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Great Wolf Lodge Anaheim Review

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A review of Great Wolf Lodge Southern California located in Anaheim, California near Disneyland. Stays include a full water park and fun activities!

A review of Great Wolf Lodge Southern California located in Anaheim, California near Disneyland. Stays include a full water park and fun activities!

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My kids have been begging me to go to Great Wolf Lodge since they saw it on YouTube.

So when we planned to take a trip to Phoenix for a family wedding, my husband thought it would be a great idea to stay at the new Great Wolf Lodge location near Scottsdale, Arizona, which we loved.

Front Desk of Great Wolf Lodge Southern California

We ended up driving over to Anaheim to go to Disneyland, because why not?

We enjoyed our stay in Arizona so much, that we booked a Wolf Den Suite at Great Wolf Lodge Anaheim for 3 nights.

Bear Bench at Great Wolf Lodge

Great Wolf Lodge Anaheim

Your stay at Great Wolf Lodge includes passes for each person in your party to their enormous water park.

This isn’t just a hotel pool with a couple of waterslides, it is a full-sized water park complete with a wave pool and flow rider.

A boy with Wiley Wolf

We’ll get to the water park more in a minute.

Great Wolf Lodge also has other things that are not included but might be worth a doing if you have the time.

MagiQuest screen

Pup, Paw, and Wolf passes can be purchased which include many of the extras bundled together. Read about our experience with Wolf Passes here.

There are also a few restaurants including a character breakfast and a pizzeria.

We ordered a pizza and garlic bread at Hungry as a Wolf pizzeria and thought it was really good.

Hungry as a Wolf Pizzeria at Great Wolf Lodge

Wolf Den Room Tour

Great Wolf Lodge has 3 categories to rank their rooms.

Standard, which as you probably guessed, are regular hotel rooms with a couple of beds and a bathroom.

Great Wolf Lodge wristband key

Premium rooms, which are a little bigger and offer more amenities. See my review of the Grand Bear Suite here.

The third category are Themed Rooms. In Arizona, we stayed in a Kids Cabin Suite which you can see here. Here in California, we choose the Wolf Den Suite.

Hallway of Great Wolf Lodge Anaheim

Entrance/Bathroom

As you entered our room, the bathroom was immediately to the left.

The bathroom was pretty standard with a shower/tub combination and cute wolf paw-shaped soap.

bathroom in Wolf Den Suite

Across from the bathroom was an open closet with an in-room safe.

Vanity in Wolf Den Suite at Great Wolf Lodge

Next to the closet is an open vanity with a sink and large mirror.

I liked that the vanity was separate from the bathroom so they could both be used at the same time which is great for a family.

Shampoo, soap, and lotion from Great Wolf Lodge

Wolf Den

My boys loved the Wolf Den! It was like having their own room within our hotel room.

Wolf Den Suite

The outside looks like it is made of logs and inside is a set of bunk beds and their own tv.

Bunk beds and mural in Wolf Den Suite

There were only two beds in the Wolf Den which caused a little bit of friction because we have three boys, so next time I would probably get the Kid Cabin again, just to avoid fighting.

TV and window inside Wolf Den Suite

Bedroom

The bedroom had a queen-size bed next to a seating area with a full-size sofa sleeper and coffee table.

Queen bed and sofa sleeper in Wolf Den Suite

In the corner, there was a table and chairs. There was also a large counter with drawers for storage, a microwave, television, and mini fridge.

Table and chairs in Wolf Den Suite at Great Wolf Lodge

The televisions in the room were smart tv’s and we were able to watch our favorite Netflix and YouTube shows just by signing in!

Great Wolf Lodge Water Park

Now let’s get to the water park. That’s what the kids really came for, right? 

Clock Tower in the Great Wolf Lodge Water Park

Height Requirements

When you enter the water park for the first time with kids, a Great Wolf Lodge employee will measure their height.

Your child will get a bracelet with a corresponding color according to how tall they are.

Height wristbands at Great Wolf Lodge California

This bracelet quickly lets life guards know if your child is tall enough for certain slides.

Towels

Each member of your family is entitled to a towel when you are in the water park.

To pick up your towel, let the attendant know how many towels you need and they will scan your wristband/key.

Towel sign in water park at Great Wolf Lodge

You may take the towels back to your room with you, but you will need to keep track of it.

Make sure that you turn in your towel at the end of your stay to ensure that you are not charged for it.

Towel pick up area at Great wolf Lodge

I found that it was just easier for us to check our towels back in before leaving the water park. That’s what worked for us.

Fun For Little Kids

There are tons of things to do for kids of all ages in the water park.

The next few items are great for little ones when you visit Great Wolf Lodge.

Some will need some adult supervision.

Side view of water playground

Fort Mackenzie

My 5-year-old loved Fort Mackenzie! Fort Mackenzie is a large interactive playground with water splashing everywhere!

Fort Mackenzie rule poster at Great Wolf Lodge Southern California

There are a few water slides that are perfect for little ones, there are water falls, and ways to shoot water at each other.

View of Fort Mackenzie water treehouse at Great Wolf Lodge

The best part of Fort Mackenzie is the large bucket on top of the structure.

The bucket is continuously being filled with water and once it fill up, will dump out over anyone who happens to be below!

