The idea for the park began in 1976 when Eugene Mulvihill and his company, Great American Recreation, the owners of the recently combined Vernon Valley/Great Gorge ski area, wanted to find a way to generate revenue during the summer, so they opened a alpine slide down one of the steep ski trails. For the summer of 1978, Mulvihill added two water slides and a go-kart track, and named the collection of rides the Vernon Valley Summer Park. Additional attractions would be built by 1980, and the park would evolve to a major destination with 75 rides (35 motorized, self-controlled rides and 40 water slides).