Universal's Islands of Adventure · Jurassic Park
Camp Jurassic
A three-level playground of caves, nets, rope bridges and slides that is the best free thing in the park and will absorb an hour of a child's day.
Ride facts
- Type
- Play area
- Height
- Any height
- Intensity
- Gentle
- Motion sickness
- No motion risk
- Getting wet
- You may get splashed
- Indoor / outdoor
- Mixed
- Air conditioned
- No
- Rider Switch
- Not offered
Last verified July 2026
What it is
Camp Jurassic is a multi-level adventure playground built into the terrain between the River Adventure and Pteranodon Flyers, and it is considerably more ambitious than its no-queue, no-fee status suggests. It has rope bridges, cargo nets, lava pits that hiss and steam, a set of amber mines with dark tunnels, slides at multiple levels, dinosaur bone dig areas and water cannons that children can aim at each other.
It is the single best thing at Islands of Adventure for a family whose youngest is under the headline height requirements, and it is entirely free. There is no wait, no capacity limit and no ticketing, and it is directly adjacent to the VelociCoaster entrance - which makes it the obvious answer to the question of what non-riders do while the rest of the group is on the coaster.
The catch is supervision. It is large, it has multiple exits at different levels, several of the routes are genuinely dark, and children can and do disappear into it for twenty minutes. Agree a meeting point at ground level before anyone goes in.
What riding it is actually like
The structure runs across three effective levels. The lower level has the dig areas, the water cannons and step-free paths. The middle level has the cave routes and the amber mines, which are darker than most parents anticipate and have dinosaur audio playing in them. The upper level has the nets, the rope bridges and the best slides.
There are several routes through and no prescribed path. Children work out the good ones within about five minutes, which are generally the ones adults cannot follow. The water cannon area at the bottom is where most of them end up and it is where they get wet, so factor that into the day's clothing.
For adults, the shaded sections at ground level are legitimately comfortable and there are places to sit. It is the only place in Jurassic Park where you can lose an hour without spending money or standing in a line.
Is Camp Jurassic scary?
The structure includes genuinely dark cave passages with dinosaur sound effects, and small children have been known to get properly spooked in the amber mines section. Nothing jumps out, but the darkness in parts of it is real and it is easy to lose sight of a child.
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
- Stay in your wheelchair or ECV
- Audio description
- Not offered
- Handheld captioning
- Not offered
- Assistive listening
- Not offered
- Sign language
- Not offered
- Service animals
- Permitted on board
Ground-level paths are step-free and take a wheelchair through part of the structure, including some of the cave routes. The nets, rope bridges, upper platforms and slides are reached by climbing only, and the whole structure has multiple exits at different points.
Tips that actually help
- Agree a ground-level meeting point before anyone goes in. There are multiple exits at different heights and children come out somewhere other than where they went in.
- Send children here while the adults ride VelociCoaster. It is directly next door and it will hold their attention longer than the queue takes.
- The amber mine tunnels are genuinely dark. Walk a nervous child through once rather than letting them find them alone.
- The water cannons will make them wet. Do this before Toon Lagoon, not after you have already dried out.
- Repeat-visitor note: the upper-level view across to the VelociCoaster track is the best free photo spot in Jurassic Park.
Timing
- Best time to ride
- Midday, when the shade in the lower structure is the best deal in the park and the queues everywhere else are peaking.
- Typical wait
- No wait at any time. There is no queue and no capacity limit.
- Express Pass
- Standby only
Camp Jurassic: common questions
Is Camp Jurassic free?
Yes, it is included with park admission with no queue, no ticket and no capacity limit. It is the best-value attraction at Islands of Adventure for anyone traveling with children under the headline height requirements.
What age is Camp Jurassic for?
It works from about three to about twelve. Younger children stay at ground level with the dig areas and water cannons; older ones use the nets, rope bridges and upper slides. There is no height requirement anywhere in it.
Is Camp Jurassic dark inside?
In parts, yes. The amber mine tunnels and some of the cave routes are genuinely dark with dinosaur sound effects playing, and they catch out small children who wandered in alone. Walk a nervous child through once first.
Can I watch my child from one place?
Not really, and that is the main thing to plan for. The structure is large, has three levels and multiple exits, and sightlines are deliberately broken up. Agree a ground-level meeting point rather than trying to keep eyes on them throughout.