15 Best Six Flags Magic Mountain Tips That You Can't Miss
In this guide, we will explain our best Six Flags Magic Mountain tips to ensure that you arrive at the park extremely prepared, and know all of the 'hacks' to maximize your time and money.
1. Start at the Back of the Park
If you take a look at the Six Flags Magic Mountain map, you'll notice most of the rides are located in the back of the park.
These rides are also some of the most popular rides in the park, that typically have long lines as the day goes on.
By getting to the park when it opens, and going directly to the back of the park, you'll be dealing with minimal (if any) lines.
You can knock out the most popular rides first, and explore the rest of the park later on.
Most guests enter the park and immediately go to the nearest attractions by the entrance.
Essentially, you'll visit the park in reverse, deal with much less wait, and have a much better experience overall.
2. Know the Different Parking Options Ahead of Time
There are 4 types of parking options at Six Flags Magic Mountain including:
- Single Day/General Parking ($40)
- Preferred Parking ($45)
- Front Gate Parking ($50)
- Valet Parking ($65)
General Parking will allow you to park in a spot for the day, but the later that you arrive at the park for the day, the further that you will be parked from the entrance.
Preferred Parking is more expensive, but it allows you to park closer to the entrance of the park, regardless of what hour of the day you arrive.
3. Consider Purchasing a Flash Pass
If you hate waiting in lines, a Flash Pass is a must-have.
A Six Flags Magic Mountain Flash Pass is an additional cost that provides visitors access to a separate and quicker line for the most popular rides.
The Flash Pass entrance will lead to a different line and/or allow you to cut the regular line.
4. Visit Magic Mountain During the Week
The less crowded days are traditionally during the weekdays, specifically on Mondays - Wednesdays.
Most guests visit the park on the weekends and plan their entire vacation around this time.
By visiting during the week, you'll avoid most of the touristy crowds and have a much lighter visit in terms of crowd size.
Additionally, most of the local visitors will be in school during the week.
5. Rent a Locker
If you're planning on bringing items that you can't carry to rides (such as backpacks, hats, extra clothes, etc), you may consider renting a locker.
Lockers work through a first come, first serve system, and they are an additional cost.
There is an all-day locker and an hourly locker that you can choose from.
Most riders have a locker station where you can rent a locker to store your belongings. You can pay with a credit card.
The all-day lockers can be found in front of Hurricane Bay.
6. Know About the Parent Swap System
Picture this scenario: You're with your family and the adults want to ride a ride that the kids aren't tall enough for, so one of the adults has to wait outside of the ride with the kids, while the other adults wait in line and ride the ride.
Then, after they're done riding the ride, the adult that was waiting can finally go wait in line and ride the ride.
That's not fun for either party, as they both will have to wait at some point for each other to wait in line and ride the ride.
That's Why the Parent Swap Program was Built
The Parent Swap program allows you to skip this entire situation. This is how it works:
- The whole group gets in line
- Right before boarding, let the ride operator know that you'd like to use Parent Swap
- One adult will wait with the kids on the other side of the ride (where riders head towards after done riding)
- The other adults will ride the ride
- When the first pair of adults ride the ride, they get off, and now it's their turn to stay with the kids, and the adult who had waited can hop on the ride
7. Save Money on Tickets
When you purchase online directly from the Six Flags site, you'll save money and you can skip the lines at the front gate.
It's an easy win-win for visitors.
8. Know About the Crowd Calendar
If you weren't sure that it was going to rain, but you were doing an outdoor activity, you'd check the weather, right?
Don't go into the park blindly. Use the crowd calendar to see what the expected crowd size will be for the day/week/month.
The way it works is the crowd calendar uses historical data from past years, to accurately predict when the park will be super busy, busy, average, or ghost town.
The calendar is also color-coded which makes it very easy to use and to quickly reference whenever you need.
9. Consider a Season Pass
If you're planning to visit Magic Mountain at least twice in the same year, a Magic Mountain Season Pass is something you may consider.
A Six Flags Magic Mountain Season Pass allows a pass holder to visit the park an unlimited number of times throughout the 'season' in a year, on all days that are open to the public (for Platinum and Diamond passes).
10. Be Ready for the Heat
Compared to the beaches nearby, it can be 10-20 degrees hotter at Magic Mountain.
Although this may not initially be a big deal, if you're planning on being at the park for a few hours to an entire day, it can make a world of difference.
In addition, there isn't much shade throughout the park.
You'll want to make sure that you pack sunscreen, possibly bring a hat, and stay hydrated throughout the day.
There are gift shops throughout the park that you can sneak into to cool off in a building with AC for a few minutes. Of course, you can also buy souvenirs for your family and friends in the process.
11. Take a Picture of Where You Parked
After a long and fun day at the park, the last thing that you'll want to do is spend hours looking for your car.
This tip is one that most skip over until it happens to them! Then, they read this section three times just to make sure it never happens to them again.
Take a picture of where you parked (and the surrounding areas such as row names), or if you have an iPhone just drop a pin.
Either of these options will allow your day to go smoothly from beginning to end.
12. Bring Essential Items
There are essential items that you'll want to bring to this park to protect yourself from the heat, and just to be ready for the park in general including:
- Sunscreen
- Water bottle
- Identification Card (Driver's license)
- Phone charger
- Hat
- Credit card
13. Know What Shoes to Wear
Although sandals and flip-flops can be very comfortable, they are not the best option for theme parks, especially if you're planning on being at the park for hours.
Magic Mountain is 262 acres in size, which means there will be plenty of walking.
You'll want to wear comfortable shoes, preferably running/tennis shoes if you already have them.
We've made a guide on what to wear to Six Flags with a checklist of items.
14. Consider Single Rider Lines
If you don't mind riding solo (or the rest of your party doesn't want to ride this particular ride), you'll want to consider using a single-rider line.
Single-rider lines work as a fill-in option for rides.
Not all party sizes that are waiting in line are the same size, which will naturally leave room and gaps.
This is where single riders can come in and at times even skip the long lines to fill in.
15. Get Your Hand Stamped
If you're planning on leaving the park, make sure that you get your hand stamped before leaving!
The hand stamp signals that you've already paid for admission, and that you can re-enter the park.
However, if you don't get your hand stamped, and you run out of the park momentarily, there's no guarantee that you will be let back in.
So, if you're planning on going to your car, or taking a phone call outside of the park.. Make sure that you get your hand stamped!
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