became the 8th ride at Cedar Point that was built by Intamin AG of Switzerland.

The name Shoot the Rapids was a recycled name. The original Shoot-the-Rapids was a log flume in operation at Cedar Point from 1967-1981. Shoot-the-Rapids was located where Maverick currently stands.  It was torn down and replaced with White Water Landing.

Construction continued on the ride thru the fall and into the winter.

With Shoot the Rapids, Cedar Point wanted to make a return to the traditional flume ride that the park had been missing for many years. In 1963, Cedar Point installed the Mill Race. When it was installed, Mill Race was only the second log flume ride ever built!

When the park opened in 2010, Shoot the Rapids was not ready to open with the park. In the beginning, it had a lot of issues that needed to be worked out before the ride could open to the public.

Intamin and Cedar Point worked together to fix the problems so the ride could open.

Shoot the Rapids finally opened to the public on  June 26, 2010.

When the ride finally opened to the public, it didn't get the positive reviews they expected with it.

Shoot the Rapids was an elaborately themed water ride.

Shoot the Rapids Ride Facts;
Opened: June 26, 2010
Location: Frontier Trail
Manufacturer: Intamin AG
Type: boat ride
Height: 85 feet
Drops: 2
Length: 2,100 feet
Capacity: 1,200 riders per hour
Closed: September 7, 2015

Shoot the Rapids was Cedar Point's most expensive water ride when it opened in 2010.

Ride Experience

The Shoot the Rapids ride experience began when gets got in line for the ride. The ride had a themed entrance. Riders would walk under a water tower to get in line for the ride. 

The majority of the line was located between the ride and Frontier Trail. The line was to the left of Snake River Falls. 

After crossing the train trans the line went down a winding path that led to the station. 

Riders were loaded into boats that held 10 people each. Each seat had a lap bar. It did not have a seat belt. 

After leaving the station, Shoot the Rapids headed to the lift hill. On the way to the hill, the river turned rocky and the boat took a turn into a tunnel that was full of mist! The ride then turned around and arrived at the base of the lift hill.

While the boats traveled the trough they were free floating.

The ride then headed up the 85 foot tall lift hill. The first drop dropped into an 85 foot pool of water.

After leaving the bottom of the drop, the ride then meandered around thru a pond and around huge themed rocks.

The island section of the ride was fairly slow and gave riders a cool scenic view. 

The ride then headed up its second lift hill. the second hill is 49 feet tall and had a 49 foot drop. It dropped at a 45 degree angle.

The second hill was located under the first giving riders a near miss effect and it make the ride more exciting!

The ride ended in a splastic splashdown. The boats ran thru some rapids and sent water flying up in the air!

After the splashdown, the ride then returned to the station.

The ride then arrived in the station.

Shoot the Rapids had 10 boats. They were made out of fiberglass. Riders then sat 2 across with 5 rows.

The theming on Shoot the Rapids was great! Shoot the Rapids was the best themed water ride at Cedar Point!

While Shoot The Rapids was to Cedar Point the park would add: WindSeeker (2011), Dinosaur's Alive! on Adventure Island (2012-2018), GateKeeper (2013), New Gemini Midway (2014), and Rougarou (2015). All of these attractions gave Cedar Point an experience they didn't have before. 

After 5 years of disappointment and problems Cedar Point announced on February 20, 2016 that the ride had closed permanently and was being removed from the park.

Shoot the Rapids will forever be remember as a ride that the entire family could ride together!

The rides lift hills were removed prior to the start of the 2016 season. During the 2016 season the Shoot The Rapids site was blocked off from the park. At this point both the splash pools for the park had remained in place. 

In 2017 Rip Cord was relocated part of the former Shoot The Rapids site. The ride was renamed and re-themed as Professor Delbert's Frontier Fling.  

For 2019 Cedar Point opened Forbidden Frontier on Adventure Island. Forbidden Frontier was an interactive area that was one of the first of its kind in the world. Forbidden Frontier replaced Dinosaurs Alive! and the rest of Shoot The Rapids. 

All Photos by Andrew Borgen , Russ Hauden, Cedar Point and Jake Hamons      
Last Updated: 05/01/2025