History

The World’s First Log Flume Ride is Still Making a Splash in Texas

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Tony Maples Photography

 

Texas summers are generally known to be hot and sticky… emphasis on the “hot.” As such, we’re always looking for ways to cool down, whether it be a water hose, a sprinkler, a pool, or the local swimming hole. In addition to that, it might interest you to know you can always cool off by going down a log flume! The first log flume ride in the world, El Aserradero remains in operation today at Six Flags Over Texas, in Arlington!

Opening in 1963, El Aserradero first began exciting and cooling off crowds of fans with only one flume, but by 1968, its popularity necessitated the addition of a second, parallel flume. Although there have been countless reproductions since, this original log-shaped raft, speeding down a river toward an amazingly cool destination, is still considered one of the best.

Video: YouTube/Six Flags Over Texas

Constructed by Arrow Development, El Aserradero was billed as “the most popular and exciting ride ever devised.” As you can see by the video shared above on the Six Flags Over Texas YouTube channel, the ride sure does build a level of anticipation! Guests of this family-friendly park cruise down a winding watery flume in a fiberglass log, floating peacefully through the surrounding scenery, until you reach the first lift, after which a sudden drop over the edge of its waterfall plunges passengers into a big splash! Although you think you’re in the clear, you’ll float smoothly around the river until you reach the crest of another lift, with a final splashing swoop over an almost heart-stopping hill! And so ends the El Aserradero experience with a huge cooling splash. Its success has inspired a variety of amusement parks to add similar rides to their arsenal of thrills and spills. However, this one runs from springtime until the end of the park’s Fright Fest event in October.