California
The best water rides in Southern California, ranked by splash factor
Robotic dinosaurs. Mechanical miners. Unpredictable chaos. Our local water rides offer the promise of getting wet with a dash of surprise and excitement.
Home to four world-class theme or amusement parks, the Southland isn’t lacking in inventive ways to get soaked. Some of these rides are exquisitely designed, emphasizing show scenes and story rather than simply pummeling us with water. Others aim to do exactly that.
In L.A., water rules everything around us. Drink up, cool off and dive into our stories about hydrating and recreating in the city.
Getting waterlogged, after all, is part of our history. In 1900, Los Angeles was home to one of the first major American takes on a water ride, Shoot the Chutes at Chutes Park in Historic South-Central. Rising 75 feet, it utilized flat-bottomed boats and a cable to take passengers up an incline.
Today, our water rides are more advanced and just may be among the best in the country. We’ve ridden them all, and did so without ponchos, to grade them based on wetness. Five droplets means you’ll get doused; one droplet is more akin to a light sprinkle.
Missing from this list is Disneyland’s Splash Mountain, which is being refashioned into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, a “Princess and the Frog”-themed ride that is due to open later this year. We’ll be there when it opens. In the meantime, here’s a ranking of what you can ride now.
(Charles Sykes / Invision / AP)
Pirates of the Caribbean
Disneyland’s 1967 boat ride is a leisurely jaunt through a town in the process of being ransacked by inept (read: mostly drunk) pirates. Yet there are two early drops — one moderate and one relatively small. Depending on the weight of the boat or the height of the water, expect to get lightly splashed. Because this is primarily a slow-moving family attraction, the water can either be an unexpected delight or an intrusion. But with reliably brisk air conditioning and a 15-minute-plus length, chances are you’ll dry off by the ride’s conclusion. More important, you’ll have experienced one of the most vital attractions at Disneyland, as its abstract approach to narrative set the template for the modern theme park ride.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Waterworld
OK, perhaps it’s odd to include a theme park show on a list of water rides. But Universal Studios’ stunt-focused spectacle is centered entirely on water, so it made the cut. Additionally, the large arena that houses the show contains a rather large splash zone, meaning anyone sitting in that particular section of the bleachers will get wet. The show is essentially a love letter to action-driven movie illusions, and a real hoot. Some moments never cease to surprise, such as a full-scale seaplane being jettisoned into the pond. And yes, a splash ensues. Those sitting in the wet sector will get sprayed with a decent amount of water, but if that’s not your thing it’s clearly marked and easy to avoid.
(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)
Jet Stream
Magic Mountain’s vintage take on a log flume attraction is no-frills — our boats go up a lift, enter a brisk current and then speed down a hill. Oddly, the back seat of the boat has a tendency to get a bit wetter than the front, perhaps because the boats have a propensity to glide when they hit the man-made pond. Still, this can be an essential ride at Magic Mountain, especially in the summer when the Valencia park is often scorching hot. Jet Stream arrived at Magic Mountain in 1972, and though it features no elaborate themes or scenery, the final splash is still an unique sensation, as the boats tend to hop and slightly accelerate upon landing.
Timber Mountain Log Ride
This 1969 Knott’s Berry Farm attraction is one of the most important log fumes ever created. At the time of its opening, it was a relatively new attraction; the first proper implementation of the ride format opened in 1963 at Six Flags Over Texas. Knott’s, however, gave the ride, one that moves in its flume at a relatively brisk pace, a narrative about turn-of-the-century loggers, showing the world that thrill rides could carry a story. There are a couple of mini drops, but the grand finale is about a 40-foot decline. At times I’ve walked away relatively unscathed. Other times, I’ve been soaked from the waist down.
