Posted by In the magical land of Orem, Utah, lies a water park. The sun-bleached, pale blue towers of its two water slides stretch above the skyline of suburbia, surrounded by a small park with an outdoor theater, disc golf course, picnic benches, and walking path. In winter, the skeletal claws of its bare umbrellas scrape the unyielding gray sky, and the empty swimming pools lay filled with dirt and dead leaves. But from Memorial Day weekend to a few weeks after Labor Day, it transforms into a colorful aquatic paradise.
SCERA Park Pools has a few main attractions, listed as follows:
- Two water slides — body slides, specifically.
- A big, zero-depth entry swimming pool, with water umbrellas (the kind that spurt water out of the edge).
- A lazy river.
- A water playground.
- Lots of colorful umbrellas, chairs, and grassy areas.
- A workout lap pool.
- A deep pool, with diving boards.
- A little shop.
- A restroom with changing rooms and showers. The showers are the kind where you definitely want to keep your swimsuit on, if you know what I mean. Essentially, they’re your standard gym showers. No privacy.
- A kiddie slide — specifically, an if-you-are-over-the-age-of-seven-you-will-not-fit-on-this-because-your-butt-will-be-too-large kiddie slide. It’s super portable and stored away in the winter.
The water slides
The water slides are the star attraction of SCERA Park Pools. They are accessible by means of a stair tower. A huge plus is that neither of these slides are segmented, and thus way less painful than most cheap, run-of-the-mill body slides you see at water parks. You will not get blisters on your heels from riding these slides. There is one slower, more twisting slide, and one steep drop slide. They are, at least to my knowledge, unnamed. But privately, I like to call them The Slug and The Purifier.
The Slug is a serpentine-style, twisting slide. While it is tall, it is quite slow, and there is usually a long line of little kids waiting to ride it. If you are over the age of ten, you will need to lie down if you don’t want to get stuck on it. Even if you do lie down, you will almost slow to a halt halfway through before picking up a bit of speed again. This is actually an excellent introductory slide for the young and/or hesitant, because it is so ridiculously slow you could take a nap on it.
The Purifier is the slide that looks almost vertical, and it’s essentially the exact opposite of The Slug. It has major airtime. The promo pictures show dads riding it with their kids on their laps, and I’m not exactly sure how this is accomplished. You see, when I rode on it, I was thoroughly convinced that I was going to fly off and die — all thoughts of rationality and Newtonian physics fly out the window when you are aboard the merciless Purifier. You will, however, contemplate the Darwinian nature of natural selection and the ephemerality of your mortal existence. Unfortunately, I lived to ride it a second time, and will probably ride it again in the future for some reason. You know why I call it the Purifier? Because it will make you repent of all of your sins.
Both slides splash into a deep pool, as opposed to finishing in a zero-depth runway, so you should have some basic knowledge of swimming and floating before attempting. But then again, I’ve seen kiddies ride down The Slug with inflatables, so that one is probably okay for most people.
The lazy river
Not much to see here. The lazy river is fun, and pleasantly warm — and yet, somehow the perfect temperature even for summertime. It is also over in approximately ten seconds. But hey, it’s pretty relaxing for the few seconds you’re in it, so why not?
The recreation swimming pool
The SCERA Park recreation pool is fantastic. It’s a zero-depth entry pool with a fun little water umbrella that spews water in a beautiful cascade, and it’s big enough that you can swim around even when its crowded — well, swim might not be the best term, because it’s pretty shallow. So, what is a zero-depth entry pool? For those not knowledgable about the fantastic sun-splashed world of water parks, I will elaborate. Instead of stairs, you enter the pool by means of a gradual slope, much like the beach without the waves.
The workout pool
This is fun. There are a few swimming lanes, plus a larger lane that’s usually used for recreation.
The diving pool
Not much to see here — a few diving boards and a pool to swim out of. It’s plenty deep, and you can practice lots of different diving techniques if that’s what you like to do in your spare time. Hey, you do you.
Recommended touring plan
Honestly, you don’t need much of one. Walk up to the entrance and buy a ticket for $5, or get a more expensive punch pass which is essentially like a limited-use season pass. If you’re going alone and worried about looking like a #MajorCreeper, you can always start with a swimming workout and then proceed to the water slides in between laps. You risk losing your lane, though. I generally leave my stuff on a lawn chair and double check to make sure it’s still there in between laps. You’ll probably be fine — it’s mostly parents and kids, with a few people who are there to work out — but it doesn’t hurt to take extra precaution.
The water slides often close early, so be sure to ride them at least 30 minutes before park closing. Lap pool is best experienced later in the evening, or close to opening, when there is more likely to be an open lane. You can do the lazy river at any time. The swimming pool, kiddie slide, and water playground don’t really have lines. The diving boards don’t really have lines either.
Additional tips
Most of the staff here consists of teenagers who aren’t paid enough to care. The water slides often close early, because the lifeguards don’t care enough to stay for the last fifteen minutes of their hours, so keep that in mind. The diving pool lifeguards are oddly anal about diving with goggles on, so don’t try it.
The workout pool is open well into October, and it’s heated. However, its hours during the fall start to be limited to the early morning. The water slide splash pool stays open into October, too, but it’s filled with a bunch of grandmas doing water aerobics. So no more water slides for you. The rest of the pool closes shortly after Labor Day weekend — sometimes directly after, other times a few weeks after, depending on the season. So at that point, go watch horror movies or something. Or go to Frightmares, or one of the various indoor rec centers with water slides around Utah Valley.
I will probably add another tip article for SCERA Park as a whole in the future. And I will consider expanding this article, or writing a new one (much more likely), to cover both SCERA Park and SCERA Park Pools as a collective whole. And expect a more in-depth park rating system in the future, too.
Artistic Analysis
SCERA Park Pools has a happy, upbeat, and colorful aesthetic. While there’s no theme other than “generic summer”, it has a charm of its own that can’t really be put into words. The water slides are in desperate need of a new coat of paint, though. And it looks quite depressing in the fall and winter, with the white skeletons being all that remains of the colorful umbrellas. But in the summer? Oh, it’s beautiful. You’ve got to see it to believe it, but it’s beautiful.
Amusement and Airtime Verdict
Ultimately, I can say that I wholeheartedly recommend SCERA Park Pools. Despite its small size and mediocre staff, it’s charming, and an excellent addition to the city of Orem. Furthermore, it’s my “home” water park, being only 7 minutes away from my apartment, so it is special to me. Overall, it’s a great, fun, and cost-effective way to spend an hour or two at the end of a long, hot summer day. I never regret going there, and always have a blast even if I’m going there solo. If you have a few spare hours and a few extra dollars on a summer afternoon or evening, why not give SCERA Park Pools a try? The Purifier is waiting.
Water park rating: 7/10
Website: https://www.oremrecreation.com/scerapool/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oremrecreation/