Universal's Islands of Adventure · Toon Lagoon
Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls
A log flume with a 75-foot final drop that finishes below the waterline, and one of the two rides here that will genuinely soak you.
Ride facts
- Type
- Water ride
- Height
- 44in (112cm)
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Motion sickness
- Low motion risk
- Getting wet
- You will get soaked
- Indoor / outdoor
- Mixed
- Air conditioned
- No
- Rider Switch
- Available
- Travels backwards
- Yes
Last verified July 2026
What it is
Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls is a log flume built around the Canadian Mountie sketches from Rocky and Bullwinkle, which means the story involves a moose, a villain with a moustache and a sawmill, and essentially nobody under fifty recognizes any of it. It does not matter. The ride works on its own terms as one of the better-engineered flumes anywhere.
The signature is the final drop: 75 feet at a steep pitch, ending in a trough that sits below the level of the surrounding water so the log appears to submerge. It is a real drop by flume standards - taller than Splash Mountain's and considerably wetter - and the sheet of water that comes back over the front of the boat is the reason people talk about this ride.
Before that there is a genuinely good sequence of indoor scenes with the original character voices, a backwards drop in the dark, and a fake-out drop that catches out first-time riders. The whole circuit runs about five minutes, which makes it much more of an actual dark ride than its reputation as a soaker suggests.
What riding it is actually like
The queue winds through a sawmill and past a series of cartoon signs that are worth reading. Logs seat riders in a line, straddling the bench with the person in front between your knees. The front seat is the wettest and the back seat is only marginally drier - this is not a ride where seat choice saves you.
The middle of the ride is a slow float through indoor scenes and a short backwards section, and then the lift hill takes you up to the top of the falls. At the crest there is a good view across Toon Lagoon and out to the lagoon, and then the drop, which is fast enough that the log genuinely leaves you feeling weightless for a beat.
The water arrives from two directions on the drop: the wall thrown up by the log itself, which comes over the bow onto the front rows, and a second wave off the trough that catches everyone. Nobody comes off this ride dry. If you were wearing jeans, you will be in wet jeans for a couple of hours.
Is Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls scary?
The 75-foot final drop is steep, fast and ends below the waterline, which is genuinely startling the first time. There are two smaller drops earlier, including one in the dark and one that goes backwards. The cartoon theming keeps the tone light, but the drops themselves are real and a nervous child will not be reassured by the moose jokes.
Scores are editorial, on a 1–5 scale, judged against what frightens a typical four- to seven-year-old rather than an adult.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair
- Must transfer to the ride vehicle
- Audio description
- Not offered
- Handheld captioning
- Not offered
- Assistive listening
- Not offered
- Sign language
- Not offered
- Service animals
- Must use a kennel or wait with a companion
Full transfer into a log with a straddled bench seat, stepping down into a moving trough. The straddle position and the depth of the seat make this one of the harder transfers in the park for anyone with hip or knee limitations.
Tips that actually help
- Put everything in the lockers at the entrance. Ponchos help here in a way they do not on the Bilge-Rat Barges, but they will not keep your shoes dry.
- Ride this in the early afternoon, back to back with Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges, and get the soaking over with in one block.
- Do not bother angling for a drier seat. There is not one. The difference between front and back is a matter of degree.
- There are guest-operated water jets along the exit walkway aimed at the logs. They cost small change and using them on the next boat is half the fun of the island.
- Repeat-visitor note: the indoor middle section has some of the best cartoon set dressing in the park and everyone ignores it while bracing for the drop. Look left.
Timing
- Best time to ride
- Between 1 PM and 4 PM, when being drenched is a benefit rather than a problem.
- Typical wait
- Usually 20-45 minutes, and much shorter in cool weather or the first hour of the day.
- Express Pass
- Universal Express Pass
Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls: common questions
How wet do you get on Ripsaw Falls?
Very. This is a soaking, not a splash - a full sheet of water comes over the front of the log on the final drop and catches every row. Expect to be wet through your shirt and shorts, with wet shoes, for a couple of hours afterward. A poncho helps your torso and nothing else.
How tall do you have to be for Ripsaw Falls?
44 inches. That makes it the shortest of the two Toon Lagoon water rides to qualify for at the top end - the Bilge-Rat Barges next door are 42 inches, so a child between 42 and 44 inches can do one and not the other.
How big is the final drop?
About 75 feet, and it finishes below the waterline of the surrounding trough so the log appears to go under. It is one of the taller flume drops in the United States and it is steeper than most.
Can I keep my phone with me?
You should not. Lockers are provided at the entrance and the volume of water that lands in the log is more than a pocket or a plastic pouch will reliably handle. Phones are lost on this ride regularly.