Six Flags Magic Mountain or Knotts Berry Farms

I'mgoing to be in CA for just a few days for work (well, next weekend) and I'm hoping to arrange ONEfree day and would like to hit up a park. I have a season pass to CedarFair parks and Six Flags and found that Six Flags Magic Mountain andKnotts Berry Farms aren't too far, I'm kind of going to be in themiddle of them.

SO, that being said, can anyone recommend one over the other?

Thanks! :)

Jenn

If you're solely interested in adding a bunch of coasters to your track record, go to SFMM. If you want an enjoyable experience, you'll prob be better off at KBF. MM works well for those that only really enjoy coasters, since there's not much else to do there (if anything else). Knotts' has a better mix of "rides, shows, and attractions" - infinitely better flat rides, plus you can ride a stagecoach! And since Terminator won't be ready yet, Knotts' is the park with a decent (or very good, depending) wooden coaster.

1) What are you looking for?
2) Have you been to either park?
3) Are you near/far sighted?

Magic Mountain is the larger of the two parks, with the more impressive coaster collection. Parking is ridiculously expensive, entry is through magnetometers. The park was dramatically improved during my last visit over my previous visit, to the point that the funicular and the tower were both open(!). Magic Mountain has virtually every kind of coaster you could want, though none is particularly spectacular; several are unique (Superman, X^2) and some have been deliberately ruined by the park (Revolution, Colossus). The best coaster in the park is probably Goliath, although some people swear by X^2. Tatsu is, in my opinion, the best B&M "flying" coaster around.

Apart from the coaster collection, though, Magic Mountain hasn't got a lot. They've removed about half of their flat ride collection since the last time I was there, although I didn't see the Bayern Kurve on the list of rides being taken out.

Knott's is a much smaller park, not as much "up and down" to the place, not as much in the way of a coaster collection, but the selection of attractions is more well rounded. The Mystery Lodge, for instance, is a very neat show, plus there is the Calico Mine Train and the full size passenger railroad and the stagecoach. I finally got to ride the flume on my last visit; it had a Christmas overlay at the time, but it is a really nice flume, a kind of a cross between Le Scoot (BGW), Splash Mountain, and the flume at Enchanted Forest. GhostRider is easily the best wooden coaster in the Los Angeles area; be sure to ride in both trains as one runs a lot better than the other and I can't remember which one is which. They have a couple of unusual coasters, including the new spin coaster and Jaguar!, not to mention the incredibly rare Schwarzkopf flywheel-drive shuttle loop, Monte'zoom'a's Revenge. And yes, if you can squeeze in, you can ride the kiddie coasters. If you wear eyeglasses, though, you'll find yourself excluded for no readily apparent reason from both Xcelerator and Pony Express. Be aware that this rule is NOT posted at the ride entrance.

Either park is certainly worth a visit. In a nutshell, Magic Mountain has the better coaster selection, and Knott's is a more interesting park, and either is a great alternative to That Place in Anaheim. 8-)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Thanks for the tips guys! :)

I'm a coaster junkie, I head to all the coaster first, when possible and then hit up other rides if time allows. I'm going to be by myself (boo hiss!) so I probably won't sit around watching any shows.

It's my first time in CA, I live in PA.

I'm not sure if I'd be able to squeeze in to the kiddie coaster, I'm a "bigger girl" but other than the evil Superman at Six Flags America that I couldn't get the belt closed on this past weekend, I've had no troubles anywhere else so far. I didn't feel so bad about that thought because a tall friend who is NOT big at all could only get on it if two people pulled the belt together for him. Stupid ride.

Oh, and no glasses here!

I'm wondering if I could hit them both up... maybe at the very least spend just a few hours at Knotts after my seminar on Saturday.

When calculating drive times, double what any of the mapping sites (Mapquest, Yahoo Maps, etc) give you. Traffic in Southern California is very unpredictable and you'll often find congestion. Better to give budget more time and arrive early than find you're running very, very late. It's about 60 miles between SFMM and Knotts.

Also, with the many freeways here there are often alternate routes. Make sure you have a good atlas or map with you. We have two AM newsradio stations (KFWB 980 and KNX 1070) that give traffic reports at least once an hour. Those may prove helpful as well.

If you have a laptop with you this site gives real-time traffic.

Good luck!

Also, can anyone vouch for Xcelerator's recent operational status??

I'd say SFMM is a no-brainer...plus, though you haven't mentioned where exactly you're coming from, the Patrick Jane in me says you're likely closer to MM.

And always go to the bathroom before you get in your car. Last year, I drove back from DCA to my sister-in-law's place in Pacific Palisades. On a Friday. At rush hour. It took me an hour and forty-five minutes.

Let me tell you, I didn't know my bladder had such staying power.

Although they are in somewhat close proximity, I wouldn't attempt both parks in the same day. You'd be pressing pretty hard to just hit all "adult" coasters at SFMM in a single day if going on a Sat or Sun. Going from there to KBF with any hope of hitting the big coasters is a longshot, with or without SoCal traffic.

Knott's would be a more relaxed day, and easier to navigate, and has more to offer than just coasters. But in their coaster lineup, there isn't anything that mind-blowing. Ghostrider is very good, but has gotten excessively rough over the years. I think SFMM has the better coaster lineup.

Oh, yeah, there is that traffic thing. And Knotts and Magic Mountain are both right off of IR-5, which is one of the worst stretches of freeway in the region in terms of traffic.

In recent years I've become halfway proficient at finding my way around the LA area, particularly West of the city, between IR-5 and Thousand Oaks. I distinctly remember having the Everlost system in a rental car on one trip; that was more fun than should be permitted...

