We finally made a family trip to Silverwood happen this summer! I got a lot of questions from others wondering if it’s a good destination for them or how to make the most out of the park. I am no travel blogger; this was my first time leaving the country since 2013! I hope this post is useful to you whether you’re considering or already planning a family trip to Silverwood.
What is Silverwood?
The full name of this huge amusement park in northern Idaho, near Coeur d’Alene, is Silverwood Theme Park and Boulder Beach Water Park. It is a reasonable drive from southern British Columbia and Alberta, making it a popular choice for Canadian families. The theme park is home to extreme roller coasters all the way down to the classic kiddy rides.
Boulder Beach is where you’ll find a water park on steroids: massive water slides, wave pools, a lazy river and multiple spray-park type installations. The two parks are joined and you can go between them in the course of your day; just keep in mind that you cannot wear your swimwear into the theme park side. (Although I saw many people who did.)
Why a Family Trip to Silverwood?
Our family decided to go to Silverwood for a couple of reasons.
- Accessible from the Lower Mainland and from Calgary
Firstly, it is driveable and about equidistant from my parents’ and my brother’s homes in the Lower Mainland of BC and our home in Calgary. This made it an ideal spot for us all to meet for a family holiday, something we’ve talked about for years and finally got around to planning. It is just over 7 hours from our home in Calgary to Coeur d’Alene, and just over 6 hours for my Lower Mainland relatives. My brother and his wife stopped overnight in Everett and Leavenworth.
- Appropriate for a variety of ages
Secondly, it seemed like good timing with the ages of our kids: the twins are 6, my daughter is 9 and my son is almost 12. My nephew is 3.5 and (unlike his cousins at that age) reliably potty trained and possessing a great deal of energy and stamina for excursions (also unlike his cousins). I will talk about what we thought of the age-appropriateness of Silverwood and Boulder Beach for the 5 kiddos further along.
- Highly recommended by friends
Thirdly, many of our friends and acquaintances had raved about their own experiences at Silverwood, even comparing it to Disneyland. Disney is quite simply not going to happen (barring an unexpected financial windfall …) but we wanted our kids to experience the excitement of a big amusement park.
- More affordable than Disney!
Lastly, and because the aforementioned financial windfall was not upon us, two days at Silverwood and six nights accommodations in a VRBO in Coeur d’Alene was reasonably affordable. Now, I think it is important to point out that this vacation was made possible by the significant financial contributions of my parents. So if, like me, you sometimes wonder how the heck big families on social media are able to go on so many trips, know that were it not for my parents’ generosity and Boomer finances, we would’ve been stay-cationing in Calgary again this summer.
Tickets & Accommodations
At the gate during the summer, admission for a 2-day pass is $125 USD for ages 8-64, with youth (3-7) and seniors (65+) getting in for 2 days at just $78. Children aged 2 and younger are free. You can save money by purchasing online instead of at the gate. We managed to be extremely organized, and before we knew our exact travel dates, my mom purchased tickets during the pre-season sale (follow Silverwood’s social media so you don’t miss it), where a 2-day pass was $103 and $63 for the respective age categories. Note that the park is cashless once you’re past the first gift shop to the left of ticket takers. You can use cash or a card to load up a bracelet if you need to send older kids off with some money. Otherwise you can just pay with your card in the park.
We chose to stay in this VRBO in Coeur d’Alene, which is a 30-minute drive from the park. We looked at hotels, but since part of our goal was to be all together, and because we wanted to prepare most of our own meals, it made much more sense to all be in one house. With all the fees included, it cost $3400 (CAD) for 6 nights; about $560 per night for 11 people. This was definitely more cost effective than hotel rooms, as we’d have needed 4 rooms.
This rental house was minutes away from Downtown Coeur d’Alene and Boardwalk Public Beach. It was in a residential neighbourhood where a few neighbours had backyard chickens (much to my son’s delight). It was great to be able to go for evening walks with the kids to the nearby playground to burn off energy before bedtime. The 4 youngest kids brought their scooters.
Tips for making the most out of Silverwood and Boulder Beach
1- Arrive early
The parks open their doors at 11 AM, but the security check, ticket booths and many of the restaurants and shops at the main entrance are open well before. For both our Silverwood and Boulder Beach days, we arrived at 10 AM. The more impatient of our kid-crew (the twins …) found the waiting rather arduous, but it was definitely worth it. For Silverwood, if your kids want to do the big coasters, head to Coaster Alley immediately. At Boulder Beach, you’ll want to stake out your « home base. » If you need shade, it’s at a premium, so if you see a good spot, put your towels down there to secure it. (There are lots of lounge chairs that you are free to use and move to grassy or shadier areas as needed.)
2. Bring the wagon
If you have younger kids, a wagon is a definite must and very manageable on both sides of the park. In fact, all three of the younger kids were frequently getting toted around in ours. Wagons are permitted in both parks!
For Boulder Beach, the wagon was a necessity to carry all our gear for the day.
3- Enjoy the snacks but pack some too!
