Yosemite Sam and the Gold River Adventure was a dark ride at Six Flags Over Texas where riders on boats slowly floated through scenes of a story told by animatronic Looney Tunes characters. The plot took place in the wild west and consisted of Yosemite Sam stealing gold from the town’s bank, and Sheriff Bugs Bunny, and riders (his deputies) trying to recover it.

Yosemite Sam and the Gold River Adventure’s infrastructure, such as the building and layout, was originally “The Cave,” a ride that opened at the park in 1964. The original dark ride featured peculiar characters known as “Speelunkers” that lived in caves. The Cave didn’t have a storyline, but rather showed the alien-looking creatures in various scenes that were occasionally updated from season-to-season.

After Time-Warner purchased the Six Flags chain, the Speelunkers were removed and the attraction updated with Looney Tunes characters and the pursuit of Yosemite Sam. Plenty of other Looney Tunes characters made cameos in the ride.

Closure

Yosemite Sam and the Gold River Adventure 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 water damage, putting the final nail in the aging ride’s coffin.

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.