California’s Great America sits on 112 acres in Santa Clara, right in the heart of Silicon Valley, and has entertained Bay Area families since 1976. Nine roller coasters, a full water park included with admission, and dozens of other rides make it one of Northern California’s biggest theme park days out — but its future beyond 2027 is genuinely uncertain, which makes planning a visit a little different than usual.
This guide covers what you need for an actual visit — hours, tickets, parking, and every coaster and ride worth knowing about — plus the real story on the park’s looming lease expiration and what it means for the next few seasons.
Quick Answer
California’s Great America is open and operating for the 2026 season (extended through November 1) with 9 roller coasters, more than 50 total rides, and the South Bay Shores water park included with admission. Its future past 2027 is unresolved: Six Flags has said the park’s last season could be 2027 unless it extends the land lease past June 2028, but as of this writing no final closure decision has been made.
Planning Your Visit: Hours, Tickets & Parking
California’s Great America runs a seasonal schedule that typically starts in spring on weekends only, expands to daily operation through summer, and tapers back to weekends (plus special events like Halloween Haunt) into fall. The 2026 season was extended through November 1. Because exact hours shift week to week, always check the official park hours calendar before you go.
Tickets use dynamic pricing, similar to airline fares — single-day admission is cheaper on off-peak dates and rises as a date fills up, and it’s consistently cheaper to buy online in advance than at the gate. For anyone visiting more than once a season, a Gold Pass or other season pass tier is usually the better deal, since it bundles unlimited visits, admission to South Bay Shores, and in some cases free general parking. Parking itself is tiered: a standard lot, a preferred lot closer to the gates, and RV parking, each priced separately, with online pre-purchase typically cheaper than paying on arrival. Current prices for tickets, passes, and parking change by season, so confirm them on the official California’s Great America site rather than a third-party estimate.
Roller Coasters & Rides
The park’s nine operating roller coasters span five decades of coaster design. Demon, a steel looper from Arrow Dynamics, has run since 1976, while Flight Deck and Patriot (both Bolliger & Mabillard) add inverted and floorless looping layouts. Grizzly is a classic wooden out-and-back, and Gold Striker, built by Great Coasters International in 2013, features a tunneled first drop reaching roughly 54 mph over about 3,200 feet of track. Rounding out the lineup are Psycho Mouse, an Arrow Dynamics wild mouse coaster with tight hairpin turns and sharp lateral forces, and two family coasters aimed at younger riders, Woodstock Express and Lucy’s Crabbie Cabbies in the Planet Snoopy kids’ area.
RailBlazer, which opened in 2018, is the park’s newest headliner. Built by Rocky Mountain Construction on its single-rail ‘Raptor’ platform, it reaches about 106 feet, hits roughly 52 mph, and packs three inversions into about 1,800 feet of track. Beyond the coasters, the park lists more than 50 rides in total, including flat rides, drop towers, and a dedicated kids’ area, so there’s a full day of riding even for guests who skip the biggest coasters.
South Bay Shores Waterpark
One thing that regularly surprises first-time visitors: general park admission and season passes also include South Bay Shores, an 11-acre water park with slides, a wave pool, a lazy river, and cabana rentals. It’s one of the only combination theme-park-and-full-scale-waterpark setups in the country where the water park doesn’t cost extra on top of the gate price.
South Bay Shores typically opens later than the main park — often weekends only starting in spring, then daily once summer arrives — so if a water park day is the main goal, check its operating dates on the South Bay Shores page before planning around it specifically.
Is California’s Great America Closing?
The short version: it’s not closed, and no closure date has been finalized, but the situation is real and worth understanding before you buy a season pass. Cedar Fair sold the 112 acres under the park to real estate firm Prologis in 2022 for $310 million, then leased the land back to keep the park running. That lease runs through June 2028, with an option to extend for up to five more years.
In mid-2025, Six Flags said publicly that without an extension, the 2027 season would likely be the park’s last, and that California’s Great America ranked low among its parks on profit margin. By July 2025, the company walked that back slightly, saying no final decision had been made and that it was still working with local stakeholders. As of this writing, the park remains open with no confirmed closing date, but anyone planning a multi-year pass or a milestone visit (a birthday, a reunion trip) should treat 2027 as a real possibility rather than a distant hypothetical.
History: From Marriott to Six Flags
The park opened March 20, 1976, as Marriott’s Great America, one of two nearly identical Americana-themed parks Marriott built that year (the other became Six Flags Great America outside Chicago). It has changed names and owners repeatedly since: the City of Santa Clara briefly co-owned it in the late 1980s, followed by Kings Entertainment, Paramount Parks, and Cedar Fair, before Six Flags took over following the 2024 Six Flags-Cedar Fair merger.
Along the way, the park had a cameo in 1994’s Beverly Hills Cop III as the fictional ‘Wonder World,’ and it marked its 50th season in 2026.
Getting There
California’s Great America is at 4701 Great America Parkway in Santa Clara, directly across from Levi’s Stadium and easily reached from Highway 101 or 237. The Santa Clara–Great America Caltrain station sits right next to the park, making it one of the more transit-accessible major theme parks in California for visitors coming from San Francisco or San Jose without a car.
California’s Great America visitor guide FAQs
Is California’s Great America closing?
Not yet, and no final closure date has been set. Six Flags has said the 2027 season could be the park’s last unless it extends its land lease past June 2028, but as of this writing the company says no final decision has been made.
How many roller coasters and rides does California’s Great America have?
The park operates 9 roller coasters — Demon, Grizzly, Woodstock Express, Patriot, Flight Deck, Lucy’s Crabbie Cabbies, Psycho Mouse, Gold Striker, and RailBlazer — plus more than 50 rides in total.
Does admission include the water park?
Yes. South Bay Shores, an 11-acre water park with slides, a wave pool, and a lazy river, is included with regular park admission and season passes at no extra cost.
What are California’s Great America’s hours?
Hours vary by season: typically weekends-only in spring and fall, expanding to daily operation in summer. Check the official calendar and hours page before visiting, since specific hours change week to week.
How much does parking cost at California’s Great America?
Parking is tiered into standard, preferred (closer to the gates), and RV parking, each priced separately, with online pre-purchase generally cheaper than paying at the gate. Some season pass tiers include free general parking.
What is the newest roller coaster at California’s Great America?
RailBlazer, a Rocky Mountain Construction single-rail coaster that opened in 2018, is the park’s most recent major coaster addition, reaching about 106 feet with three inversions.
Where is California’s Great America located?
It’s at 4701 Great America Parkway in Santa Clara, California, across from Levi’s Stadium, with its own Caltrain station (Santa Clara–Great America) right next door.
Get More from California’s Great America visitor guide
Log the coasters, stadiums, and venues you’ve experienced, rate California’s Great America visitor guide, and see what your friends thought. Get the ThrillZing app.
Want the day’s theme park news in your inbox? Subscribe to ThrillZing Daily — free.