(Sean Teegarden / Knott’s Berry Farm)
Calico River Rapids
As far as river rapid rides go, I’ve never gotten drenched on this Knott’s Berry Farm attraction. Without a major drop or a rough, fast-moving current, Calico River Rapids has always been to me more about the threat of getting soaked. That’s not to say one should expect a dry experience. (Not at all. You will get wet.) Just that this rapids attraction can be conquered without a poncho. That means as we spin among its current, we can take in the vignettes that are scattered among its rocky banks. My favorite: a young bear engaged in a whack-a-mole-like game with a flock of prairie dogs. But also be on the lookout for a pesky woodpecker.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Jurassic World
Universal Studios revamped this ride in 2019 so it aligns with the most recent crop of “Jurassic World” films rather than the initial “Jurassic Park.” In doing so, designers upped its water content. We begin by gliding into a mock aquarium with a shark-eating mosasaurus looking hungrily at us tourists. Expect to be hit with water from above when the dino is shown making a leap out of the tank. But this ride is all about building tension as it leads us to an 84-foot drop. You‘ll want to linger on the top of the hill to marvel at the giant dinosaur battle with a T. Rex that unfolds there. But down you go, and when you reach the bottom it’s likely that a sizable wave will find its way onto your lap.
Grizzly River Run
Disney’s take on the whitewater rafting ride is robust, coming in at about seven minutes. It begins calmly, as you drift and turn around an old mining town, before the ride truly gets thrilling — and full of water. But what ultimately sets the ride apart is the overall design, which, in a relatively confined space, manages to re-create the feeling of being in a national park. The landscape is calming, but the second half of the ride is hectic, as Grizzly River Run gradually ramps up its pace and the amount of water you take on, eventually culminating with a drop that will bring even more water sloshing into the raft.
(Six Flags Magic Mountain)
Roaring Rapids
Magic Mountain’s Roaring Rapids was instrumental in the development of the whitewater rafting-type ride, as this is the first constructed in the Western U.S. But that also means it runs a little rough, which, in this case, results in riders getting absolutely drenched. As on all rapids rides, the turbulent river, buoyed by narrow chutes, moves in an unpredictable fashion. Expect about four big crushes of water to leap into the raft, and those waves will be massive — there’s no buildup, no pacing and no underlying storyline. To ride Roaring Rapids is to sign up for a soaking.
California
Northern California’s House of Clocks has stood the test of time for 55 years
While we may lose an hour of sleep this coming weekend, one clock store in California is gearing up for one of its busiest times of the year: daylight savings.
It’s the House of Clocks, the largest clock company in Northern California, which was recently celebrating 55 years of business.
It’s a place frozen in time. Just visit the store’s 240-year-old grandfather clock. It’s got plenty of stories to tell, dating back to 1780.
“This is the oldest piece we have right now,” clocksmith Joey Hohn said.
The House of Clocks is on the outskirts of Downtown Lodi in San Joaquin County.
“We have new, we have vintage, we have antique,” co-owner Sandy Hohn shared. “Honestly, it feels like not a day goes by that we don’t get a phone call or an email of somebody wanting to sell something for 100 different reasons.”
The clock store has been with the Hohn family for three generations. It’s all thanks to one family heirloom.
“When the first war started, [my grandparents] left everything and had to move,” Joey Hohn explained. “After the Second World War, my grandpa was stationed in Germany. They went back to the house that had been abandoned and the neighbor who they left the property to said, ‘As far as I’m concerned, everything in the house is still yours.’ They went back and got this, so this is my great-great-grandparents’ clock.”
You can find just about anything in the House of Clocks, from old grandfather clocks to clocks that can fit in the palm of your hand.
What you can’t find anywhere else is the Hohns’ love for Lodi.
“We’ve made so many friends over the years out of customers,” Sandy Hohn said. “Friends that are just wonderful, that love collecting, and we keep them repaired for their families, which is awesome. They have sentimental value that’s passed down.”
That same love for the city and their community runs in the family.
“We had a customer that wanted to repaint their dial,” Joey Hohn explained. “We told them no because it was her father’s who had passed away. Every time he went to wind the clock, he placed his thumb in the same spot. When we told her that smudge there on the dial was her father, she said, ‘Back away, don’t you dare.’ It was just a good memory we have.”
