A tale of two coasters: Elitch Gardens, Lakeside attractions on very different paths

Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park this month finished reopening a pair of its biggest roller coasters to the public, even as Denver’s historic Lakeside Amusement Park continues to struggle to get its own historic coaster back on track.

Last week, the 58-acre Elitch Gardens in downtown Denver reopened the Twister III: Storm Chaser wooden roller coaster, which had previously been closed this year for maintenance, according to the company. The massive Twister III dates to 1964, when it was first built at Elitch’s original location in northwest Denver.

It has since undergone several upgrades and rebuilding phases — including a 2023 rebrand as Twister III (from Twister II, of course) after a year-long closure — and includes a 90-foot drop, 100-foot darkened tunnel, and “the sights, sounds and winds of a real tornado,” according to Elitch’s.

The park also reopened its 45-year-old Sidewinder coaster this season, following two years of closure. That means every coaster at Elitch’s is fully operational at the moment, which is good news for theme park fans who have been concerned about Elitch’s uncertain fate.

The property’s owner, Kroenke Sports Enterprises (which also owns Ball Arena, the Denver Nuggets and the Colorado Avalanche), plans to one day redevelop the area for apartments, condos, retail and office space. But there is no timetable for that, and Kroenke recently indicated that it is planning to invest in the theme park.

On the other hand, the smaller, equally historic Lakeside Amusement Park was unable to reopen its own star roller coaster, the Cyclone, this summer despite two years of efforts to recertify it after an accident and a 2022 lawsuit from a rider who alleged the coaster lacked sufficient safety measures. The affordable theme park still plans to host the Denver Film Summer Scream fundraiser on Thursday, Aug. 21, though it said on its website that other rides had also been offline this season due to staffing and operational issues.

Brenda Fishman, the park’s operations manager who runs Lakeside with her mother, Rhoda Krasner, said the Cyclone — the oldest wooden roller coaster west of the Mississippi River — is still set to reopen, she just doesn’t have a specific opening date.

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