Cliff’s Amusement Park has entertained Albuquerque families since 1959, when Cliff and Zella Hammond opened a small children’s park called Uncle Cliff’s Kiddieland. After relocating to its current Osuna Road site and passing through several name changes, the park dropped the ‘Uncle’ in 1991 to become Cliff’s Amusement Park, the name it still carries as a family-owned operation run by the Hammonds’ descendants.
Today the park packs 25 rides, games, and a water play area called WaterMania onto a compact 15-acre site in northeast Albuquerque. Its best-known attraction is the New Mexico Rattler, a hybrid wooden roller coaster that opened in 2002 as the final ride ever built by manufacturer Custom Coasters International before the company closed. Open seasonally from May through September, Cliff’s remains one of New Mexico’s few dedicated amusement parks.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Ownership: Family-owned (Hammond family)
- Opened: 1959 (as Uncle Cliff’s Kiddieland)
- Current Name Since: 1991
- Size: About 15 acres
- Attractions: 25 rides, including 3 roller coasters
- Signature Attraction: New Mexico Rattler, hybrid wooden coaster (opened 2002)
- Operating Season: May through September
The Ride Experience
The New Mexico Rattler anchors Cliff’s lineup as a hybrid wooden roller coaster whose construction became part of local amusement lore. Custom Coasters International was contracted to build it, but the manufacturer went bankrupt mid-project in 2002, leaving the ride half-finished. The park brought on former CCI workers to complete it, and the Rattler finally opened that September as the company’s last-ever design. Cliff’s other two coasters are the Galaxi, a steel coaster that has run since 1977, and Spin-O-Rama, a steel spinning children’s coaster added in 2016.
Beyond the coasters, the park’s 25 attractions span family rides and children’s rides, alongside the WaterMania water play area with slides built to help riders cool off in the New Mexico heat. Cliff’s has announced Air Race, a Zamperla flying-plane-style thrill ride, as a new addition set to debut in summer 2026, continuing a pattern of steady, incremental expansion rather than wholesale reinvention.
A Family Legacy in the Desert
What sets Cliff’s apart from larger regional parks is its unbroken family ownership. Cliff and Zella Hammond’s daughter and her husband took over daily operations in 1974, and the park has stayed under family control ever since, even as its name shifted from Uncle Cliff’s Kiddieland to Uncle Cliff’s Familyland and Uncle Cliff’s Amusement Park before settling on Cliff’s in 1991. The park typically hires a large seasonal staff each year to keep rides and games running through the summer crowds.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the park to close for the 2020 season before it reopened in 2021. That resilience, paired with continued ride additions, has kept Cliff’s running as Albuquerque’s hometown amusement park for more than six decades.
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Cliff’s Amusement Park FAQs
When did Cliff’s Amusement Park open?
The park traces back to 1959, when Cliff and Zella Hammond opened a small children’s park called Uncle Cliff’s Kiddieland. It took its current name, Cliff’s Amusement Park, in 1991.
What is the main roller coaster at Cliff’s Amusement Park?
The New Mexico Rattler is the park’s signature ride, a hybrid wooden roller coaster that opened in 2002 as the final coaster ever built by manufacturer Custom Coasters International.
Is Cliff’s Amusement Park open year-round?
No, the park operates seasonally, typically from May through September, in line with Albuquerque’s warmer months.
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Photo: Jeremy Thompson / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.