While you can’t turn back time, what we can do is keep memories alive and treasure the present moment.
“There’s so many personalities,” Sandy Hohn said. “We just try to find a good home for them.”
California
Signs of spring blooming at Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve after wet, warm winter
It’s beginning to look a lot like spring!
The warm and wet weather this winter has led to the start of a dazzling super bloom at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve.
“We had an unseasonably warm winter as well, so there’s actually a lot of growth,” said Callista Turney with California State Parks. “We’re having early wildflowers that are already at the park. So if you look at the poppy live cam, it shows a lot of orange already.”
The rain has helped the early blooms, but it’s actually the heat that accelerated the growth of the flowers.
“It will actually speed up the growth of the plants, so some of them were already blooming and that’s going to cause those blossoms to accelerate faster towards seed production. And the blossoms that are in the process of being formed, those are going to open up soon as well.”
We also sometimes see great super blooms in Death Valley National Park, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Joshua Tree and the Mojave National Preserve.
“It’s definitely a rare occurrence because we don’t always have the right conditions. It’s gotta be the weather, the wind, the rain, all coming together,” said Katie Tilford, Director of Development and Communications with the Theodore Payne Foundation.
If it continues to stay unseasonably warm, we’ll see a shorter bloom. The key to a longer season is milder weather.
Copyright © 2026 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.
California
Republican governor candidate Chad Bianco says he’s the ‘antithesis to California state government’
We are counting down to the California governor’s race. Chad Bianco, the sheriff of Riverside County, is one of the two biggest names running on the Republican ticket.
In a one-on-one interview with Eyewitness News political reporter Josh Haskell, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said, “I am the antithesis to California state government because I am going to take a nuclear bomb into that building and absolutely destroy everything that they do to us behind closed doors.”
Although he’s been elected by the voters twice, Bianco says he’s not a politician — which is why he believes his campaign for California governor is resonating, as reflected in the polls.
“President Trump, in one year, from 2025 when he took over, until now, did absolutely nothing to harm California. What’s harming California is 30 years of Democrat one-party rule that have created an environment here that no one can live in anymore. They’ve only been successful here in California because we vote D no matter what. You vote D or die. I mean, that’s it. Charles Manson would be elected in California if he was the only Democrat on the ballot,” Bianco said.
Bianco isn’t the only conservative Republican running for governor, and according to polling, he’s neck-and-neck with former Fox News host Steve Hilton.
SEE ALSO: CA governor candidate Steve Hilton says ‘everybody supports’ Trump’s immigration policies
Leading in some polls in the wide-open California Governor’s race as the June primary creeps closer is Republican and former Fox News host Steve Hilton.
“Steve has no chance of winning in November. The Democrats know that I’m going to win in November, and so they have to do everything they can to keep me out of that,” Bianco said.
When asked about the affordability crisis in the state, Bianco said, “Almost the entire issue of affordability in California is because of regulation, excessive regulation imposed by government. Every single regulation can be signed away with the governor’s signature.”
“It is a drug and alcohol addiction problem that, and a mental health problem,” he said about the homelessness crisis. “Every single bit of money that is going to these nonprofits that say ‘homeless,’ zero money. You’re getting absolutely nothing. I can’t tell you that we would end what we see in the homeless situation within a year, but I guarantee you we would never see it again after two years.”
When challenged on that prediction, pointing to how the state doesn’t have the facilities to treat the number of people living on our streets, Bianco responded, “We have been conditioned to believe that buildings take five years to build. It takes 90 days or less to build a house, but in California, it takes three to five years because the government won’t allow it. The regulations that are destroying this state are going to be removed with me as the governor.”
Bianco also said California jails shouldn’t have to play the role of treatment facilities.
Although he says he supports the Trump administration and wants the president’s endorsement, Bianco has been traveling the state — meeting not just with Republicans, but Democrats and independents as well. He says all of our state government officials have failed.
The primary election is June 2.
No clear front-runner in race for California governor, new poll shows
A new poll shows there’s still no clear front-runner in the race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Copyright © 2026 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.
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