Looking for an exciting thrill unlike any other? Then you might want to head to The Haunted Mine Drop attraction in Colorado. It’s the world’s first drop ride to go underground. Perched on top of Iron Mountain in Glenwood Springs, Colo., the attraction drops riders 110 feet down inside the mountain as they listen to ghostly mining tales from days gone by.
The attraction opened back in 2017 and was built by Stan Checketts’ Soaring Eagle in Logan, Utah. Checketts is an icon in the industry, having created some of the top thrill rides in the world, including the park’s cliffside Giant Canyon Swing and the Stratosphere Tower Big Shot in Las Vegas.
The ride experience begins in the queue as guests learn they’ve arrived for their first day on the job at the Glenwood Mining Corporation, which has just reopened after a grisly mining accident more than a century ago. Theming inside and out by St. Louis-based Creative Visions creates an old mine atmosphere, with a wood and rusted tin exterior and moving gear visible in the upper section of the building.
Once inside the building, the storyline continues with mining relics, vintage signage and video effects until the new employees enter the drop room where they’ll be lowered into the mine. A Pepper’s ghost, an illusion technique invented by Professor John Henry Pepper and English engineer Henry Dircks in the 1800s, appears to tell the real story behind the mine’s closing so many years ago.
More information is available at http://www.GlenwoodCaverns.com.
Clint Gamache is the owner of ThrillGeek. He started ThrillGeek to share his love of theme/amusement parks and pop culture with the world. You can find him at Halloween Horror Nights. Also, be sure to follow him on Twitter @iamcg83