Raccoon Lagoon

Raccoon Lagoon was a fun area for kids, if the weather is cooperating.

It is an outdoor area with a pool and a splash pad. 

Raccoon Lagoon outside water area at Great Wolf Lodge

If you head out here, bring along your sunglasses. It can get pretty bright.

Slap Tail Pond

Slap Tail Pond is large wave pool that is fun for the whole family.

Every few minutes, you will hear a wolf howl, then the waves will begin!

Slap Tail Pond rule poster

If you take little ones into the wave pool, I definitely recommend having them wear a life jacket.

When the waves are on, it can get pretty deep.

A boy in a life jacket at the wave pool

Whooping Hollow & Cub Paw Pool

Both Whooping Hollow and Cub Paw Pool are areas that are great for toddlers and pre-schoolers. 

Kids over 52″ are not allowed in these spots, so little ones are free to play!

Toddler area at Great Wolf Lodge

Crooked Creek

Great Wolf Lodge Anaheim has a lazy river called Crooked Creek.

This is a great spot to lay on a tube and relax as you float around the water park. All three of my boys loved playing here.

Great Wolf Lodge Lazy River

Chinook Cove & Bigfoot Pass

This is another area that is great for kids of all ages. Chinook Cove has basketball hoops which are perfect for bigger kids.

Basketball hoops in the water park at Great Wolf Lodge Anaheim

Bigfoot Pass has floating logs that kids can use to try and balance on.

Bigfoot Pass has floating logs that kids can use to try and balance on.

For Big Kids, Teens, and Adults

Not only is Great Wolf Lodge Anaheim great for little kids, there are tons of things that are fun for big kids, teens, and adults as well.

water slides and lazy river

Water Slides

My boys loved Coyote Canyon water slide because of the large vortex that you enter into and swirl around.

It is fun because you never know when you are going to exit the vortex.

Coyote Canyon and Alberta Falls Water slides

Alberta Falls, is a tandem slide where you ride with some one else. It makes it that much more fun!

Outside view of Howlin' Tornado at Great Wolf Lodge

When we rode Howlin’ Tornado, my boys thought it would be funny to not tell me that there was a huge drop!

Check out our video below to see my reaction!

Entrance sign for Wolf Tail water slide

I was to chicken to take a ride on Wolf Tail because the floor drops out on you!

But, my 12-year-old loved it so much he went 6 times in a row.

Racing water slides

Mountain Edge Raceway was super fun because my whole family was able to ride at the same time.

It was great to see who ended up winning by crossing the finish line first. It was usually my 5-year old 😉

kids coming down racing water slides at Great Wolf Lodge Southern California

You don’t want to miss a ride on River Canyon Run. This is a slide that you can ride with 3-4 in a large raft.

I loved being able to watch the smiles on the faces of my kids as we went down the slide together.

Wolf Rider Sign

Wolf Rider Wipeout

Our family spent a significant amount of our water park time at the Wolf Rider Wipeout which is basically a flow rider attraction.

A boy and a Great Wolf Lodge employee at the flow rider

Each of my boys had a blast learning how to sit, kneel, and stand on the board as it flows over the water.

A boy doing tricks on a flow rider at Great Wolf Lodge Garden Grove

The employees even helped them learn how to do a few tricks. Of course, my 5-year-old was a total natural and never wiped out once!

Great Wolf Lodge Extras

Besides the amazing water park included with your stay, and the passes for attractions that are available for purchase, Great Wolf Lodge offers many complimentary activities as well.

Raccoon character at Great Wolf Lodge

My boys were able to attend a couple of the arts and crafts classes that were offered to guests and had so much fun!

A boy with an art project at Great Wolf Lodge

There was also a story time for kids and their families each night.

We got to sit by the fireplace in the lobby and listen to a fun bedtime story about the characters who live at Great Wolf Lodge.

Story time at Great Wolf Lodge Southern California

Character meet and greets are another fun perk of staying at Great Wolf Lodge.

Some of these opportunities are listed on a schedule, and other times, you can catch the characters walking around.

Two kids and a squirrel character at Great Wolf Lodge Anaheim

These interactions make staying at Great Wolf Lodge tons of fun for kids! My boys can’t wait to go back.

How to Get to Disneyland from Great Wolf Lodge

We never go to the Anaheim area without making a stop at Disneyland! Great Wolf Lodge is located on Harbor Blvd about 2.7 miles from Disneyland.

Map from Disneyland to Great Wolf Lodge

To get to Disneyland from Great Wolf Lodge Anaheim, the best route is to go right down Harbor.

We ended up grabbing an Uber car from the hotel and having it drop us off at the pick up lot right near the entrance to Disneyland on Harbor Blvd. It worked great for us.

Great Wolf Lodge Southern California Review

We loved our stay at Great Wolf Lodge Anaheim. The room was great and the water park is definitely a value add.

A child on a Great Wolf Lodge bench

If it fits into your budget, I would definitely recommend a stay here, especially with kids!

Additional Hotels Available In The Anaheim Area

Outside view of Great Wolf Lodge Southern California in Anaheim

More Southern California Hotel Reviews

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Diana

Saturday 30th of April 2022

How long did you stay there?

Mindy

Saturday 30th of April 2022

We stayed there for 3 nights in February 2020 and again for 4 nights in December 2022.

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