About Us

The Wilderness Territory Timeline of Growth

The Wilderness opened its doors in June of 1995. Today the facility has over 30 different lodging options to choose from. The resort offers comfortable, rustic double queen guest rooms at Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort as well as Glacier Canyon Lodge. In addition, for those looking for a more spacious option, Glacier Canyon Lodge and Wilderness on the Lake have luxurious 2- and 3-bedroom condominium units that sleep up to 16. If that’s not enough, the resort also has a wide variety of Vacation Villas, New Frontier Condos as well as 3, 4, and 5-bedroom cabins that can sleep up to 20 guests.

Take a look at our impressive growth and learn how we have become America’s Largest Waterpark Resort:

1990’s

• June 1995 – Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort opens with 79 units, the FortWilderness Indoor Waterpark, two outdoor pools, and a spa.
• 1996- 59 guest units are added to the hotel as well as the Timber Rapids Tube Slide and two kiddie slides.
• 1998 – 84 guest units are added to the hotel, Wilderness Woods 18-hole golf course opens, Gold Rush Tube Slide, Prospector’s Creek Lazy River, and Bear Foot Island are added.
• 1998 – Ground is broken on the Vacation Villa development (28 units).
• 1999 – 60 additional guest units are added to the hotel and the resort’s second indoor waterpark, Klondike Kavern, opens its doors.

