Best Rides at California Adventure (Complete Ranking)
California Adventure has evolved over the years, adding new rides (and lands!) and improving the original ones. Two of the best rides in the park are Guardians of the Galaxy (formerly Hollywood Tower of Terror) and Radiator Springs Racers.
This ranking includes all 18 California Adventure rides, from my least favorite to my absolute favorite! Instead of including just the top few attractions, I’ve included them all, so you aren’t missing out on any rides.
As a long-time visitor to California Adventure and Disneyland, these rankings come from more than 100 visits to the parks. Some rides I’ve been on dozens of times, while others I’ve only ridden a few times.
Not sure whether to visit California Adventure or Disneyland (or both)? Then start with my guide to Disneyland vs. California Adventure!
What Counts as a Ride at California Adventure?
California Adventure has over 25 “attractions” listed on the Disneyland app. However, these are a mix of actual rides, transportation, walk-through experiences, and shows.
For it to count as a ride on my list, these are the requirements:
Must have more features than just transportation from one place to another.
Must have a vehicle of some sort that guests ride in.
These two requirements exclude attractions such as Animation Academy, Games of Pixar Pier, Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, and Mickey’s PhilharMagic.
Types of Rides at California Adventure
It’s not possible to perfectly categorize all the various rides in California Adventure, but I did my best! These categories give you a quick and clear idea of what kind of experience you can expect from each ride.
My category definitions below are to help you understand what I mean when I refer to a ride as, for example, a dark ride.
Dark Rides — Classic, indoor rides where you sit in a vehicle/buggy and are taken through different scenes.
Thrill Rides — Fast-paced, exciting rides that may have drops and fast turns.
Water Rides — Boat rides where the main mode of transportation through the ride is in water; may involve getting splashed.
Family Rides — Non-scary, calm rides suitable for all ages.
Interactive Rides — Any type of ride where you have some control over the ride, like spinning, game-playing, or moving the vehicle.
Simulator Rides — Immersive experiences that make you feel like you’re part of the action, either through screens, motions, or elaborate sets.
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These rankings are purely based on my personal experience and opinion. You may love a ride I dislike, or hate a ride I ranked highly.
Either way, these California Adventure ride rankings are meant to give you an idea of what each ride offers. It should help you decide which rides you want to prioritize on your next Disney trip!
Looking for Disneyland attractions? Read my guide to the Best Rides at Disneyland.
18. Jumpin' Jellyfish
Ride type: Family Ride
Not only is this my least favorite ride, but it also has the lowest reviews on Google of all the rides in the park. This is essentially an extremely kiddie version of drop rides, like Guardians of the Galaxy.
You board a jellyfish and move up and down, giving you that stomach flip feeling. It’s gentle and for kids, but I’m not a fan of these types of drops. Unless you have kids who like drops, I’d skip it.
17. Jessie's Critter Carousel
Ride type: Family Ride
This is your standard carousel ride. Except instead of classic horses like Disneyland’s King Arthur Carrousel, you ride cute western critters like cartoon armadillos, skunks, and snakes.
There’s not much to it, which is why I’ve ranked it low. Small kids who like carousels and Toy Story will enjoy riding the critters. For me, it’s an easy skip — other rides are more worth the wait!
16. Pixar Pal-A-Round (Ferris Wheel)
Ride type: Thrill Ride, Family Ride
This used to be called Mickey's Fun Wheel, but was rebranded in 2018 to Pixar Pal-A-Round when the entire area was rebranded to Pixar Pier.
Some people may rank this far higher than me. I don’t love Ferris wheels, and this one is particularly scary. You can choose between Swinging and Non-Swinging baskets; they each have their own line.
The swinging ones send you hurling across the Ferris wheel, making it feel like you’re about to fly off into the Paradise Bay below. It’s genuinely frightening!
It’s an iconic part of the California Adventure landscape, which is why I think the best views are of the Ferris wheel, not on the Ferris wheel.
When you’re on it, you don’t get to see it! Much like climbing the Eiffel Tower, you get views of the landscape without seeing the thing that makes it iconic.
15. Golden Zephyr
Ride type: Family Ride
If the line is short, I’ll hop on the Golden Zephyr for a nice breezy ride over Paradise Bay with views of Pixar Pier. It’s a typical carnival ride where you board a suspended rocket and rotate on a tilt.
At night, the ride is lit up just like at a fair or carnival. It’s very un-Disney because its theme is 1920s sci-fi space hero stories.
