Celebrating
a Decade of Thrills, Chills and Adventure!
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Celebrating
a Decade of Thrills, Chills and Adventure! |
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| For coaster enthusiasts, living in the Mid-West has its ups and downs (no pun intended). In season, from April to November for those of you who ride all year, we are in “coaster heaven.” Indiana Beach, Holiday World, Paramount Kings Island, Cedar Point, Six Flags World’s of Adventure, Six Flags Great America, and Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom are all less than a five hour drive. Throw in the smaller parks, such as Fun Spot, Stricker’s Grove, Coney Island (in Cincinnati, OH), the Indianapolis Zoo and (hopefully) Americana, and that’s 75 different roller coasters. Classic wood, steel loopers, family coasters, stand-ups and custom coasters! You name it, we got it! CCI, B&M, Zamperla, Vekoma, Pinfari, Arrow, Intamin, Togo, Schwarzkopf, John Miller and Charlie Dinn, just to drop a few names. Spring, summer, fall we ride 'em all! | 
This elaborate sign shows what a large budget Indiana State Parks have! © 2002 TPA |
| Ah, but come September… there is a chill in the air and one by one all our marvelous parks close for the season. No more Raven air, no Legendary laterals! No Cornball surprises, no Tig’rr roar! Usually, our last shining, glimmer of hope before a long, cold winter is Paramount Kings Island’s closing weekend, the first weekend in November. Last year the Indy Zoo ran Kombo during their Kroger at the Zoo festival but we don’t know if that will be repeated this year. | 
As one can tell, the Toboggan Run is a very popular attraction. © 2002 TPA |
| From November to March is a long, long time and undoubtedly come December, the dreaded “Coaster Withdrawal Syndrome” sets in. Many of us “snow birds” head south for a bit of a respite in Florida. Believe me, this helps! But all too soon, we are back up to our knees in snow and longing for the clackity-click and the wonderful aroma of grease from a chain lift. We haven’t hit the lottery, so trekking back south is out of the question, but we did find a winter coaster-like thrill nearby! | 
It's approximately a 25-minute wait from the bottom of the steps; the fun part is carrying the darn sled up the steps! © 2002 TPA |
| Pokagon State Park is located in Angola Indiana, approximately six miles from the Indiana Toll Road. The park, on the shores of Lake James and Snow Lake, offers unexcelled opportunities for outdoor recreation all seasons of the year. Boating, skiing, swimming, hiking and camping are available. If there is enough snow, cross-country skiing is also very popular. But, what prompted us to drive to Pokagon early on a cold Saturday morning in February was the park’s Toboggan Run. | 
And they're off! © 2002 TPA |
| The Toboggan Run is a 1,780-long refrigerated twin track thriller, where riders reach speeds in excess of 40 mph (we know because Scott clocked them with his radar gun). The Civilian Conservation Corp in 1935 built the first toboggan run at Pokagon; it was a single track with a big curve. This slide was replaced the next year with a new slide; the big curve was straightened out so that sleds headed toward the park’s lodge, the Potawatomi Inn. In 1938, the slide was replaced yet again. This time the tower was raised to provide a steeper drop. | 
This photo shows the top half of the toboggan run. Most of those on-lookers are waiting for sleds. © 2002 TPA |
| In 1941, the Toboggan Run became a dual tracked slide, in order to increase capacity. For the next 30 years, little was changed on the slide, and then in 1971 the park added refrigeration, so that snow was no longer needed to run the slide. The warming center, with restrooms and a concession stand were added in 1986 and at that time the entire slide was remodeled. A ride on the slide in the early days cost $0.05, plus the rental of the toboggan. In 1984, the price was $0.25 cents a ride. Today, the park charges a flat hourly rate for renting the toboggan. | 
The little bunny hop this sled just went past provides a bit of airtime! © 2002 TPA |
| While the course doesn’t feature any twists or turns, it does have a fairly steep first drop, a nice, sloping second drop and several bunny hops (that provide a bit of airtime)! Toward the end there is a bridge crossing the track that provides a head chopper effect. The run also provides an added bonus; you get a nice workout carrying the toboggan back up the hill and it is uphill all the way. | 
This shot, taken from an over-pass bridge, shows approximately 3/4 of the run. At this point riders are traveling 32 - 35 MPH (according to Scott's radar gun)! © 2002 TPA |
| The Pokagon Toboggan run is open weekends from Thanksgiving through the end of February.
Hours of operation are Fridays 5:00 P.M. – 10:00 P.M., Saturdays 10:00 A.M. – 10:00
P.M. and Sundays 10:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M. Toboggan rental is $10.00 for the
first hour, $5.00 per additional hours.
On Friday nights 5:00 P.M. - 10:00 P.M. only, "Friday Night Flight" customers can rent two toboggans, and get the third one free per hour (three toboggans for $20.00). The sleds must be rented from the park and are limited to four riders per sled. Sleds are rented on a first-come-first-serve basis and the park limits the number of sleds rented per hour, so get there early! The park does issue numbers for a waiting list; we arrived at the park at 9:45 A.M. and waited two hours for a toboggan. Good thing they had a nice warming center nearby! It has large windows facing the track and an excellent fireplace. |
Riders of all ages enjoy the toboggan! © 2002 TPA |
| The ride was awesome! We had to make a conscious effort not to raise our hands (it’s against the park rules). There were three of us and we tried various seating arrangements in order to maximize the length of our run. Although it was a busy day, we were able to get five rides in 90 minutes. Was it as good as a coaster? Well… for now it will have to do! | 
Near the end of the run Scott clocks another sled; if you look closely you can spot his radar gun. As the sleds crest that last hill, they are still traveling 20 - 21 MPH. © 2002 TPA |
This shot shows approximately 95% of the Pokagon Toboggan Run! We had just a great time; we plan to make it an annual trip! © 2002 TPA |
