Notable Roller Coasters
Roller coasters are amusement rides developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. Early iterations during the 16th and 17th centuries, which were popular in Russia, were wooden sleds that took riders down large slides made from ice. The first roller coasters that attached a train to a wooden track appeared in France in the early 1800s. Although wooden roller coasters are still being produced, steel roller coasters, introduced in the mid-20th-century, became more common and can be found on every continent except Antarctica.
Amusement parks often compete to build the tallest, fastest, and longest rides to attract thrill seekers and boost overall park attendance. Ranked by height, speed, length, and number of inversions, roller coasters often became the focal point for competing parks. Computer-simulated models led to new innovations that produced more intense thrills while improving quality and durability. The debut of Magnum XL-200 in 1989 at Cedar Point introduced the first complete-circuit roller coaster to exceed 200 feet (61 m), marking a pivot point in the industry. The new era, sometimes referred to as the Coaster Wars, saw increasing competition as parks sought to be the latest to break world records, with some only lasting a year or less.
The pace of competition eventually slowed, however. Former record holder Kingda Ka, the previous tallest coaster in the world at 456 feet (139 m), held onto its record from 2005 until its closure in 2024. Other notable coasters include Formula Rossa, the world's fastest, which reaches a top speed of 149 mph (240 km/h), Steel Dragon 2000, the world's longest, measuring 8,133 feet (2,479 m), and The Smiler which features fourteen inversions.
Key
| Key | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Record holder |
| ** | Under construction |
| * | Still exists but not operating |
Height rankings
Tallest steel roller coasters
Longest steel roller coaster drops
Tallest wooden roller coasters
| Rank | Name | Park | Country | Height | Manufacturer | Record held |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | T Express | Everland |  South Korea
|
183.8 ft (56.0 m) | Intamin | June 2009 – present |
| Wildfire | Kolmården Wildlife Park |  Sweden
|
183.8 ft (56.0 m) | Rocky Mountain Construction | June 2016 – present | |
| 3 | El Toro | Six Flags Great Adventure |  United States
|
181 ft (55 m) | Intamin | — |
| 4 | Goliath | Six Flags Great America | United States
|
165 ft (50 m) | Rocky Mountain Construction | — |
| 5 | Colossos - Kampf der Giganten | Heide Park |  Germany
|
164 ft (50 m) | Intamin | — |
| 6 | The Voyage | Holiday World & Splashin' Safari | United States
|
159 ft (48 m) | The Gravity Group | — |
| 7 | Hades 360 | Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park | United States
|
136 ft (41 m) | The Gravity Group | — |
| 8 | Wodan Timbur Coaster | Europa-Park | Germany
|
131.2 ft (40.0 m) | Great Coasters International | — |
| 9 | Le Monstre | La Ronde |  Canada
|
130.9 ft (39.9 m) | Martin & Vleminckx | July 1985 – March 1990 |
| 10 | American Eagle | Six Flags Great America | United States
|
127 ft (39 m) | Intamin | May 1981 – July 1985 |
Longest wooden roller coaster drops
| Rank | Name | Park | Country | Drop length | Manufacturer | Record held |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goliath | Six Flags Great America | United States
|
180 ft (55 m) | Rocky Mountain Construction | June 2014 – present |
| 2 | El Toro | Six Flags Great Adventure | United States
|
176 ft (54 m) | Intamin | June 2009 – June 2014 |
| 3 | Outlaw Run | Silver Dollar City | United States
|
162 ft (49 m) | Rocky Mountain Construction | — |
| 4 | Wildfire | Kolmården Wildlife Park | Sweden
|
160.8 ft (49.0 m) | Rocky Mountain Construction | — |
| 5 | Colossos - Kampf der Giganten | Heide Park | Germany
|
159.1 ft (48.5 m) | Intamin | — |
| 6 | The Voyage | Holiday World & Splashin' Safari | United States
|
154 ft (47 m) | The Gravity Group | — |
| 7 | T Express | Everland | South Korea
|
150.9 ft (46.0 m) | Intamin | — |
| 8 | The Boss | Six Flags St. Louis | United States
|
150 ft (46 m) | Custom Coasters International | — |
| 9 | American Eagle | Six Flags Great America | United States
|
147 ft (45 m) | Intamin | May 1981 – May 1991 |
| 10 | The Beast | Kings Island | United States
|
141 ft (43 m) | Kings Island | April 1979 – May 1981 |
Gallery
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Speed rankings
Fastest steel roller coasters
Fastest wooden roller coasters
Gallery
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Length rankings
Longest steel roller coasters
Longest wooden roller coasters
| Rank | Name | Park | Country | Length | Manufacturer | Record held |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Beast | Kings Island | United States
|
7,361 ft (2,244 m) | Kings Island | April 1979 – present |
| 2 | The Voyage | Holiday World & Splashin' Safari | United States
|
6,442 ft (1,964 m) | The Gravity Group | — |
| 3 | T Express | Everland | South Korea
|
5,383.8 ft (1,641.0 m) | Intamin | — |
| 4 | Shivering Timbers | Michigan's Adventure | United States
|
5,383 ft (1,641 m) | Custom Coasters International | — |
| 5 | Jupiter | Kijima Amusement Park |  Japan
|
5,249 ft (1,600 m) | Intamin | — |
| 6 | Python in Bamboo Forest | Nanchang Wanda Theme Park |  China
|
5,111 ft (1,558 m) | Great Coasters International | — |
| 7 | Wood Coaster | Knight Valley | China
|
4,817 ft (1,468 m) | Great Coasters International | — |
| 8 | Hades 360 | Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park | United States
|
4,746 ft (1,447 m) | The Gravity Group | — |
| 9 | Boulder Dash | Lake Compounce | United States
|
4,725 ft (1,440 m) | Custom Coasters International | — |
| 10 | American Eagle | Six Flags Great America | United States
|
4,650 ft (1,420 m) | Intamin | — |
Gallery
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Inversion rankings
This listing contains all types of roller coaster inversions.
