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The Wilderness Resort  Timeline of Growth

The Wilderness Resort has experienced tremendous growth since it opened its doors in June 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 which can sleep up to 20 guests.

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

1990-1999

• June 1995:  Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort opens with 79 units, the Fort Wilderness 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 Phase I of the vacation villa development (28 units).
• 1999:  60 additional guest units are added to the hotel and Klondike Kavern, the resort’s second indoor waterpark opens.
• 1999:  The Field brothers break ground Field’s at the Wilderness restaurant.

2000-2009

• 2000:  Field’s at the Wilderness and the MotherLode (now Wild Canyon Café) lobby restaurant open. Phase II of  the Frontier Condominiums is completed and construction begins on the resort’s new clubhouse and Little Links golf course.
• 2000:  Construction begins on the Lodge Condominiums.
• 2001:  The resort’s golf course opens a new $1.5 million, 6,700-square-foot clubhouse. In addition, some of the Lodge Condomiums open.
• Summer 2002:  162 Additional guest rooms, Wild West lobby and Timberland Playhouse ballpark are added. Lake Wilderness outdoor waterpark opens.
• Summer 2002:  Ground is broken on Wilderness on the Lake, a $37 million, 108 unit premier condominium project located on Lake Delton. The remainder of the Lodge Condominium.
• August 2002:  Phase one of the Wilderness cabins (cabin# 1-4) are unveiled with the introduction of four, 4-bedroom cabins.
• February 2003:  Wild West indoor waterpark, a $10 million addition complete with its own sports bar, The Thirsty Buffalo, opens. Near the resort, Sarento’s at the Wilderness begins serving fine Italian cuisine.
• July 2003:  Wilderness on the Lake, a 108-unit premier condominium complex, which 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.
• October 2003:  The Wilderness completed five, 5-Bedroom Entertainment Cabins (units #5-9).
• Spring 2004:  The remaining 5 Bedroom Entertainment Cabins are completed (cabin# 10-14).
• June 2004:  The resort opens an amazing outdoor wave pool, along with private poolside cabanas.
• Summer 2004:  Pistol Pete’s Beans & Ice Cream and the OK Corral Lazer Tag Arena open.
• June 2005:  Wilderness completes construction on sixteen 3-Bedroom Cabins.
• October 2005:  In honor of its 10th 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 roof, 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.
• 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. The WaterDome is also home to the nation’s largest indoor wave pool the Great Wave. Survivor’s Bar and Grill also opens.
• July 2006:  The Wilderness opens its massive 3.2 acre Lost World Waterpark located at Glacier Canyon Lodge, its newest upscale condominium resort. The facility boasts 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 kiddie 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.
• January 2007:  Monk’s Bar & Grill, a Wisconsin icon since 1947, opens a second location in Wisconsin Dells at the Wilderness Resort.
• Januay 2007:  Wilderness developers finalize plans for an events center hotel and condominium resort complex in Sevierville, TN. (See WildernessattheSmokies.com).
• Summer 2007:  Glacier Canyon Lodge unveils Halley’s Comet Racers at the Lost World Outdoor Waterpark.
• Fall 2007:  Cabins 1 & 3 are converted from a 4-Bedroom Cabin to 5-Bedroom Media cabins with the addition and construction of a built-on media room to each unit.
• Fall 2007:  Wilderness Resort officials announce plans to double the size of its conference and banquet center at Glacier Canyon Lodge.
• Fall 2007:  Klondike Kavern’s ‘mountain’ is removed and replaced with a play structure with better sight lines making the facility more family-friendly. The Hurricane thrill ride also receives an upgrade with lights and sound effects to heighten the thrills.
• May 2008:  Wilderness opens its new championship golf course – the Wild Rock designed by world-renowned golf course architects Hurdzan & Fry.
• May 2008:  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.
• June 2008:  Due to extreme rainfall amounts, Lake Delton breaches its shoreline and drains into the Wisconsin River. Our Wilderness on the Lake property remains unharmed.
• Fall 2008:  Wilderness Resort officials complete a 31,471 square foot addition to the Glacier Canyon Lodge Conference Center.
• December 2008:  Wilderness Resort opens the Wild Buccaneer 3-D, black light, pirate-themed mini golf course and the Goody Gum Drop Sweet & Wild Candy Shoppe in the Wild West lobby. The Fitness Center and Real Estate offices also move above the Wild West lobby.
• December 2008:  Wilderness Resort is named Sauk County Development Corporation’s 2008 Large Business of the Year.
• March 2009:  Wilderness Resort opens its Wild Abyss 3-D black light, shark and ocean themed miniature golf. The resort also renovates Klondike Kavern.
• July 2009:  Wilderness Resort unveils indoor bumper boats in the Wild West Waterpark. The resort also adds 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.

2010-2019

• Spring 2010:  Wilderness Resort updates all of the main resort guest rooms with new beds, linens and flat screen televisions.
• January 2012:  The Northern Lights Sky Ropes Course opens in the Wild West region of the Hotel.
• June 2012:  Lunar Loop & Cosmic Drop extreme thrill slides are added at Lost World Outdoor Waterpark.
• Summer 2013:  Bearfoot Island Sprayground for li’l squirts opens at the New Frontier Outdoor Waterpark.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Fall 2019:  Wild Canyon Café closes to make room for Camp Social. The New Frontier lobby under goes 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.

2020-Present

• 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.