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A young girl plays in the water at Cowabunga Bay in Draper. There are many water activities to entertain young and old alike. Ph: Cowabunga Bay

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Participants of all ages prepare to be dunked by one of the water features at Cowabunga Bay. The Draper water park has many attractions to please children of all ages. Ph: Cowabunga Bay

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Teenagers play in the water features at Cowabunga Bay. There are many ways to play in the water at the park, entertaining both young and old alike. Ph: Cowabunga Bay

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If Skittles had a water park, it would definitely be Cowabunga Bay. Tempting drivers of I-15 from its visible perch in Draper, Cowabunga Bay is a dreamland of summer fun.

Walking through the entrance, Cowabunga Bay is daring you to taste the rainbow of cascading water slides in vibrant colors — green, blue, purple, pink, orange, yellow, red. Some are enclosed, some are open flumes and some are speed slides. And they are all part of a water park’s version of a fast-food restaurant’s jungle gym play area.

Ramps and tunnels, bridges and sets of stairs take you on different paths to different slides. Along the way, you can stop and fill up a bucket to dump on people as they slide past you on an open flume, or to bystanders below. Water guns and other features give this water park more to do than just standing in line and sliding.

Slides are categorized by height, like at an amusement park. Some slides require participants to be 48 inches tall, others just require an adult companion. Open flume slides allow two to go together, so 6-year-old Grace and I went tandem a few times, her feeling the thrill of her first experience with big water slides, and me being transported back to my childhood spent at our local water park.

The water on the slides was freezing, no doubt because it was in constant motion, and the two giant buckets that intermittently dumped gallons and gallons of water down below was a shock to say the least. But on a hot summer day, the juxtaposition of temperatures was a welcome one, and we had a great time sliding.

Other parts of the park cater to the smaller clientele. Cowabunga Beach, a kids pool, is perfect for young swimmers who want to float on their back and splash around. Beach entry, with spouting water features, was perfect entertainment for 1-year-old Lucy and some sunbathing moms. The Cowabunga River is unique in that the water park provides tubes for floating — just leave the tubes there when you’re done. We grabbed an available tube and went around the river, that winds around in a sort-of circle, with brightly colored beach gear on display on the side decks and center islands: items such as Adirondack chairs, surf boards and cute signs, even an old-school Volkswagen Beetle with a Hawaiian flower paint job.

Other kids areas include the Kids Cove, with playground slides that drop into about a foot of water, and a water slide that sits somewhere between the baby slides and the big slides on the other side of the park.

My 4-year-old, Caleb, was too nervous to go down any of the water slides. We tried the toddler slide at Seven Peaks, and he doesn’t like the big splash of water in the face at the very end. So these slides that just drop into the small pool of water were perfect for him and his baby sister.

Here are a few highlights I liked:

1. The bathrooms are close. Inevitably, someone is going to have to go potty, despite every effort made to go before. Cowabunga Bay’s restrooms are a stone’s throw away from the kid’s pool and river entrances. It’s so nice to reach the restrooms before the snack bar. Bravo!

2. Free life jackets. A wall right near the locker room is stocked with life jackets, available on a first-come, first-served basis.

3. Sliding scale admission. Cowabunga Bay offers four-hour passes, which start every hour on the hour, or all-day passes. It’s nice to not feel like you have to stay all day to get your money’s worth. Four hours was plenty for me and my kids.

4. Clean facility. I’m not saying that other parks in the area aren’t clean or well kept, but with only a few years in business, it’s definitely sparkling.

5. Lots of seating. Cowabunga Bay has plenty of beach chairs set up around the pools that are available to lounge in. They also have cabanas you can rent and reserve with couches and tables.

Cowabunga Bay also has a full snack bar, and by snack bar, I mean not just snacks like nachos and french fries, but burgers, hot dogs and sandwiches. It’s pretty much a full menu.

After all those freeway drive-bys, the kids were thrilled with an actual visit to the park. The bright decor makes it a happy place to be in the summer — and they’re open on weekends through September. So even though school is back in session, summer can still be going strong when the bell rings on Friday afternoon.

If you go

Cowabunga Bay

Where: 12047 S. State St., Draper (take 12300 South exit, and follow the signs to State Street — it’s a funky new intersection  — and head north on State Street)

Hours: Today through Sunday, hours are 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Monday-Friday the last week of August is 2-7 p.m., and weekend hours begin on Sept. 1. Check the website for specific park hours.

Prices: A four-hour pass is $16.95 for 48-iches and above; $11.95 for those under 48 inches; seniors 60-pus are $5.99 (four hours begins at the top of each hour); All-day passes are $22.95, $17.95 and $8.99; Children 2 years and under are free. Pipe Rider and Sky Surfer are at an additional cost. See the website for details.

Season passes: Season passes are on sale now, good for the rest of this season and the 2013 summer. Passes are $59.99, and include a 10 percent discount on food, merchandise, VIP cabanas and High Tide Action Zone Attractions. Special events are included, too.

Info: (801) 553-1000, www.cowabungabay.com