2026 marks the fifth year of operation for Iowa’s Lost Island Theme Park. You can see photos of the parks growth and progress from 2022 to current in my Theme Parks gallery:
https://www.disneyfans.com/photos/themeparks/LostIsland/index.html
What’s new for 2026?
Each year the park has added something, though not always by plan. The park had intended to have more rides operating in opening year but some were delayed until following seasons (one due to a fire). In 2024 they announced they would be building a brand new roller coaster, Fire Runner, which opened during the 2025 season. For 2026, they added an enhancement to that coaster, and added new interactive targets to their Awaati Battle water ride.
Each year there have also been other updates that did not appear in park announcements. For example, new trees have been planted each season. Though not confirmed by the park, we were told there were 26 new trees added this year, and a similar amount last year. In the decades to come, the park should grow into a lush landscape of vegetation.
We also spotted new water canons that were added to the interactive Makatu Shrine in the Mura (fire) realm. Although the four of us could not get the shrine effects to trigger this trip, we did see the water canons operating (on a timer, perhaps) throughout the day.
Some changes were, perhaps, not for be better, but possibly needed due to the operational reality of low crowd levels. Over at Thirsty Voyager, the only spot in the park with adult beverages, the draft beers had been removed. Only canned drinks were available. This means the refill cups we have collected over the past four years are no longer good for a discounted beer. On a brighter side, some new offerings were available (and not even in the sales system yet as of our visit), including two Iowa-made ciders and a flavored wheat beer from a California brewery.
There was also new storage cubes added outside of the green Matugani roller coaster as well as the orange Fire Runner coaster. (We have noticed most folks refer to the coasters by their color, rather than the actual names.) Unlike other parks we have visited, these were not at the loading area or even in the queue for the rides. They were outside along the lanes. While I would never want to leave my camera equipment or cell phone unsecured like that (and we did see cubes with phones just sitting there), security told us there had not been any issues so far. They also said these were temporary with a better solution being planned.
There were certainly more changes than these we noticed, but I will save those for a followup post later.
Until then…
Which realm do you belong to?
Similar to how Harry Potter fans can take surveys to tell them which “house” they belong to, Lost Island has a survey you can take to tell you which of their realms you belong to:
https://lostislandthemepark.supersurvey.com/PO9SX1EP
Based on my answers this time, I should be part of their air realm, Udara.
This park certainly “punches above its weight” with so many details and fun things to discover than at most large corporate parks (I’m looking at you modern Disney).
The park’s app, for example, allows you to collect badges and such just by having it running as you visit various areas or rides. There are stickers throughout the park that mark locations where you can collect such virtual items. You may even have to look up to find them 😉
We have no idea how many there, but I expect this gives locals (season passes are available) many quests to embark on during their visits throughout the year.
Do you hear what I am saying?
Probably the most interesting aspect of this park, which was not new for 2026, was the backstory of Lost Island itself. The park has its own unique characters that represent each of the five realms. In the morning, a show is presented in the entrance area that tells this story. It also ties directly in to the story of their 4-D shooter dark ride, Volkanu.
As you encounter these characters throughout the day, you will notice they greet you in a language known as Aukipi. This is the official language of Lost Island – and you will see it on signage throughout the park. For instance, the lands themselves:
- Awa – water
- Mura – fire
- Tamariki – spirit
- Udara – air
- Yuta – earth
If you want to learn it, they now have the second edition of their language dictionary available. We have both editions, and were noticing how many new words have been added, as well as changes to how the number system is done.
Heck, the Aukipi Dictionary is even printed in Iowa!
There is so much to love about this park, especially if you are more of a “theme” fan than a “ride” fan. Sure, you can just go and ride all the rides (and with the low crowds, you can ride them ALOT with little to no wait), but if you want to dig deeper, there is a whole backstory to learn, and a language that will explain just what this means…
Ummi Ummi means “food.” So this food stand is literally called “Foods”.
The same worker who pointed this out also told us about this one…
This kiddie coaster, themed as a caterpillar, is called Lokolo – the Aukipi word for … caterpillar.
Once you start to realize this, a new layer of the park appears. But now that we know this, we are a bit surprised the restrooms don’t say wakatiki — but when you gotta go, you shouldn’t need a translating dictionary to figure out where the restrooms are 😉
Crowd levels
This was our first time visiting near the opening of the season, and during the weekend that marked the start of the parks daily operations. Crowd levels were, sadly, nonexistent. Only a handful of folks were in the park to watch the opening show, and we never encountered more than a handful of folks ahead of us at any ride. That is awesome for visitors, but not for the park.
Frankly, this is a great time to go check out Lost Island. Our friends drove two hours to get there, as did we. They visited for the first time last year and were surprised they could ride so many things during their time. They noted they could have just driven across town to their local Adventureland park but even with four extra hours they spent driving to Waterloo, they still got to do more things and have more fun at Lost Island. Plus, parking was only $10 instead of $21.
If you have a chance to see this unique park, please consider doing so soon. Either the park grows in popularity and get crowded, or not enough people show up and the park will go away. Right now you can help the park grow, and enjoy the low crowds that won’t be there in the future, one way or the other 😉
Until next time … Imo’e!
