Everything We Know About the Mysterious New Coaster at Utah’s Lagoon Park

It’s been almost eight years since Lagoon in Farmington, Utah opened a new roller coaster. Last November, their mysterious new project got a name and a vague opening date. Flash forward to August 2023 and Lagoon fans still have a lot of questions about the strange-looking coaster. 

News that Lagoon was working on a new ride broke in August 2017 when coater enthusiasts stumbled across a trademark filed by Lagoon for an “amusement park ride in the nature of roller coaster.” For years, guests called it “Steel Roller Coaster 1” on the Lagoon Fans online forum.

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Somewhere along the way, there was a leak and fans caught wind that the new ride’s name would be “Primordial.” The park initially downplayed those rumors but confirmed the ride’s name when they posted this teaser video last November. 

The video promised that Primordial would open in 2023, before teasing the park’s Black Friday Season Pass sale. Lagoon fans were so thrilled about the new ride that it softened the blow of rising ticket prices. Season passports jumped from $180.95 in 2022 to $207.95 in 2023. Single-day tickets jumped from $84.95 to $97.95. 

It's now mid-August and Primordial still hasn’t opened. Naturally, some people who bought season passes because of the new coaster are disappointed and have openly wondered “What gives?” While we believe that any day you get to spend at Lagoon is a good day, we’re kind of wondering too. Mostly because a friend caught photos of the trains being tested back in June. 

How Close Is the New Coaster to Opening?

The coaster, progress pictures and questions about it have been a fairly regular occurrence on the “Rollercoasters” subreddit. Someone who claims to work in rides at Lagoon offered this update on July 12:

We have started to be scheduled for Primordial, however, they claim that they do not have an opening date yet. When we go to a Primordial shift they will assign us somewhere else. Employee testing also has not begun yet with no word of when it might start.

Other Reddit users said they heard “early August,” but obviously that’s come and gone, too.

So what does the park say? Their standard answer to Facebook questions about the ride’s opening date recently changed from “Soon. Stay tuned!” to “We have reached a couple of important milestones and are getting closer every day.” Then on August 15, they told a skeptical park goer "Primordial is scheduled to open in the 2023 Season."

There's not much season left. After August 16, the park winds down to Saturday, Sunday and Labor Day operations until Frightmares begins on September 8. Once Frightmares begins, they'll also be open on Friday evenings. They have extended hours on Thursday, October 19 and Friday, October 20, as well. 

What Do We Know About the New Coaster?

Enthusiasts speculate that it could be similar to a ride called "Wonder Mountain's Guardian" at a park in Ontario, Canada. The Canadian park's website describes their ride as "a steel roller coaster blended with interactive video-based gaming, where riders compete with other riders for the high score." Based on the mountain-themed appearance of the Canadian ride, it's a fair guess from people who've seen Lagoon's construction in person.

The park has described it like this: 

Lagoon has worked with an international team of designers and manufacturers, including amazing local companies and vendors, to create and produce this incredible state-of-the-art attraction.

As coaster enthusiasts ourselves, we did a little more digging and found some more information about the ride experience in the park’s Disability Guide. In the guide, they describe Primordial as an interactive ride that encourages rider participation, and each rider is given 3-D glasses to wear during the ride.

It sounds like the vehicle rotates and heads for the highest point of the coaster. After that, riders can expect to experience quick turns and sudden drops as they try to score while traveling through theatrical lighting, fog, and haze.