If you’ve been visiting Knott’s Berry Farm over the past few years, you’ve probably asked yourself the same question:
What on earth is taking so long with Montezuma’s Revenge?
What started as a “simple” refurbishment in 2022 somehow turned into a multi-year saga full of false starts, rumors, and long stretches where seemingly nothing was happening at all. Now, as MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress finally appears close to testing, it’s worth stepping back and asking an important question.
Why did this take so long?
The Timeline That Slipped Away
When Knott’s first closed Montezuma’s Revenge in early 2022, the plan seemed straightforward: give the iconic 1978 coaster a modernization and reopen it in 2023 as part of the revamped Fiesta Village. [coaster101.com]
- 2023 came and went, no ride was ready.
- Then came a revised opening target for 2025 which was missed again.
As of now, the ride is reportedly aiming for a 2026 debut, roughly three years behind schedule. That’s not just a delay; it’s a complete breakdown of the original timeline. [themeparktribune.com]
Theories for Delay: Money, Mergers, and Manufacturers
During those quiet construction years, speculation filled the gaps.
- Some believed the delay came down to funding. Knott’s parent companies (Cedar Fair and later its merger with Six Flags) were going through changes, and large capital projects can easily get paused or reshaped during corporate transitions.
- Others suspected the merger itself slowed decision-making or shifted priorities to parks in more need. When companies combine, projects that once seemed urgent can suddenly fall down the list being trumped by others.
- One of the most persistent rumors in the theme park community centered on the manufacturer. Reports suggested that issues with contracted companies providing track or trains may have disrupted the project and even hinted at a terminated project during that time. If true, that would explain the long stretches of inactivity, because once a contractor relationship breaks down, you’re not just delayed… you’re almost starting over completely. [themeparktribune.com]
The Strange Period of “Nothing Happening”
Perhaps the most puzzling part of the whole transformation wasn’t just the delays, it was the lack of visible progress. For much of 2023 and into 2024, visitors regularly reported seeing very little work happening at the site. [themeparktribune.com]
A ride that had been fully dismantled years before, just sat there. It was in the middle of a park environment where construction is usually fast-paced and visible. That silence stood out me and nearly everyone else.
My Personal Theory: The Hidden Work You Couldn’t See
This is where my observation becomes especially interesting, and honestly, more plausible than it might first sound. Anyone who visited Knott’s during 2022–2023 likely noticed something very specific about the coaster’s state.
The structure, especially the spike supports, appeared to be wrapped or sealed in a way that didn’t look like normal construction staging. It looked… contained, almost like a hazardous-material process was in place.
The Lead Paint Possibility?
Let’s consider a key fact: Montezuma’s Revenge opened in 1978. [en.wikipedia.org]
That puts its original coatings firmly in an era when lead-based industrial paints were still common, especially for steel structures.
Now imagine the challenge of refurbishing that: You’re not just repainting, you’re removing nearly 50-year-old coatings. If those coatings contain lead, removal must follow strict environmental and safety protocols. Work may need to be done in controlled conditions to prevent airborne contamination. That often means containment systems, sealing, and limited work hours, especially in a public environment.
Sound familiar? It fits almost perfectly with hazardous material abatement procedures.
Now, to be clear: There is no publicly confirmed report stating that lead paint remediation was the cause of the delays. My theory connects real-world construction practices with what guests actually observed in the park, and that’s more grounded than most of the other online speculation.
The Reality: It Was Probably a Perfect Storm
Looking at everything we do know, the most likely answer is not a single cause, but a combination:
- Contractor or manufacturer issues that disrupted progress
- Extended periods of inactivity suggesting project resets or redesigns
- Major technical changes, including replacing the original flywheel launch with modern magnetic launch systems
- Possibly unseen complications, like environmental or safety-related work
In other words: a perfect storm.
Now, Finally, a Comeback
The good news? After years of uncertainty, the project is finally moving again. Track has been completely installed, key elements like the loop have been carefully constructed around Jaguar (waste of space), and the train is on the track.
For the first time since 2022, MonteZOOMa actually feels close.
Aside: Knott’s Needs More Rides, Period
Let’s be honest while I am speculating. While MonteZOOMa’s long road back has been frustrating, it also highlights a bigger issue at Knott’s Berry Farm: capacity.
The park simply doesn’t have enough people-eaters for the crowds it attracts.
On any given busy day, it’s not unusual to see wait times stretch past two hours for major attractions. The park appears to run at, or beyond, its comfortable capacity far too often, and that strain is felt everywhere: longer lines, packed midways, and fewer meaningful choices for guests trying to spread out.
The reality is that Knott’s doesn’t just need MonteZOOMa back, it needs more than that. At least three additional coasters would go a long way toward balancing demand and improving the overall guest experience. More rides mean more options, shorter waits, and a park that feels energetic instead of overwhelming.
While we’re talking about the coaster lineup, it may also be time to rethink Jaguar. For a ride that occupies such a large and visible footprint, it delivers an experience that’s barely MEH. In today’s coaster landscape, it feels closer to a basic transitional ride than a true headliner. It is arguably only a step above aging models like boomerangs or SLCs with ZERO AIRTIME.
Final Thoughts
The transformation of Montezuma’s Revenge into MonteZOOMa isn’t just a delayed ride project, it’s a case study in how complex restoring a nearly 50-year-old coaster can be. From corporate shifts to contractor issues to the possibility of hidden environmental challenges, the delays tell a bigger story: Sometimes the biggest challenges in construction are the ones guests never see.
Maybe, just maybe, the reason this took so long wasn’t just what went wrong on paper…
…but what had to be carefully handled behind the scenes.
Lead based paint, maybe?
Knott’s has an incredible foundation and the most loyal Park audience in our nation. Just imagine if it wanted to keep up with demand, and deliver the kind of experience guests expect, it’s going to need to keep investing not just in nostalgia, but in capacity and innovation.
Aside:
The timing of posting this blog turned out to be way harder than expected. I kept trying to line it up as close as possible to the ride entering its testing phase, but with the constant delays and lack of clear progress of the reimagining, kept my target for posting cumbersome. At the same time, putting it out too early risked making post feel premature and perhaps lack input from experts… while waiting too long to post it risked the content feeling late or even a little desperately crammed at the end. What you are reading here is my best attempt to thread that needle of time. I attempted to get this close enough to the moment to be relevant, but early enough to still ask the question before the answer is fully obvious or revealed.