2000’s

• 2000 – Field’s at the Wilderness and the MotherLode (now Wild Canyon Café) lobby restaurant open. The Frontier Condominiums are opened and construction begins on the resort’s new clubhouse.
• 2001 – The resort’s golf course opens its $1.5 million, 6,700-square-foot clubhouse.
• 2002 –162 Additional guest rooms, Wild West lobby, and Timberland Playhouse ballpark are added. Lake Wilderness outdoor waterpark opens. The ground is broken on Wilderness on the Lake, a $37 million, 108 unit premier condominium project located on Lake Delton. The first phase of our cabins (cabin# 1-4) was unveiled with the introduction of four 4 bedroom cabins.
• 2003 – Wild West indoor waterpark, a $10 million addition with its own sports bar, The Thirsty Buffalo, opens its doors. Near the resort, Sarento’s at the Wilderness begins serving fine Italian cuisine. Five of our current 11 cabins (cabin# 5-9) were converted into 5 Bedroom Entertainment Cabins
• July 2003 – Wilderness on the Lake, a 108-unit premier condominium complex that overlooks Lake Delton opens. It offers two- and three-bedroom units in a secluded retreat with a private four-season patio and four-person Jacuzzi tub.
• June 2004– The resort opens an amazing outdoor wave pool, along with a private poolside cabana. The remaining 5 Bedroom Entertainment cabins were completed (cabin# 10-14)
• Summer 2004 – Pistol Pete’s Beans & Ice Cream and the OK Corral Lazer Tag Arena open.
• Summer 2005 – In honor of its anniversary, Wilderness announces its largest expansion to date; a massive $150 million project which includes the development of Glacier Canyon Lodge: An upscale 224-condo unit resort with a 25,000 sq. ft. banquet center and 3.2-acre outdoor waterpark; the enclosure of the resort’s outdoor wave pool with a state-of-the-art Foil Tec, which allows guests to tan indoors year-round; the creation of a new Wild Rock 18-hole championship Golf Course by Hurdzan & Fry; and the addition of Monk’s restaurant on-premise. The construction project of our 3 Bedroom Cabins is completed.
• April 2006 – The Wilderness opens the Wild WaterDome, its largest indoor waterpark yet, which thanks to a state-of-the-art Foil Tec Roof allows people to tan and plants to grow indoors. It is also home to the nation’s largest indoor wave pool the Great Wave.
• July 2006 – The Wilderness opens its massive 3.2 acres Lost World Waterpark located at Glacier Canyon Lodge, its newest upscale condominium resort. The facility boasts a 1,600 foot-long interactive adventure river system that features fast rapids, uphill currents, under bridges, and through swirls and runoffs. There is also a huge pool with a lounging ridge to relax in, dinosaur-themed basketball hoops for the kids to enjoy, and a kiddy play-n-spray structure complete with Stegosaurus and Pteranodon sculptures.
• December 2006 – Glacier Canyon Lodge’s 25,000 sq. ft. conference and banquet center opens.
• Summer 2007 – Glacier Canyon Lodge unveils Halley’s Comet Racers at the Lost World Outdoor Waterpark. Cabins 1 & 3 were converted from a 4 Bedroom Cabin to 5 Bedroom Media cabins with the addition and construction of a built-on Media room.
• Fall 2007 – Wilderness Resort officials announce plans to double the size of its conference and banquet center at Glacier Canyon Lodge. The Klondike Kavern ‘mountain’ is removed and replaced with a play structure with better sightlines making the facility more family-friendly. The Hurricane thrill ride also receives an upgrade with lights and sound effects to heighten the thrills.
• Winter 2007 – Wilderness developers finalize plans for an events center hotel and condominium resort complex in Sevierville TN. (See www.WildernessattheSmokies.com)
• May 2008 – Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort opens its new championship golf course – the Wild Rock designed by world-renowned golf course architects Hurdzan & Fry. Wilderness Resort officials upgrade the Cannonbowl with strobe lights, fog machines, and other special effects. They rename the ride the Black Hole. Wilderness resort also unveils new walking trails around the resort.
• Fall 2008 – Wilderness Resort officials complete a 31,471 square foot addition to the Glacier Canyon Lodge Conference Center.
• December 2008 – Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort opens its Wild Buccaneer 3-D, blacklight, pirate-themed mini-golf course, and the Goody Gum Drop Sweet & Wild Candy Shoppe in the Wild West lobby.
• July 2009 – Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort unveil indoor bumper boat in the Wild West Waterpark, add an outdoor Jurassic-themed mini-golf course, go-karts, and kiddy karts by the Lost World Waterpark
• August 2009 – The Wilderness Canyon Zip Line Tour is unveiled.
• October 2009 – Tombstone Town, Haunted Hotel, and Mineshaft Mirror Maze open at the main resort, and Big Fish Mini Golf opens at Wilderness on the Lake.
• January 2012 – The Northern Lights Sky Ropes Course opens in the Wild West Portion of the Hotel
• June 2012- Lunar Loop & Cosmic Drop Thrill Slides added at Lost World Outdoor Waterpark
• Summer 2013: Bearfoot Island Sprayground at the New Frontier Outdoor Waterpark
• November 2013: Wilderness announces it will be building The Wilderwoods Indoor Go-Kart Trail off of the New Frontier lobby.
• December 2013: Wilderness announces that it is building an indoor/outdoor adults-only swim-up bar which will be located in the Wild WaterDome and New Frontier Waterparks. The resort also announces it will be replacing Tombstone Town and Mineshaft Mirror Maze with a massive, two-story OK Corral Lazer Tag Arena and Marshall Training Lazer Maze.
• January 2014: Wilderness announces that is constructing Klondike Boardwalk which will be home to Klondike Kate’s, Yukon Yogurt, and Klondike Pizza Kitchen.
• February 2014: The new 4,000 square-foot, two-story, Ok Corral Lazer Arena and Marshall Training Lazer Maze open.
• April 2014: Klondike Boardwalk, featuring Klondike Pizza Kitchen, Klondike Kate’s Libations, and Yukon Yogurt opens right outside the mezzanine level of Klondike Kavern.
• May 2014: Margarita’s Swim-Up Bar opens in the Wild WaterDome and New Frontier waterparks.
• July 2014: Wildwoods Go-Kart Trail opens inside the resort off of the New Frontier lobby.
• August 2015: Wilderness breaks ground on a dormitory for its J-1 workers and announces that is converting two slides in Klondike Kavern to Slideboarding systems.
• December 2015: Wilderness opens the first Slideboarding rides in the Midwest. The rides which combine waterslides with a gaming experience are located in Klondike Kavern. The Wilderness also opens two Room Escapes by DOA at their Wilderness on the Lake property.
• February 2016: Two Room Escapes by D.O.A. open at Wilderness on the Lake.
• March 2017: A third Room Escape by D.O.A. with a circus theme geared towards kids 4-11 opens.
• May 2017: A new four-story Timberland Playhouse opens.
• June 2017: CYvrSPACE Virtual Reality Arena opens in the space previously occupied by the Wild Buccaneer mini-golf course.
• January 2018: Wilderness purchases Field’s at the Wilderness and Sarento’s from the Field brothers.
• May 2018: Wilderness works with D.O.A. to replace The Hotel room escape with a Titanic room escape.
• July 2018: Five cabanas are added to the Wild West Waterpark.
• Fall 2019: Wild Canyon Café closes to make room for Camp social. The New Frontier lobby undergoes a major renovation, the resort’s laser tag and laser maze are relocated to the Wild West portion of the resort.
• Fall 2019: Construction begins on Take Flight Aerial Adventure.
• Fall 2019: DOA starts construction on The Twister Room Escape at Wilderness on the Lake.
• Spring 2020: The Lost Cabin new laser tag arena opens.
• Summer 2020: Take Flight Arial Adventure opens.
• Summer 2020: Twister Room Escape by DOA opens.
• Summer 2021: Tacolicious Food Truck opens in Lost World.