Thunder Canyon uses water pumped in from Sandusky Bay every morning instead of a closed water system on many other water rides.[1] The ride closes every year in late August to be transformed into Cornstalkers 2.0: Revenge of the Pumpkin Heads, an attraction for HalloWeekends.
Thunder Canyon is located towards the back of the park. It can be found along the back path leading to Wildwater Kingdom while the ride itself is placed on four acres of land within the track of the Cedar Creek Cannonball. The attraction is 1,640 feet long, uses 200 horsepower pumps to generate the river using one million gallons of water at a rate of 112,000 gallons per minute, and was designed by Barr Engineering for the cost of $3.8 Million. This ride is unique compared to other rides of the same type for a few reasons. The ride is known for being one of the wettest version of its type. It is also known for its special use of its water reservoir, which instead of being hidden back stage, is used as a dramatic million gallon backdrop for the ride. Thunder Canyon is one of three water rides at Dorney Park, the other two being White Water Landing and Thunder Creek Mountain.