Yosemite Sam and the Gold River Adventure

Fans of Looney Tunes will immediately recognize several of their favorites during the ride

Yosemite Sam and the Gold River Adventure was a dark ride where patrons on boats slowly float through elaborate scenes of a story told by animatronic Looney Tunes characters. The basic plot of the ride is that Yosemite Sam has stolen gold from the bank and it’s up to Sheriff Bugs Bunny and you — his deputies — to recover it.

When the ride originally opened in 1964, it was named “The Cave” and featured animatronic characters known as “Speelunkers.” The ride didn’t have a story line, but rather showed the peculiar characters in various scenes that occasionally changed from season-to-season.

After Time-Warner purchased the Six Flags chain, the Speelunkers were removed and replaced with Looney Tunes characters by the beginning of the 1992 season. Nostalgic park guests would often petition to bring the Speelunkers back.

Closure

Yosemite Sam closed in late 2018 after extensive flooding in the park damaged it beyond repair. Several animatronics, lights, and effects throughout the ride were already in poor shape prior to the reported water damage.

After an extensive re-theming, the ride reopened in May 2022 as Pirates of Speelunker Cave, paying homage to the original Cave ride and its Speelunker inhabitants.