As one of the original park rides, it has surprisingly remained unchanged despite most other original rides getting complete rebrands over the years.
14. Silly Symphony Swings
Ride type: Family Ride
Yet another carnival-style ride, these swings are the same kind you find at your local county fair. They are original to the park, though rebranded from the Orange Stinger (a giant orange peel) to Silly Symphony Swings.
The current theme is pulled from The Band Concert, a short film from 1935 starring Mickey Mouse.
It’s a leisurely ride in hanging swings that twirl around on a tilt over Paradise Bay, much like the Golden Zephyr. The main difference is that you sit individually on the swings and your legs hang freely. There are double seats for small kids with a parent, though.
13. Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind
Ride type: Family Ride
I was surprised to learn that this ride was previously Flik’s Flyers from the now-gone Bug’s Life land. As Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind, the former Bug’s Life take-out boxes you boarded are now “Memory Movers” that rise and rotate.
It’s a fun kiddie ride surrounded by giant shelves with rows and rows of Riley’s memories (those colorful orbs).
I placed this low on the list because it’s a typical carnival ride, like many of the others on Pixar Pier. Fun, but forgettable.
12. The Little Mermaid – Ariel's Undersea Adventure
Ride type: Family Ride, Dark Ride
I had a difficult time ranking this, as I have been a massive fan of The Little Mermaid since I was 2 or 3 years old. It was my obsession for many, many years of my childhood.
When I first heard about the plans for this ride, I was ecstatic! Finally, an Ariel ride! But it’s not the most fun or creative ride, which is why I placed in 12th.
You board a beautiful giant clamshell and get taken through the plot of The Little Mermaid. It has fun music, nice A/C on a hot day, cute animatronics (though nothing high-tech), and is a relaxing ride.
We like to ride it as a nice, light-hearted break after lots of walking or thrill rides. It pains me to put it so low on the list, because I do love it for the Little Mermaid theme, but other rides are just more fun.
You’ll love it if you’re a little mermaid fan!
11. Goofy's Sky School
Ride type: Thrill Ride
I maintain that this is one of the scariest rides in the park, only second to Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s a coaster, but the hairpin turns at the very top make you feel like you’re going to fly off the edge of the track!
While it looks like a kiddie ride, it’s quite thrilling once you’re actually on it. The line is often long, but you can go as a single rider! There’s not a separate line for it — just ask the cast member at the front if you can ride single rider.
10. Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sully to the Rescue!
Ride type: Family Ride
This ride is closing in 2027, but I still wanted to include it for now. Guests love this ride — it’s not closing for lack of popularity. An Avatar land is being added to the park, and unfortunately, Monsters, Inc. is closing to make way for it.
You board a classic yellow taxi and are taken through the scenes of the Monsters, Inc. movie storyline from start to finish. The scenes are cute, and they do a great job with the illusion of all the hanging doors.
There’s even one spot as you go through a sushi restaurant where you can smell ginger!
I’ll be sad to see this ride go. Guess I need to watch all the Avatar movies to get ready for the new Avatar land!
9. WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure
Ride type: Family Ride, Interactive
New rides are always exciting, and Web Slingers was no exception. I was thrilled that another interactive ride was added to the park since I loved Toy Story Midway Mania. Unfortunately, it’s not the most fun ride.
You ride in a vehicle of eight people (four on each side) and use your arms to “sling” webs at the little spider robots on the screens. The 3D isn’t incredible, and the video is overwhelming with how much is going on in each scene.
I wish they had done something to make the vehicle moving a fun part of the ride, but it just glides through to each screen.
It’s fun if you use Lightning Lane or have a short wait, but a disappointment if you have to wait in line for a long time.
8. Grizzly River Run
Ride type: Thrill Ride, water ride
I rarely ride this on my visits to the park, but placed it high because it’s lots of fun and has nice scenery. Getting soaked on a ride isn’t my idea of a good time, and this is a water ride.
Grizzly River Run is a white water rafting ride where you board a big, circular boat-like vehicle with a rubber ring around it for bumping. Everyone sits facing each other in a circle, and the boat rotates naturally as it moves through the roaring rapids.
You get incredible views of Grizzle Peak, the faux rock formation made to look like a grizzly bear, and a lovely float before the waters become rougher.
Since the boat rotates as the water pushes it around, you will likely go down some of the hills backwards — someone has to!
Even if you make it through without getting wet, the infamous geyser at the end might getcha leaving you soaked to the bone.