--Dave Althoff, Jr.
"Make a legal U-turn..."
"Shut up, electronic bitch!"

1) Xcelerator is still closed.

2) Magic Mountain and Knott's are 52 miles apart. That's about an hour's drive without traffic, and believe me. You WILL hit traffic. And not just traffic. The infamous LA/Orange County freeway traffic. You will easily be making a commute of 2 hours or more to cover the 52 miles between both parks, considering the freeways that must be taken to get from point A to point B.

Five years ago, I would have recommended Knott's instead of Magic Mountain.

Now, since Jack Falfas has left his position as General Manager, the park has been incredibly lackluster the past few years.

Rides are running at minimum capacity at Knott's (while ironically Magic Mountain runs them all at near or full-capacity). Very slow operations, and a decrease in employee morale and friendliness.

So with Knott's past traits now nearly stripped off (friendliness, good ride operations, etc.), Magic Mountain is the better choice in my opinion. Not with just the amount of attractions to do, but it's a better overall park experience than Knott's now. It really is a shame.

^^Completely agree...

Btw, why the hell is everyone chiming in on doing both parks?! She never mentioned that option.

Ensign Smith said:
And always go to the bathroom before you get in your car.

Always sound advice. Go before you go... :)

tigellinus, re-read post number 4. She does mention hitting both.

Knott's can be done, coasters anyway, in just a late afternoon/evening trip.

I really enjoy both parks lots and lots. KBF has some really high quality rides (Xcel & Ghostie are both top 10 for me) but MM does have some stuff that you won't find anywhere else in this hemisphere (S:TE, X^2). I don't think you'll be disappointed with either.

Xcelerator is still closed

No it is not, rode it Friday.

I say go to Knotts.

MUCH nicer park, better operated, better crowd, friendlier employees, the park is MUCH cleaner, and Ms. Knotts Chicken Dinner.

Ghostrider just came out of a big refurbishment and is running the best it has ran in 7 years. This one ride alone blows most of SFMM coasters away. Same with Xcelerator.

The only rides at SFMM that are really worth re riding are X2 and Tatsu. The rest are mediocre. And lately the park has been running one train on X2, dispite the line being 2 hours or more.

Ridesare running at minimum capacity at Knott's (while ironically MagicMountain runs them all at near or full-capacity). Very slow operations,and a decrease in employee morale and friendliness.

So withKnott's past traits now nearly stripped off (friendliness, good rideoperations, etc.), Magic Mountain is the better choice in my opinion.Not with just the amount of attractions to do, but it's a betteroverall park experience than Knott's now. It really is a shame.

My last visit to SFMM:

Viper 1 hour wait, one train operation

Riddlers Revenge, 45min wait, one train operation

X2, 150min wait, one train operation

Scream, 30min wait, one train operation

Tatsu, 10 min wait, two train operation

Colossus, 1hour wait, one train operation

Goliath, Walk on, two train operation

Knotts

Every ride was running one train and was a walk on or a one train wait.

If you can manage, try hitting Knotts in the afternoon/evening on one of the days you are "busy". If you hit GhostRider (awesome CCI woodie) first, you can squeeze in the rest pretty quickly.

I HAVE managed BOTH parks in one day (depending on day and time and operating hours). We were just at SFMM this Sunday and there were hardly any lines and we left pretty early. I'm pretty sure the time that I hit both parks was also a Sunday.

My suggestion: Do Knott's after your seminar on Saturday. There may be horrible lines at GhostRider and Xcelerator, but you shouldn't miss your only chance at them (especially GR). Xcelerator is a TAME and BASIC predecessor to TTD and KingdaKa, so if you've done them, missing Xcellerator isn't that big of a deal. Hit SFMM on Sunday and enjoy the 13 operational adult coasters that SFMM has to offer. Also, get there early and head straght to X2, then Tatsu and Deja Vu (if its' open). Go back for Viper and Revolution later as they rarely have much of a line. Good luck & post us here and let us know what you decided/ how it turned out!!

RyanTTD said:
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My last visit to SFMM:

Viper 1 hour wait, one train operation

Riddlers Revenge, 45min wait, one train operation

X2, 150min wait, one train operation

Scream, 30min wait, one train operation

Tatsu, 10 min wait, two train operation

Colossus, 1hour wait, one train operation

Goliath, Walk on, two train operation

Knotts

Every ride was running one train and was a walk on or a one train wait.

I find it very interesting to hear about all those 1 train operations when most people have said that Magic Mountain had better operations recently. Maybe they are running 1 train since they now have Q-Bots so they want to increase the sales?

Xceleratoris a TAME and BASIC predecessor to TTD and KingdaKa, so if you've donethem, missing Xcellerator isn't that big of a deal.

Are you kidding, Xcelerators launch and airtime is better than Top Thrill Dragster's.

Xcelerator should not be skipped!

Maybe they are running 1 train since they now have Q-Bots so they want to increase the sales?

Would not surprise me the least bit if that were the reason.

If you want to hit two parks, do Knotts's and then hit Disneyland! Yeah, not a lot of coasters there, but it's Disneyland for crying out loud!

I have both believed in, and helped to spread, the conspiracy. On the other hand, one train ops just don't sound like something SF would do as of recently. If that's true, than not much has changed after all.

Isn't this just a cleverly disguised "vs." thread. No one park will win in the epic battle taking place within this very thread. Some people love KBF, some people love SFMM, some people hate KBF, some people hate SFMM, some people love both, some people hate both, and some people don't care.