We bought the $11.99 refillable fountain drink jugs on our first day. For the rest of the day, refills are free. Certainly we would’ve done fine with juice boxes and water, but we had planned to spend a bit in the park on treats since it was our first family vacation. (And because I’ve been packing our lunches for all of our other excursions this summer.) After the day of purchase, you can continue to use the same jug, but refills will then cost $1.05 including tax. (They scan the barcode on the side of your jug so you cannot scam the system!)
We also really enjoyed the popcorn buckets! Buy the bucket of popcorn for $6.99, and refills are $1.50 all summer long. Movie-theatre-style popcorn goes a long way to curb the munchies before lunch, since an 11 AM opening time is perilously close to when our kids would normally want to eat their midday meal.
Lunch was typical amusement park fare in terms of quality and selection: hot dogs, chicken strips, burgers … a giant turkey leg at Boulder Beach! The portions are big, 2 orders of the chicken strips and fries was enough for my 4 kids.
You can pack your own lunches, but it must be in a 12x12x12″ maximum soft-sided cooler. No hard-sided or styrofoam coolers are allowed. Sealed beverages are allowed, which means you must enter the park with empty refillable water bottles. There are water refill stations throughout the park, typically near the bathrooms, and you can also have any park vendor with fountain drinks refill your bottles for free. (With ice!)
At Boulder Beach, I forgot the advice I’d heard form others about the soft-serve ice cream… that advice was … the serving is HUGE. I ordered soft-serve ice cream for 3 of my kids and myself, and for $3.99 I was expecting a typical McDonald’s style cone. They swirl over a foot of ice cream (no kidding) into the cone then flip it upside down into a cup. Nobody finished their portions! Sharing is definitely an option!
4- Plan for the train ride and magic show
The train runs every hour on the hour, but to get a spot folks are lining up a good half an hour before each ride. Refill those drinks and popcorn to enjoy onboard and get in line. It’s a good « quiet time » break, especially for younger kids. The train goes around the park and features pre-recorded banter about Sasquatches, northern Idaho wildlife and the history of the park.
The magic show would be a good break from the heat (we were very lucky to be at Silverwood on an overcast, slightly cooler day) and the first show is at 3 PM, which is the one we went to. The seats fill up fast, and the theatre also boasts a pizza restaurant where a lot of people will order food to enjoy along with the show. My kids definitely enjoyed the magic show, it was reasonably impressive and of course very cheesy.
5- Divide and conquer
In our group we had 6 adults and 5 kids, meaning we could make sure all the kids got to do the rides and slides that were suitable for them.
For the big thrills:
My daughter is big enough for the more extreme rides but really not into being deliberately terrified. As soon as the park gates opened, my parents and my husband and my son made a beeline to Coaster Alley together. Two of the big coasters were closed: Timber Terror (the only one I was keen on riding) and Aftershock.
My son, husband and my dad* road Stunt Pilot (and rode it a second time later in the day). My mom and son rode the giant drop ride, Panic Plunge. Despite it being only the third ride of the day and an overcast day, the two other coaster closures meant they then spent a good 45 minutes or more in line for the Tremors Roller Coaster.
*my dad thinks the ride gave him whiplash; I believe it!
Mild thrills for the young ones:
Silverwood was my nephew’s first amusement park experience and his cousins were excited to take him on rides. We went straight to Critter Camp where there were zero lines. A lot of the rides are kids-only, so if your younger ones are nervous it will help if there’s an older sibling or cousin to take them on.
My brother was able to ride the Tiny Toot Roller Coaster with my nephew and he was a big fan. The rides in Critter Camp are nothing different to what you’d find at any other amusement park for the toddler crowd, but my kids were certainly not disappointed.
At Boulder Beach, there were so many fun things for the little kids to do. They do not have to love waterslides! If you have an amusement park or carnival that your kids have already been to, and only have one day to spend at Silverwood, I think younger kids will have the most fun exploring Boulder Beach. There’s the Salmon Run, Toddler Springs and Polliwog Park that all the kids loved (even my older kids!). The water, by the way, is a pleasant temperature.
The wave pool was very popular with all the kids as well. Boulder Beach supplies life jackets for all ages, and certain personal flotation devices are also allowed.
The Lazy River was very fun too. You can rent an inner tube for the day to use on the river and a few of the slides, or wait your turn for a communal tube, which is what we did.
Moderate thrills:
The Country Carnival section of the park is where we went in the afternoon, and the park was pretty busy by then. My twins’ favourite ride at Calaway Park is the log ride, so we lined up with my mom for the Roaring Creek Log Flume. It was a challenge to keep the twins motivated to wait in the slow-moving line, and unlike some parks, there are no signs to give guests a sense of how long the wait will be. The twins were disappointed that this log ride only had 1 drop, compared to two drops at Calaway Park.
The line for the Antique Cars was slow like molasses but the youngest 3 really wanted to “drive.” The Country Carnival section has a lot of the classic amusement park rides, including my nemesis, the Tilt-a-Whirl. Do not recommend. ZERO STARS!
