It appears that Lakeside in Colorado is trying to reopen Cyclone for the 2026 season.
It was recently spied testing. If this ride reopens, it is a major win for the park
and coaster enthusiasts. I will explain why in this quick news update.
Cyclone opened in 1940. It was designed by Ed Vitell and is his last standing coaster.
The ride was a crowd pleaser and operated without any notable accidents for 70 years.
But in July 2021, a rider broke their wrist on Cyclone.
They alleged the ride's restraints and clearances were insufficient, causing the injury.
Due to ongoing litigation and guidance from state regulators,
the Cyclone has remained closed ever since 2022.
It is clear that people miss this ride. Whenever Lakeside makes a post on Facebook,
people are asking if and when the Cyclone will reopen.
This has been clearly advertised as closed on the park's website to the park's credit,
but it likely has negatively impacted their attendance.
Considering Elish Gardens may soon close due to the River Mile project,
it would be an absolute shame if Denver lost their other amusement parks simultaneously.
Prior to my visit, I had heard a lot about Lakeside that was run down.
I finally visited this park in 2025 and I had a nice visit.
I was always fascinated by Lakeside ever since seeing it in the old PBS documentary
Great Old Amusement Parks. The place looked stunning at night with all the neon lights,
and those did not disappoint. And I loved the collection of retro flat rides.
Now this park definitely could use some TLC. No one denies that.
But the biggest issue were the ride closures. It's stung to see Cyclone sitting idle.
This is the main reason I have not made any videos about Lakeside.
It is really hard to fully review a park when their headlining coaster is down.
I noticed there were wooden panels fixed to the sides of the train on Cyclone,
presumably in an attempt to restrict the clearance envelope of riders.
These look similar to the panels we see on trains on New Texas Giant as six flags over Texas.
Last week, a video was shared about track work being done in the Cyclone.
I saw a few vents being shortened, but it's hard to tell if they were making any
clearance changes or if it was just standard track work.
Then a few days ago, Ace shared some photos of the coaster testing.
This was a very encouraging sign because this had not been seen in quite some time.
The trains did not have the wood panels on the side like I observed during my visit.
They appear to be identical to when the coaster last ran in 2021.
Will Cyclone reopen in 2026? I sure hope so, and I think there's a good shot
I'll reopen given the recent maintenance work and testing.
A park strap for cash like Lakeside likely would not make that investment if they
did not have a suspicion that be able to reopen it.
And it does have a historical precedent of running without incident for decades.
Lakeside has not updated their website yet for the 2026 season.
Right now, it still shows that Cyclone is closed, along with those 2025 hours.
Typically, this park opens in early to mid-May, so we should know in the next one or two months
if Cyclone indeed will be operating, and I sure hope it will.
And if it does, I will make every effort to get on at this year.
Do you think Cyclone finally reopens in 2026? Let me know down in the comments.
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