Carowinds unveils new log flume ride opening next year. It breaks 3 world records

Carowinds will open a world record-breaking log flume water attraction called Rip Roarin’ Falls.

The more than six-minute ride opening next year will break three world records, according to the park, including the world’s tallest log flume drop at 100 feet. Construction is already under way at the former Rip Roarin’ Rapids water ride site.

The ride will travel up to 50 mph. It also has the tallest reverse drop at 42 feet and the tallest reverse camelback at 32 feet. For log flumes, a reverse camelback involves the ride going down a steep slope then immediately climbing back up before leveling off.

Carowinds announced plans for the new attraction Monday. It will join well-known roller coasters Fury 325 and Thunder Striker, the thrill ride WindSeeker and the massive Carolina Harbor water park among other high-profile attractions at the more than 400-acre theme park on the South Carolina-North Carolina border in Charlotte and Fort Mill.

Park officials declined disclose the cost of the new ride.

Monday’s announcement follows recent park additions like the family launch coaster Snoopy’s Racing Railway and the water battle Charlie Brown’s River Raft Blast that both opened last year.

Carowinds teased Monday’s announcement with #whatsinthewoods signage and what appeared to be raccoon tracks. Park President Bridgette Bywater promised the park’s “next signature attraction” and a record-breaking ride set to open next year.

“Another legendary attraction is coming to the Carolinas,” she said in a promo video.

Years of passholder surveys led to Rip Roarin’ Falls, something the park sees as an oversized version of past water rides in the main park area. “This has been the No. 1 most requested attraction,” Bywater said Monday.

About Carowinds

Carowinds was a Cedar Point property before that company merged with Six Flags Entertainment Corp. two years ago. Carowinds has had several owners since opening in 1973. The park, split between Charlotte in North Carolina and Fort Mill in South Carolina, features more than 60 attractions.

This year, Charlotte-based Six Flags offered Carowinds season passes good for admission at 42 parks across North America.

In addition to the new ride, Carowinds announced Monday an $8 a month season membership to the park and waterpark for the rest of the year, plus next year’s debut of Rip Roarin’ Falls. The unlimited admission membership includes seasonal events like SCarowinds and WinterFest.

Carowinds has increased its lineup of festivals, food events, parades and cultural festivities in recent years. SCarowinds has grown with new scare zones in the fall. Yet the most visible attractions at Carowinds, easy to spot from either side of the Carolinas as drivers travel Interstate 77, remain its 14 roller coasters.

Six Flags saw declining attendance and a $1.6 billion net revenue loss last year, the Charlotte Observer reported. The company agreed this spring to sell seven amusement parks for $331 million.

More about the new Carowinds log flume water ride

Canadian theme park aquatic attraction company WhiteWater will manufacture the ride. In addition to Six Flags, WhiteWater has worked with companies like Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Great Wolf Lodge, Royal Caribbean, Hilton and Marriott.Other Carowinds rides manufactured by WhiteWater include Boogey Board Racer and Blackbeard’s Revenge in Carolina Harbor, Carowinds spokesman Chris Foshee said.

The company has built thousands of attractions worldwide including water rides, water slides, flume rides and raft or rapids rides.

The ride will be accessible through the park’s Thrill Zone section near Fury 325. A minimum height requirement is 35 inches when accompanied by someone age 16 or older and 41 inches unaccompanied, according to Six Flags.

Those heights are on par with some of the park’s most accessible rides in family areas, like Boo Blasters and the Grand Carousel. “We’re always looking for things that families can do together,” said Ken Parks, Vice President of Creative Development for Six Flags. “This certainly fills that area.”

While Carowinds has four roller coasters, two rides and two paid thrill experiences that top 100 feet, the park’s tallest water attraction is its Storm Surge Body Slides. It’s four slides and two drops peak at 80 feet high, combining for nearly 500 feet of tunnel sliding to the bottom.

Eight-passenger vehicles will seat Rip Roarin’ Falls riders in four rows of two. The ride will reverse direction twice, then turn once more at the top of its final drop.

While Rip Roarin’ Falls is bigger than past versions, the log flume concept isn’t new at Carowinds.

A ride called Powder Keg opened with the park in 1973. It was renamed Wild Thornberry’s River Adventure before closing in 2008 to make way for the Intimidator roller coaster, now called Thunder Striker.

White Water Falls dropped boats of up to 20 riders from about half the height Rip Roarin’ Falls will, sending a massive wave of water toward onlookers at a pier. White Water Falls opened in 1988 and closed in 2016 to make room for Copperhead Strike.

Rip Roarin’ Falls gets its name in part from a ride that once stood in the same location.

Long-time Carowinds visitors will remember the Rip Roarin’ Rapids floating ride near the park’s entrance, on the North Carolina side. That ride closed seven years ago.

Winston Matson from Aiken drove up early for orientation at Winthrop University in Rock Hill to catch Monday’s announcement. Matson is a season pass-holder who sees the coming attraction as a great draw for the park.

“I think I’m going to come to the park a lot in the future,” Matson said. “The park needs something water-related. I mean, it gets hot.”

This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 10:41 AM with the headline "Carowinds unveils new log flume ride opening next year. It breaks 3 world records."