GREER, AZ — Sunrise Park Resort will be home to Arizona’s newest mountain coaster! Say "hello" to the Sunrise Apache Alpine Coaster!
“It's a great and brand-new attraction for families to come out here and enjoy the mountains. It'll ride from the top, down the hillside, and down to the base of the mountain. So just beautiful views and a really good time for the family,” said Tyler Shultz, the marketing director at Sunrise Park Resort.
As you’ve seen in the images above, this coaster is entwined in the natural features at the resort and works differently than the usual amusement park attraction that we’re used to seeing.
“But unlike most roller coasters, it's not a train of carts… [each] rider has their own individual cart. And what's really cool about that is they have hand brakes on each cart, so you can pull the brakes back and control your own speed as you ride down the hill,” explained Shultz. “Riders will load at the base of the mountain, right at the base of the ski slopes, and it'll ride up the mountain [….] and it'll ride down via gravity, down the mountain, through the trees, and over the hills and everything down to the base. So, you get a beautiful view your whole way down, you control your own speed. And it's just a lot of fun.”
According to Shultz, each cart goes up to about 25 miles per hour and has an advanced safety system built in.
“We have a braking system that if carts get too close together to each other, the cart in the back will actually slow down to match the speed of the one in front. So, you never have to worry about hitting a rider in front of you or anything as you're riding down,” he explained.
According to the resort, the coaster will be 3,287 feet of track and can be used year-round.
“We just really want to encourage families from around Arizona to really come out here and enjoy the mountains, especially in the summer, this is a great place to escape the heat,” said Shultz. “Usually, it's like 60 to 70 degrees up here all summer long, just beautiful fresh mountain air and a great place to just bring the whole family on a vacation.”
WHEN YOU GO
- The attraction was originally set to open on Memorial Day weekend, but the coaster is now set to open “early summer of this year.”
- Sunrise Park Resort [200 Highway 273] in Greer, Arizona.
- There are certain requirements the guests have to adhere to: minimum rider height is 54,″ minimum passenger height is 38,″ maximum weight on a wet track is 330lbs and maximum weight on a dry track is 375lbs.
The video in the player above showcases the best things to do in the Valley this May. Read more about it right here.