Steel roller coasters
| Rank | Name | Park | Country | Inversions | Manufacturer | Record held |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Smiler | Alton Towers |  United Kingdom
|
14 | Gerstlauer | May 2013 – present |
| ** | Eleventh Roller Coaster | Great Xingdong Tourist World | China
|
11 | Hebei Zhongye | — |
| 2 | 10 Inversion Roller Coaster | Chimelong Paradise | China
|
10 | Intamin | February 2006 – May 2013 |
| Altair | Cinecittà World |  Italy
|
Intamin | — | ||
| Colossus | Thorpe Park | United Kingdom
|
Intamin | March 2002 – May 2013 | ||
| Crazy Coaster | Locajoy Holiday | China
|
Intamin | — | ||
| Velikolukskiy Myasokombinat-2 | Wonder Island |  Russia
|
Intamin | — | ||
| Sik | Flamingo Land | United Kingdom
|
Intamin | — | ||
| * | LightSpeed | Wonderland Eurasia |  Turkey
|
10 | Intamin | — |
| ** | AlpenFury | Canada's Wonderland | Canada | 9 | Premier Rides | — |
| 8 | Avalancha | Xetulul |  Guatemala
|
8 | Intamin | — |
| Dragon Khan | PortAventura Park |  Spain
|
Bolliger & Mabillard | May 1995 – March 2002 | ||
| * | Steel Curtain | Kennywood | United States
|
8 | S&S - Sansei Technologies | — |
| ** | unknown (formerly known as Monte Makaya) | Mirabilandia |  Brazil
|
8 | Intamin | January 1998 – March 2002 |
Wooden roller coasters
| Rank | Name | Park | Country | Inversions | Manufacturer | Record held |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Outlaw Run | Silver Dollar City | United States
|
3 | Rocky Mountain Construction | March 2013 – present |
| Wildfire | Kolmården Wildlife Park | Sweden
|
Rocky Mountain Construction | June 2016 – present | ||
| 3 | Goliath | Six Flags Great America | United States
|
2 | Rocky Mountain Construction | — |
| 4 | Hades 360 | Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park | United States
|
1 | The Gravity Group | — |
| Jungle Trailblazer | Oriental Heritage, Ningbo | China
|
Martin & Vleminckx Rides | — | ||
| Jungle Trailblazer | Oriental Heritage, Wuhu | China
|
Martin & Vleminckx Rides | — | ||
| Jungle Trailblazer | Oriental Heritage, Jinan | China
|
Martin & Vleminckx Rides | — | ||
| Mine Blower | Fun Spot America: Kissimmee | United States
|
The Gravity Group | — |
Drop angle rankings
Steel roller coasters
| Rank | Name | Park | Country | Drop angle | Manufacturer | Record held |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TMNT Shellraiser | Nickelodeon Universe | United States
|
121.5° | Gerstlauer | October 2019 – present |
| 2 | Takabisha | Fuji-Q Highland | Japan
|
121.0° | Gerstlauer | 15 July 2011 – October 2019 |
| 3 | Green Lantern Coaster | Warner Bros. Movie World |  Australia
|
120.5° | S&S Worldwide | — |
| 4 | Crazy Bird | Happy Valley Tianjin | China
|
120.0° | S&S Worldwide | — |
| 5 | Cannibal | Lagoon | United States
|
116.0° | ART Engineering GmbH | — |
| 6 | Timber Drop | Fraispertuis City |  France
|
113.0° | S&S Worldwide | 2 July 2011 – 14 July 2011 |
| 7 | Mumbo Jumbo | Flamingo Land Resort | United Kingdom
|
112.0° | S&S Worldwide | July 2009 – 1 July 2011 |
| 8 | Steel Hawg | Indiana Beach | United States
|
111.0° | S&S Worldwide | July 2008 – July 2009 |
| 9 | Defiance | Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park | United States
|
102.3° | Gerstlauer | — |
| 10 | Monster | Adventureland | United States
|
101.0° | Gerstlauer | — |
| Toutatis | Parc Astérix | France
|
Intamin | — |
Wooden roller coasters
| Rank | Name | Park | Country | Drop angle | Manufacturer | Record held |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Switchback | ZDT's Amusement Park | United States
|
87.0° | Gravitykraft Corporation | October 2015 – present |
| 2 | Goliath | Six Flags Great America | United States
|
85.0° | Rocky Mountain Construction | June 2014 – October 2015 |
| 3 | Wildfire | Kolmården Wildlife Park | Sweden
|
83.0° | Rocky Mountain Construction | — |
| 4 | Outlaw Run | Silver Dollar City | United States
|
81.0° | Rocky Mountain Construction | March 2013 – June 2014 |
| 5 | T Express | Everland | South Korea
|
77.0° | Intamin | March 2008 – March 2013 |
| 6 | El Toro | Six Flags Great Adventure | United States
