For the 2002 season, Aspen Lake opened Drop Zone, a 150 foot Intamin gyro drop tower. Drop Zone was extremely popular among guests, and shows that Slingshot will not be returning to the park. The go karts has been removed, but was never as popular as the original Aspen Road Race that is still operating. Drop Zone is currently the 2nd tallest ride in the park behind only Sky High, which is not popular among guests despite the great views of the park it provides.
A large construction area has gone up next to Congo Rapids, and in June (very early!) footers were poured. Aspen Lake released many teasers about the new attraction, but released no information about the ride itself. From the track placed during the season, we can see the track is orange and the supports are a teal color. Any guesses on the new coaster for 2003?

Comments greatly appreciated!

It would be really cool if it was a hyper coaster.

                       
Big News from Aspen Lake in 2003. Here is the press release for the newest attraction at the theme park.

"Aspen Lake theme park, September 19, 2002.
For the upcoming 2003 operating season, a new African themed section will open in Aspen Lake. This area will feature African inspired theming and attractions, and will be located adjacent to the River Rapids ride, Congo Rapids.
Opening in late spring of 2003 is the star attraction of this section... Cheetah, the tallest, fastest, and longest coaster in Aspen Lake. Cheetah, a "Hyper Coaster" by renowned manufacturers Bolliger and Mabillard, features a 200-foot plunge into a small pond at 82 miles per hour, then traverses over 4,770 feet of track.
Debuting in late spring of 2003, the new African themed area will be enjoyed by both families and enthusiasts alike, as it offers something for everyone to enjoy."

Two flats closed early during the season. Attached are images captured from the 2003 season. Below are the stats for Cheetah.

Type: Hyper Coaster
Manufacturer: B & M
Height: 185 feet
Highest drop: 200 feet
Speed: 82 mph
Length: 4,770 feet

Comments appreciated!

Sorry about the lack of updates lately. I'm working to finish in the next few days, and soon I'll post the rest of the updates. If anyone has any suggestions for a 2014 coaster of any type, I'm open to your opinions. I have an idea in mind, but I won't say.
I truly appreciate any comments, they are very helpful.

Hello everyone,
This is the final update I will post of Aspen Lake, spanning years 2004 - 2014. My apologies for the amount of time I took since my last update. Also, if there is any serious interest, I can post the download link. Enough for now, onto the update.
           
Prey Scrambler was added in the Africa section in 2004, ridership down on Python.
           
Cheetah cafe came in 2005, additional theming.
       
Flying Carpet relocated/repainted in 2006, making way for 2007 attraction.
               
Construction of Chemical Factory, indoor Wild Mouse. Python made its final victory lap in 2007, before demolition.
       
Chemical Factory was quite popular at its opening, but many felt it wasn't a "replacement" of Python, more a "place-filler."
           
Vulture given some love, among others in 2008. Construction zone emerges.
               
For 2009, Haunted Mansion was added. Very popular ride. Congo Rapids removed, no replacement announced. Large construction zone near Vulture, B & M pieces spotted near the parking lot.
               
Predator, a relocated B & M standup (a smaller model, two inversions) added in 2010.

(Continued)
       
For 2011, Predator's food court and landscaping out front were added, Incinerator's popularity has dropped.
           
In 2012, you may have seen some entertainers walking around the park for the younger ones. Construction zone near the Haunted House.
                   
In 2013, the Sky Ride was improved due to poor reliability, among many other unmarketable housekeeping things. Sky High, one of the park's oldest and tallest attraction, was removed in the summer. A more permanent fence was put up lining the rightmost pathway. Aspen Lake released a statement saying it is to block people's view of the coming 2014 additions.
           
2014. I left the 2014 project for you to build if you'd like, and make the park your own. I am sure you can do a better job with it than I could. These are some final images from Aspen Lake, my first ever timeline project spanning from 1974 through 2014, and in real time, November through late January.

I really enjoyed doing this project. Many of the coasters I was very happy with how they turned out, but weren't as popular as I had anticipated, including Vulture and Cheetah, as well as some others. I actually considered removing Rumbling Racer because of a glitch with syncing the stations. Each and every one of the coasters was chosen and designed based on realism. I picked a type/manufacturer, and researched for up to hours what real world designs of this coaster are like. Some are heavily/obviously influenced by others. The park overall was mostly influenced by SFGadv and Cedar Point, but not exclusively. I learned a heck of a lot more about roller coasters throughout this timeline than I thought I would ever, and it was so much fun.
If you have any questions about the finished product/download, the process, or anything else in general, feel free to comment, if you bothered to read this far into my post.
Thank you.