At Boulder Beach, the waterslides really range in intensity. My son went on Eagle Hunt with his Papa while I took the twins to Riptide Racer. I truly thought I had made an absolutely epic mistake bringing them on this slide! There are 6 slides and you go down individually on your tummy, using a mat. At first you’re in complete darkness with water splashing in your face (at this point I thought I was going to drown and that my twins must be petrified) and then you do a big drop. Great news: the twins loved it. We also took them on Rumble Falls, one parent per twin. There are lifeguards close at hand but I was nervous about the landing because the twins can’t swim!
We spent an eternity in line for Avalanche Mountain later in the day because it was something our family of 6 could ride down together. The line took so long I think I started just disassociating. My brother gave up halfway and went to join his wife and son, my parents and our family of 6 toughed it out. The twins loved the ride (the wait was … hellish; the ride lasted seconds), but my daughter was very scared. It goes very fast and you feel like your raft is going to fly off the slide! I would not wait in the line for this ride again, and I wish both parks had signs indicating approximate wait times. If this sounds like your idea of a fun time, hit this ride first thing in the morning I guess?!
6. Dress to get wet
An absolute classic picture there of me being surprised by some extra splashes at the end of the log ride! There are lots of ways to get soaked at Silverwood, so we all wore our quick-dry shirts and I did pack an emergency change of clothes for the fussier ones (the twins). The great news is quick-dry clothes are usually also great for sun protection. My twins love their UV shirts from The Gap, and myself and the kids all wear UV hoodies from Uniqlo. (Currently out of season, but these at Amazon are very similar.) My parents road Thunder Canyon twice with my son and were absolutely drenched. This was the 11-year-old’s favourite ride!
At both Silverwood and Boulder Beach, I carried my waterproof belt bag. I could go on the water rides, and go into the wave pool and all the slides and splash parks without worrying about my phone and wallet. My husband poo-pooed this idea (I had bought one for him too) but guess whose stuff ended up in MY belt bag?!
At Boulder Beach, naturally the whole point is to get wet. I am very sun-averse so my kids and I all wear long sleeve rash guards when we’re doing summer water activities. My twins wear full sun suits by Canadian brand Honeysuckle Swim Company because they hate shorts. This also avoids a whole lot of sunscreen applications! You cannot wear shoes on any of the water slides (even the little kiddy ones), so either go barefoot or be prepared to leave your shoes at the entrance to the ride. For footwear in the water installations, my twins wore their crocs and my older two wore their Keens.
Water-friendly hats with straps are ideal if you want to wear your hats on the waterslides. My kids and I always wear the biggest, dorkiest floppy sunhats possible. My kids’ hats are all by Canadian brand NoZone. You are usually asked to remove glasses, depending on the intensity of the slide. I was allowed to have my waterproof belt bag on the rides which was super practical. .
7. If you’re going to play midway games…
Honestly, it would be my strong preference to not play midway games. That said, I had promised the twins we could play a few games at Silverwood since it was a special trip. Definitely play the « guaranteed prize » games. Besides these ones, there are also some where kids under a certain height will always win. In one of my darkest parenting moments, my twins played the fish game and only won the first tier prize. (As is the most likely outcome.) Sadly, they had their eyes on the second tier prize and they both collapsed to the ground in front of the display and sobbed, screamed and kicked. IT WAS NOT GREAT. In the end, I learned you can « trade up » your prizes, so yes, I GAVE IN. (And to be fair, I’d have let them play twice in the first place if I’d seen the « trade up » option ahead of time.)
In a stressful moment that parents of twins can appreciate, one twin played his second turn and won the second tier prize, meaning he could keep his first tier prize AND choose something from the coveted second tier. I am not a religious person, but I prayed for my second twin to also score a second tier prize … and the God of Parents of Multiples listened.
Look, it’s cheaper to buy them a stuffie at the gift shop. But the memories are … priceless?
Shockingly, with $25 USD that my aunt and uncle sent for each of their birthdays, they came out of the toy store with a lot of junk amazing souvenirs.
Overall impressions of Silverwood and Boulder Beach
I think my whole family would agree that Silverwood and Boulder Beach were a blast! There’s enough to do to suit toddlers all the way to teenagers, but I would personally not have had the mental fortitude to have done this trip with any of my own children as toddlers (ie: needing diapers and naps). Even with the twins at 6.5, there were tantrums, picky eating and all the symptoms of being overstimulated and overtired. The twins obviously had a blast at Boulder Beach, but seemed equally thrilled once we got home playing a game that involved pouring water down the street in front of our house (which is on a slight hill) and then trying to race the water to to the bottom.
For us, the two-day pass was perfect: we did Silverwood one day and Boulder Beach the next, picking the hotter day for the water park side. I know some folks just go for a day, and others for more! Because there is so much to do, and the lines quickly get very long, I would’ve found it too hard to fit everything into one day. That said, the amusement park side closes as late as 10 PM some nights, so it depends on the stamina of your group members. We made it to 7 PM. If you’re going for one day, I think it makes the most sense to start at the amusement park side and then cool off in the afternoon at Boulder Beach. It really depends what the interests of your group are, and an ideal scenario is being able to divide and conquer so that everyone gets to do a bit of what they want.
We enjoyed other attractions in the Coeur d’Alene area, and I’ll share those in a future post!
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