Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Wait Times

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom · California · typical hours 10 AM–9 PM

The one-minute version: be at the gate 30–45 minutes before opening and ride Medusa first. Waits peak from late morning to mid-afternoon — do shows and meals then. The final hour is often as quiet as rope drop. There is no headline evening show, so the final operating hour is usually the quietest time to ride.

Usually not worth it: A hybrid animal and coaster park with modest waits most of the year.

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Six Flags Discovery Kingdom hours today and this week

DayPark hours (local time)
Sat 24 Oct11 AM – 8 PM
Sun 25 Oct11 AM – 7 PM
Sat 31 Oct11 AM – 8 PM
Sun 1 Nov11 AM – 7 PM
Sat 7 Nov11 AM – 7 PM
Sun 8 Nov11 AM – 6 PM
Sat 14 Nov11 AM – 7 PM

From the park’s published schedule. Hours change, and evening events can close the park to day guests early — check with the park before you go.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom wait times by hour

Queues here follow a predictable daily shape. Lines are shortest in the first hour and the last, and peak 2 PM–4 PM — that is the window to spend on shows, meals or indoor attractions rather than headliners.

10a12p2p4p6p8p

Typical shape of a Six Flags Discovery Kingdom day, shown as each hour's share of that day's own peak wait. Actual minutes vary by season and day of week — check today's live waits.

See the hour-by-hour numbers
HourTypical wait level
10 AM30% of the day's peak
11 AM47% of the day's peak
12 PM68% of the day's peak
1 PM86% of the day's peak
2 PM97% of the day's peak
3 PM100% of the day's peak
4 PM95% of the day's peak
5 PM82% of the day's peak
6 PM64% of the day's peak
7 PM44% of the day's peak
8 PM30% of the day's peak
Shortest lines: 10 AM–11 AM and 8 PM–9 PM. Longest: 2 PM–4 PM.

What to ride first at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom: rope drop order

Be at the gate 30–45 minutes before opening and ride in this order. Medusa and The Joker are the two headliners; the rest of the park moves quickly.

  1. Medusa
  2. The Joker
  3. Superman: Ultimate Flight
  4. Batman: The Ride

The first hour is the cheapest capacity of the day — no pass, no fee, and typically the shortest waits you will see.

Best and worst months to visit Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

Red = busiest, green = quietest, grey = moderate.

Busiest: June, July, August and October

Expect the year's longest waits during the summer holiday and Fright Fest.

Quietest: January, February, April, September and November

The best value for short lines is weekdays outside the summer season.

When to avoid Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, and when to go

Busiest stretches, next 12 months

  • Sat Jan 16 – Mon Jan 18MLK Day · about 10/10
  • Sat Feb 13 – Mon Feb 15Presidents' Day · about 10/10
  • Sat May 29 – Mon May 31Memorial Day · about 10/10
  • Sat Sep 4 – Mon Sep 6Labor Day · about 10/10
  • Sat Oct 9 – Mon Oct 11Columbus Day · about 10/10

Quietest weeks

  • Mon Nov 2 – Sun Nov 8about 4/10 · no holidays or school breaks
  • Mon Jan 4 – Sun Jan 10about 4/10 · no holidays or school breaks
  • Mon Feb 1 – Sun Feb 7about 4/10 · no holidays or school breaks
  • Mon Apr 19 – Sun Apr 25about 4/10
  • Mon Sep 13 – Sun Sep 19about 4/10 · no holidays or school breaks

Scores are the crowd forecast, 1 to 10, averaged over the stretch. Visiting in a busy stretch anyway? Be at the gate before opening, and ride the big ones in the first hour and the last. Every day is scored on the crowd calendar.

Is Flash Pass worth it at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom?

Usually not worth it

A hybrid animal and coaster park with modest waits most of the year. Flash Pass is hard to justify outside peak summer weekends.

Price: roughly $40–$120 virtual queue — you wait, just not in line. Prices change often and by date — treat this as a range, not a quote.

Maben Parks shows every wait live with a "vs typical" marker, and your magical fairy will run the numbers for your party and date — including telling you to keep your money when the answer is no.

Check today's waits before you buy

Beat the lines without paying at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

Local knowledge: Vallejo gets windy in the afternoon and the tall rides close for it more often than you would expect — ride them early.

Planning ahead? The free Six Flags Discovery Kingdom crowd calendar scores every day for the next twelve months, 1 to 10 — no sign-up.

How the wait moves through the day at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

Median posted wait across the rides we track, on moderate days — the crowd level most visitors get. The shaded band is the middle half of readings at that hour.

05101520OpenClose 0 min at 12a12a — typically 0 min (middle half 0–0, 8 readings)1a — typically 0 min (middle half 0–0, 8 readings)2a — typically 0 min (middle half 0–0, 8 readings)3a — typically 0 min (middle half 0–0, 8 readings)4a — typically 0 min (middle half 0–0, 8 readings)5a — typically 0 min (middle half 0–0, 8 readings)6a — typically 0 min (middle half 0–0, 8 readings)7a — typically 0 min (middle half 0–0, 8 readings)8a — typically 0 min (middle half 0–0, 8 readings)9a — typically 0 min (middle half 0–0, 8 readings)10a — typically 0 min (middle half 0–0, 15 readings)11a — typically 0 min (middle half 0–0, 203 readings)12p — typically 0 min (middle half 0–0, 240 readings)1p — typically 0 min (middle half 0–5, 237 readings)2p — typically 0 min (middle half 0–5, 249 readings)3p — typically 0 min (middle half 0–10, 252 readings)4p — typically 0 min (middle half 0–15, 242 readings)5p — typically 0 min (middle half 0–8, 252 readings)6p — typically 0 min (middle half 0–15, 130 readings)7p — typically 0 min (middle half 0–8, 122 readings)8p — typically 0 min (middle half 0–5, 36 readings)9p — typically 0 min (middle half 0–0, 9 readings)10p — typically 0 min (middle half 0–0, 8 readings)11p — typically 0 min (middle half 0–0, 8 readings)12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p11p min
Posted standby minutes, from our own recorded snapshots. Posted waits are what the park displays — not necessarily how long you stand there. Download CSV · Save PNG · Share