Wear a poncho, bring a change of clothes (and underwear!), and put your stuff in one of the free lockers nearby to keep it safe and dry while you’re on the ride.
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View Ticket Deals7. Mater's Junkyard Jamboree
Ride type: Family Ride
I honestly haven’t been on this ride many times, mostly because the line is always long for what I consider a kiddie ride.
It’s a fun ride that whips you around in a tractor-trailer as the tractor “drives” in a loop. You can fit three people in each vehicle, which I love, so no one has to go solo if you have an odd number of people in your group.
If you can catch it when the line is short, it’s worth a ride. As an adult without kids, I wouldn’t wait longer than 15-20 minutes for it.
6. Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters
Ride type: Family Ride
Board the cutest little Fiat for a line dance to Italian-style music on a trackless platform on Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters.
This is a fun ride with smooth movements as you’re flung around the “dance floor” in your car. Like the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party in Disneyland, you can choose which color vehicle you want once you are let onto the floor.
We always hop in line when it’s short, but it’s another kiddie ride that isn’t worth waiting in a long line for.
5. Toy Story Midway Mania!
Ride type: Interactive, Family Ride
This is always a fun one! It’s an interactive game ride, but not just one — you play multiple games on screens as you move through the ride.
Each buggy has two sides, with four people in total. Each seat has a shooter attached to the buggy, where you yank the back of it to “shoot.” Similar to the pull string on the back of Woody!
The line is often long, but it’s worth the wait at least once a visit. Now that Toy Story 5 is out, I suspect the lines may get longer until the excitement dies down.
4. Incredicoaster
Ride type: Thrill Ride
I’m not a huge roller coaster fan, as I prefer a ride with fun visuals in addition to the motion. This is a great coaster, though, with a smooth track, one loop, and a few hills.
Like many rides on this list, this used to be a non-Disney themed ride called California Screamin’. I’ll admit, I still call it that regularly.
We don’t go on this ride every visit since I have to be in the mood for it, but I still rank it highly because it’s fun.
With the change to an Incredibles theme, they’ve also added the scent of chocolate chip cookies as you go through the tunnel.
3. Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!
Ride type: Thrill Ride
I ranked this ride high, but don’t be fooled. I’m terrified of it! This used to be the Tower of Terror, themed as an old Hollywood hotel combined with the Twilight Zone.
Now it’s become Guardians of the Galaxy, as Disney continues converting California Adventure lands and attractions into themes based on their IP.
This is purely my experience and opinion, but since the change, it feels like there are significantly more drops than in the old version.
Nothing flips my stomach more than the feeling of free-falling over and over and over… I actually lost my voice on a recent trip from the instinctual, animalistic screams that escaped my throat during all the drops.
2. Soarin' Over California/Around the World
Ride type: Family Ride, Simulator
Soarin’ Over California has long been one of the most popular rides in California Adventure. It’s a flight simulator of sorts, with rows of seats that rise up to meet a giant curved screen.
It’s an immersive experience with beautiful California landscapes paired with scents like sweet oranges and fresh sea spray (smellevision!). I love it!
However, it has since changed to “Soarin’ Around the World.” This version is not as great, with many people asking for it to be changed back.
If you visit during the Food & Wine Festival, you’ll get to experience Soarin’ Over California since they change it back during that period.
1. Radiator Springs Racers
Ride type: Thrill Ride
Easily my favorite ride in California Adventure, we just call this ride “Cars.” It’s by far the best ride in Cars Land. You board a car and go on a scenic ride before racing with another car of guests through the orange rocks of Radiator Springs.
The line for this is always long. Add to that it’s not included in the regular Lightning Lane Pass (you’ve gotta pay for a single-ride premium Lightning Lane pass), it might seem like it’s not worth it.
But! They have a single rider line that’s often less than half the regular wait time. We always go in this line and never wait more than 20-30 minutes.
The ride is ultra smooth. It begins with a slow, scenic ride through the landscape, before taking you through parts of town from the movies.
After going through the car body shop, you roll up side-by-side with another car. From there, it’s a quick take-off as you race each other, going up and down small hills and zipping around corners.
It’s an exciting ride with some thrills, but not scary for most kids.
And that’s my full ranking of the best rides at California Adventure! Do you have the same favorite rides? Let me know in the comments.
If you’re planning to visit both parks, I also have a full ranking of the Best Rides at Disneyland. I hope you have a magical trip to Disneyland Resort!
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