Jul 3, 2025 - News
The Giant Dipper turns 100 at Belmont Park in Mission Beach
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The iconic Giant Dipper, a 75-foot-tall wooden roller coaster at Belmont Park in Mission Beach, turns 100 years old tomorrow.
Flashback: It welcomed its first riders when the beachside amusement park opened on July 4, 1925, and cranked out smiles and screams for decades.
- The coaster was almost demolished when the park closed in 1976, but San Diegan Tim Cole and the Save the Coaster Committee raised money to take over ownership and restore it.
- The Giant Dipper became a National Historic Landmark in 1987, and reopened with the park in 1990.
State of play: Belmont Park is celebrating its centennial with 100 days of giveaways and food deals through Labor Day.