What's closed at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

Detected automatically from the live feed — each of these reported closed all day, every day, for at least three operating days. Observed through October 19, 2026.

AttractionClosed sinceDuration
Rock Wall Climbing ChallengeAugust 29, 202635 operating days
CarnEvil: Ringmaster's Revenge presented by M&M'S®September 19, 202625 operating days
Club Fear 3D presented by SNICKERS®September 19, 202625 operating days
Hotel Hellview 666 presented by SKITTLES®September 19, 202625 operating days
Lost SoulsSeptember 19, 202625 operating days
Midnight MansionSeptember 19, 202625 operating days
ArkOctober 5, 202613 operating days
THE FLASH Vertical VelocityOctober 5, 202613 operating days
KongOctober 6, 202612 operating days
Monsoon FallsOctober 13, 20265 operating days
Hay MazeOctober 17, 20263 operating days

Recently back

AttractionWas closed fromDuration
Elmer’s Weather Balloon ServiceOctober 12, 20263 operating days

Generated from wait-feed observations, not an operator announcement: a long closure usually means refurbishment, but we report what the feed shows rather than guessing why. Always check the operator's own page before travelling for one specific ride.

What counts as a normal wait at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

Every wait we have recorded here, grouped by how busy the day turned out to be. The bold figure is the middle half of what we saw — a quarter of the time it was shorter, a quarter of the time longer. Read it against today’s crowd level to know whether the number on the sign is good or bad.

RideLightlevel 1Mildlevel 2Moderatelevel 3Busylevel 4Packedlevel 5
Sidewinder Safari0–4025 typical5–5045 typical20–6045 typical0–6560 typical25–6040 typical
BATMAN: The Ride0–1510 typical5–4515 typical25–4530 typical20–3530 typical20–6035 typical
Medusa10–4020 typical25–4030 typical20–3030 typical20–6025 typical20–5540 typical
SUPERMAN Ultimate Flight5–2010 typical15–6025 typical5–4015 typical10–3020 typical15–4530 typical
WONDER WOMAN Lasso of Truth2–3010 typical0–5015 typical8–4025 typical25–4035 typical15–5030 typical
THE JOKER10–2515 typical10–3020 typical10–3530 typical15–4535 typical20–5030 typical
Boomerang Coast-to-Coaster0–155 typical—0–205 typical0–2015 typical5–4025 typical
Kong0–2515 typical5–1510 typical——15–3525 typical
Monsoon Falls0–208 typical5–3010 typical0–00 typical0–55 typical5–2010 typical
SkyScreamer5–2015 typical1–2510 typical0–2525 typical15–2525 typical5–3020 typical
White Water Safari0–205 typical—5–55 typical0–205 typical0–3010 typical
Cobra0–50 typical5–105 typical5–2010 typical10–1515 typical5–2010 typical
Scat-A-Bout0–105 typical5–1010 typical5–55 typical0–10 typical0–50 typical
Thrilla Gorilla0–51 typical1–1010 typical0–55 typical0–50 typical0–50 typical
Boardwalk Bumper Buggies0–51 typical1–55 typical5–55 typical0–10 typical0–50 typical
Monkey Business0–50 typical1–55 typical5–55 typical0–10 typical0–50 typical
Wave Swinger0–50 typical5–55 typical5–55 typical0–50 typical0–50 typical
Acme Fun Factory0–00 typical0–11 typical0–00 typical0–00 typical0–10 typical

Minutes of posted standby wait, from our own recorded snapshots — up to 13 days per figure. Cells stay blank until a ride has enough observations at that crowd level to be worth printing. Posted waits are what the park displays, which is not always what you queue.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom FAQ

What time should I arrive at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom?

Aim to be at the gate 30–45 minutes before the posted opening time of 10 AM. The first hour consistently has the day's shortest waits, and arriving even 45 minutes late typically costs you two headliners.

When are wait times shortest at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom?

10 AM–11 AM and 8 PM–9 PM — the opening hour and the final hour of the operating day. Waits peak 2 PM–4 PM, so plan meals, shows and indoor attractions for that window.

What should I ride first at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom?

Medusa, then The Joker and Superman: Ultimate Flight. Medusa and The Joker are the two headliners; the rest of the park moves quickly.

What is the best month to visit Six Flags Discovery Kingdom?

January, February, April, September and November — weekdays outside the summer season. Avoid June, July, August and October, when the summer holiday and Fright Fest.

Is Flash Pass worth it at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom?

A hybrid animal and coaster park with modest waits most of the year. Flash Pass is hard to justify outside peak summer weekends.

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