When Sam and I began planning our Northern California trip we weren’t sure if Gilroy Gardens would fit into our plans. There would only be one day during our trip for us to visit the park based on their hours. With that in mind, I penciled it in for that Sunday, our first full day of the trip.
Once I began plotting out the other days and locations we wanted to visit, we realized that everything would work out and Gilroy Gardens would actually kick off our trip. Being a more scenic park with only two coasters, it was actually perfect if we were still having issues acclimating to the time zone change. Well, that was the idea anyhow. We went and visited California’s Great America (CGA) yesterday evening since we were so close and excited to go ride something.
We Went 1 for 2 on Credits
Of the park’s two coasters only one was open for our visit. Needless to say, that bummed us out. It bummed us out even more that it was the larger of the two – Quicksilver Express. We were looking forward to that with it being a Morgan mine train. It sure looked like a good time the few times we walked over to see if it had opened or was close to opening. I guess it’ll have to wait until we find ourselves back in this region to see if it is as fun as it looks.
Since we only rode one coaster I’m going to touch upon some of the park’s other rides/attractions for this portion of my trip report. Honestly, they deserve attention regardless. This park still impressed us with its beauty and theming. Even if we had been able to ride Quicksilver Express, I would have still made mention of some of these things here in the report.
Timber Twister Coaster
I’m going to make mention of Timber Twister Coaster since it was the only coaster we did experience and, well… this is a coaster enthusiast site. Timber Twister is a Zierer Tivoli model. Many of these exist so you’ve probably rode one elsewhere. The trains look like snakes and you might have also rode one of those elsewhere like, oh Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (SFDK) not too far away from Gilroy.
I’m not trying to take anything away from this coaster. We enjoyed our rides on it which were our first ride of the day. It is a fun time and perfect for families. It is also in a heavily wooded area so it does look nicer than probably most of these coasters models in other parks, at least in the United States.
Bonfante Railroad Train
Our second ride of the day was the park’s railroad. The entrance was by Timber Twister Coaster. We thought it might be a good idea to hop on and see the park’s layout with our own eyes. This place was dense with trees, so it was hard to tell where all the rides and attractions were without a map. Although we had one, we thought this would be better. Plus, it’s a ride and both Sam and I usually enjoy hitting up park trains whenever we can.
When I say that this is probably one of the most scenic train rides I’ve ever done, I mean it. The train went over several bridges, over water, alongside waterfalls, and even through an indoor Monarch Garden. It is truly one of the most unique train rides at any park. I wished I filmed an on-ride POV. If you can find one on YouTube, I suggest watching it.
Oh, and this train moves fast! Crazy fast! Sam and I were shocked when we saw the train riding by some of the rides before boarding. I guess they believe in fast travel.
While there are two loading stations for this train, only one was operational when we rode. We did stop at the Redwood Junction station by the Bonfante Falls, but it was roped off. After a couple of minutes, we departed and returned to the Coyote Junction from which we boarded. I do think Redwood opened later in the day, but I’m not 100 percent sure on that. With both stations open, this is not only just a ride, but a form of travel to get you around different areas of the park. I always like that when park trains have multiple stations to do just that.
Bonfante Falls & Monarch Garden
As much as we like visiting parks for rides, just walking around this park was an experience in itself. I’ve long said that Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW) and Dollywood are two of the prettiest parks I have visited. Last year I added Silver Dollar City (SDC) to that list. Now I’m adding Gilroy Gardens. And honestly, it might be the prettiest. While those other parks feature way more rides and much bigger ones that they have to account for in their park layout, Gilroy feels so natural. You just walk around a bend in the path and find a ride or two. Walk along the river a little later and you find yourself in a garden with waterfalls. It just melds everything naturally.
Two of our favorite spots in the park were actually not even rides. One was the Bonfante Falls which you can see in the photo above and the other, the Monarch Garden which is in the photo below. Both had us stopping and enjoying the countless sights. We even got a little bit of splash walking under the falls to cool us off.
These are also the same spots the Bonfante Railroad rode through and past earlier. So we knew we wanted to go find them and experience them ourselves after seeing them in person.
Final Ride Counts
Bonfante Falls (2)
Bonfante Railroad (1)
Monarch Garden (1)
Rainbow Garden Boat Ride (1)
Timber Twister Coaster (2: Sam, 1: Patrick)
One of Those Peaceful, Enjoy the Park Days
Even if Gilroy Gardens doesn’t add any new rides, if I find myself back in Northern California with some time on my hands, I’d seriously like to return. It was so relaxing yet still had that small amusement park vibe that I enjoy. I get that feeling visiting places like Knoebels, Quassy, and Idlewild. I’m just at peace at those parks and whatever I get into, I get into. I’m just there to enjoy my day and not worry about how many rides I can get in, or sweating on the blacktop while waiting for overpriced food. And that reminds me…
The food we tried at Gilroy Gardens was great. We also liked how the park had numerous shade structures and/or tables and benches set up for guests to sit and relax while they ate. None of them were eyesores either. Everything looked like it fit in to the natural look of the park.
And on top of all that, the park was all very clean. I didn’t see any trash laying around. I’m sure some of that has to do with people respecting the beauty of their surroundings, but we all know how people can be. So kudos to the park staff for a job well done keeping this park clean and pretty.
Next time we’ll have to bring Jen here. She loves plants and would surely find Gilroy Gardens just as remarkable as we did.
Gilroy Gardens Photo Gallery - May 31, 2026
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CREW MANIFEST
The following flight crew members attended this park, & earned the respective credits below:
Patrick
CAG
New Credit(s): Timber Twister Coaster
Sam
Admiral
New Credit(s): Timber Twister Coaster