Looking to cool off this weekend, Boise? Roaring Springs is open, with a new twist
Blink and miss winter this year? Well, it’s time for summer already at Roaring Springs Waterpark in Meridian.
The popular warm-weather destination is set to open on Saturday, May 9 — and debut an “exhilarating” new feature.
In a news release from Roaring Springs, Chief Marketing Officer Tiffany Watts said the park will be open this weekend and next from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., before opening daily starting Friday, May 22.
That’s weather permitting for the first two weekends, of course. Good thing the National Weather Service is predicting another hot, sunny weekend. (Like, high-of-nearly-92-degrees-on-Sunday hot.)
The first to enjoy the park Saturday will be a group of families from Make-A-Wish Idaho, who will be welcomed 30 minutes prior to opening to try the park’s newest attraction, the release said.
Called The Hive, the new waterslide takes riders “on an exhilarating journey as they spiral and drop through twin double looping beehives, delivering thrilling g-forces and non-stop excitement,” according to the release.
As riders slide through the 720-degree double loops, they’ll experience a flashing strobe-like experience, thanks to clear fiberglass panels lining the slide.
“The Hive is unlike anything guests have experienced here before,” Watts said in the release. “It’s fast, it’s intense, and it’s going to be a fan favorite from day one.”
Riders can slide down The Hive solo or in a pair, according to Roaring Springs’ website. Single riders must be at least 4 feet tall to ride, while riders in a double tube can be 42 inches tall in the front of the tube and 4 feet in the back.
Riders measuring in at 4 feet and shorter need a “supervising companion” in their double tube, however.
The slide is the second of its kind in the world, the release noted. It follows a Hive slide that opened last summer in Columbus, Ohio, Watts told the Idaho Statesman.
Roaring Spring’s largest expansion to date still underway
It’s also a key part of Roaring Springs’ multiyear expansion that is expected to grow the park’s footprint by 40%, Watts said by email. The first new attractions in the expansion, which was spurred by rapid growth in the Treasure Valley, opened in 2023, the Statesman previously reported. The Hive marks the expansion’s second of seven phases coming over the next 10 to 15 years, Watts said.
The Hive will be joined by a “companion slide” called The Heist, featuring “tornado funnels and giant, banking, wave-shaped walls,” Watts said. No date has been set for the second slide’s opening.
Later phases are set to include additional water attractions, as well as parking. By full build-out, the park is expected to be one of the largest in the country, Watts said.
Roaring Springs opened in June 1999, with day tickets costing just $19.99 at the time, according to its website. Since then, it’s welcomed more than 6 million visitors, the Statesman reported. Today, a full-day pass costs $54.99 plus tax, if you’re 48 inches or taller (and $5 less if you’re shorter).
It is located at 400 W. Overland Road, just south of Interstate 84 near Meridian Road.
This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 4:00 AM.
