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California

These uncanny photos show California amusement parks as ghost towns

Magic Mountain's Hurricane Harbor Lightning Falls water slide sits dry during the pandemic.
Magic Mountain’s Hurricane Harbor Lightning Falls water slide sits dry during the pandemic.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
By Robert Gauthier
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Since the COVID-19 pandemic forced Magic Mountain, Disneyland, Universal Studios and other major theme parks to close in mid-March, these giant expanses of whiplash and wonderland have become ghost towns. The parks have grown eerily silent, and wildlife has come out to enjoy these empty metallic forests of Southern California. At Magic Mountain, a hawk has taken over the Dive Devil ride.

No one knows when the theme parks will reopen, but industry experts have already been discussing what new procedures will be added to protect guests and workers from spreading the virus once that happens. Theme park operators have been tight-lipped about what the future holds, but they have clearly been discussing plans for opening day. For now we can just glimpse the empty roller coasters and dizzying heights and hope one day they will reopen.
— Hugo Martin

SUPERMAN

The Superman roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain peaks at 415 feet and reaches a top speed of 104 mph.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

REVOULTION AND TATSU

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The New Revolution and Tatsu cross paths at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
The New Revolution and Tatsu cross paths at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

Drone images of Universal Studios Hollywood.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

Universal Studios looking very empty.
Universal Studios looking very empty.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

SCREAM

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The Scream roller coaster sits dormant next to an empty parking lot.
The Scream roller coaster sits dormant next to an empty parking lot.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

FLIGHT OF THE HIPPOGRIFF

Universal Studios' Flight of the Hippogriff roller coaster in the time of the coronavirus.
Universal Studios’ Flight of the Hippogriff roller coaster in the time of the coronavirus.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

X2

Shadows from the X2 roller coaster at Six Flags fall over an empty parking lot.
Shadows from the X2 roller coaster at Six Flags fall over an empty parking lot.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

GOLDEN BEAR THEATER

Lush foliage surrounds the Golden Bear Theater at Six Flags.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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SUPERMAN TOWERS OVER GOLIATH

Superman towers over the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

MAGIC MOUNTAIN

A huge development is being built behind Magic Mountain.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
An employee cleans the grounds behind the closed gates of Disneyland Park on the first day of the closure of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure theme parks as fear of the spread of coronavirus continue, in Anaheim, California, on March 14, 2020. - The World Health Organization said March 13, 2020 it was not yet possible to say when the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 5,000 people worldwide, will peak. "It's impossible for us to say when this will peak globally," Maria Van Kerkhove, who heads the WHO's emerging diseases unit, told a virtual press conference, adding that "we hope that it is sooner rather than later". (Photo by DAVID MCNEW / AFP) (Photo by DAVID MCNEW/AFP via Getty Images)

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Marcus Yam Hereʼs an image of me suiting up before entering a hospital ward with a patient recovering from COVID-19 at UC San Diego Health. As photojournalists, we are often on the move, covering news around the world – foreign conflicts, humanitarian crises, mass migrations and social issues – that put our readers on the frontline of struggle and intimacy.

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