|
76.0° | Intamin | June 2006 – March 2008 |
| 7 | Balder | Liseberg | Sweden
|
70.0° | Intamin | April 2003 – June 2006 |
| 8 | Voyage | Holiday World & Splashin' Safari | United States
|
66.0° | Gravitykraft Corporation | — |
| 9 | Hades 360 | Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park | United States
|
65.0° | Gravitykraft Corporation | — |
| Cú Chulainn | Emerald Park |  Ireland
|
Gravitykraft Corporation | — |
Notes
- ^ A shuttle roller coaster, not complete-circuit
- ^ Drop height estimated at 345 ft (105 m) according to TripSavvy.
- ^ Record was held by Son of Beast from May 2000 – June 2009. It had a height of 218 feet (66 m), a drop distance of 214 feet (65 m) and a maximum speed of 78 mph (126 km/h).
- ^ Record was held by Lightning Rod from June 2016 – September 2020, before its conversion into a steel roller coaster. It had a drop distance of 165 feet (50 m) and a maximum speed of 73 mph (117 km/h).
- ^ Record was held by The Ultimate from July 1991 – August 2000, with a length of 7,442 feet (2,268 m).
References
- ^ Harris, Tom. "How Roller Coasters Work". Discovery Communications. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Roller Coaster Census Report". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Martín, Hugo (March 13, 2012). "Thrill ride designers compete to push the limits". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
- ^ "Top Thrill Dragster: The Inside Track on Cedar Point's Landmark Coaster and Potential Final Lap". Theme Park Tourist. March 25, 2022. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
- ^ "It's opening weekend for Cedar Point". Associated Press. May 15, 2009. Archived from the original on May 18, 2009. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
- ^ "Magnum XL–200 20th anniversary ceremony". PointBuzz. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
- ^ Miller, Danny (July 29, 2013). "Battle Resurgence: Are the Coaster Wars back?". COASTER-net. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Kingda Ka (Six Flags Great Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Formula Rossa (Ferrari World Abu Dhabi)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Steel Dragon 2000 (Nagashima Spa Land)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "The Smiler (Alton Towers)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Steel Record Holders – Height". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
- ^ astilwell (November 14, 2023). "Intamin Reveals Falcon's Flight Details - Coaster101". Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Steel Record Holders – Drop". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
- ^ Levine, Arthur (January 7, 2021). "The 10 Tallest Roller Coasters in the World". TripSavvy. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Son of Beast (Kings Island)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Wood Record Holders – Height". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Wood Record Holders – Drop". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Record Holders – Steel – Speed". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
- ^ "Record Holders". rcdb.com. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Lightning Rod (Dollywood)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Wood Record Holders – Speed". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Ultimate (Lightwater Valley)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Record Holders – Steel – Length". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Wood Record Holders – Length". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Steel Record Holders – Most Inversions". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Wood Record Holders – Most Inversions". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Steel Record Holders – Angle". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Wood Record Holders – Drop Angle". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Roller coasters.
- Roller coaster census at the Roller Coaster DataBase
- Top 100 roller coasters on CoasterBuzz
