Two water slides in Denver named among the best in all of America
May 5, 2026, 9:51 AM
Denver is known for a lot of things; beer, mountains, and music… But who knew Denver was such a mecca for water slides?
Two water slides at Water World in Federal Heights landed on USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards for 2026, making the 70-acre park the only facility in the country to place multiple rides on the list.
Voyage to the Center of the Earth ranked No. 2 in the nation among water slides, behind only the VR Waterslide at Kalahari Resorts in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. The ride takes groups on a five-minute journey past dinosaurs and other animatronic prehistoric creatures — one of the longest water slides of its kind in the country — with sudden drops and a T. rex encounter at the finish.
Lost River of the Pharaohs, the park’s Egyptian-themed attraction, came in at No. 9.
The full best water slide top 10:
- VR Waterslide at Kalahari Resorts – Poconos (Pocono Manor, Pennsylvania)
- Voyage to the Center of the Earth at Water World (Federal Heights, Colorado)
- Reef Plunge at Aquatica Orlando (Orlando, Florida)
- High Extreme at Raging Waters Los Angeles (San Dimas, California)
- Tomcat Racers at Wild Rivers Waterpark (Irvine, California)
- Raging River Rapids at Dollywood’s Splash Country (Pigeon Forge, Tennessee)
- Black Knight at Schlitterbahn New Braunfels (New Braunfels, Texas)
- The Rise of Icarus at Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park (Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin)
- Lost River of the Pharaohs at Water World (Federal Heights, Colorado)
- Surfin’ USA at Cowabunga Bay Water Park (Henderson, Nevada)
The slide honors came alongside a separate No. 5 ranking for Water World on USA Today’s Best Outdoor Water Park list — the third consecutive year the park has made the top 10 in that category. Water World was ranked No. 2 nationally in 2025 and No. 7 in 2024.
If You Go
- Where: 8801 N. Pecos St., Federal Heights
- 2026 season: Opens May 23
- Hours: Generally 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (check waterworldcolorado.com for daily schedule)
- Tickets: Available at waterworldcolorado.com
- New for 2026: Summit Canyon, a 3-acre zone with four new slides including Aspen Falls drop-capsule ride
