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Top 5 Ways to Stay Dry on Grizzly River Run

Top 5 Ways to Stay Dry on Grizzly River Run
Day 83/365

I love Grizzly River Run, and sometimes I want to get wet, like on an especially hot day, but other times I do not, like at night or when it’s particularly chilly out. You never really know how wet you’ll get, because even when you get to the end, and you thought you were getting off relatively dry, the geyser goes off and soaks the entire raft! So here are some ways to stay (mostly) dry on Grizzly River Run.

5. Wear a Poncho

This is an obvious one. It will keep your clothes dry if it is long enough for you to sit on it and it can come over your knees. We get our ponchos from IKEA for $9, and the Parks sell ones for around the same price. Walmart has reusable ones for around $5, and Walmart and dollar stores sell disposable ones as well.

Girl is wearing a poncho over Minnie ears at Disneyland. The poncho is from IKEA.

4. Avoid the Raft Opening

There are eight seats and two openings in each raft. That means four people will be seated near the two openings where water frequently sloshes into the raft. The other four people in the interior seats, are relatively protected from this sloshing water. Make your family members or strangers take the outside seats, or if you’re looking to bank some good karma, offer to sit in the aisle seat and prepare to take one for the team.

Girl looking off the screen toward the next part of the ride. She is sitting in an exterior seat on Grizzly River Run at Disney California Adventure. She will get soaked by the ride since she is sitting in an exterior seat.

3. Put Your Feet Up

One way we manage to keep our feet from getting completely soaked is to keep them up off the floor. Did you know that water literally comes up THROUGH holes in the floor?! Unless you do yoga regularly, you’re probably not going to be able to keep them up on the round handle in the middle of the raft, and others in your boat may not appreciate this maneuver. However, there is a small ledge that you can prop your heels on under your seat to keep your feet off the floor and safe from sloshing water.

Boy sitting in a raft on Grizzly River Run at Disney California Adventure. Writing indicates that he is in an interior seat and there is a ledge along the floor for him to prop his feet during the ride.

2. Protect Your Phone

To keep my cell phone dry and protected, I love this case from Travelon. It uses a hook and loop closure rather than the complicated locking mechanisms I see on most waterproof cases. It also has a foam padding inside that protects and even floats so you can use it at the pool or beach.

Travelon waterproof cell phone case from Amazon in yellow.

1. Store Your Gear

Did you know that there are free lockers for guests to use to safely store your stuff while you’re on the ride? They’re not very big, so between the kids and I, we usually have to get more than one. You could even bring some flip flops in your park bag and keep your regular park shoes safe and dry in the locker.

Free lockers next to Grizzly River Run at Disney California Adventure.

Bonus Tip

Disney recently installed warming huts across from Grizzly River Run. These machines cost $5 for up to five people to dry off at once. If your raft has a particularly soggy run, just gather your raftmates to go in with you on this little luxury and get instantly dry and toasty before you continue your day at the Park.

UPDATE: These warmers might be seasonal, as they were taken out when the ride went down for refurbishment in January, 2019.

UPDATE: The warming huts were never replaced after the ride’s refurbishment.

Go Forth and Be Dry

So there you have it: the best ways to keep from having to slosh around the park for the rest of the day. Of course, if you would rather get completely soaked on this ride, I say, “Go for it!” and do the opposite of these tips!

Do you have any additional tips to stay dry on Grizzly River Run? Let me know in the comments below!

Top 5 Ways to Stay Dry on Grizzly River Run from 365 Magical Days of Travel
Top 5 Ways to Stay Dry on Grizzly River Run from 365 Magical Days of Travel

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