Tallest, Fastest, Longest: Top 10 Roller Coasters in America
by Linda (minnemom) of Travels with Children
Kingda Ka. Photo by Dusso Janladde.
Faster than a car. Longer than a mile. Higher than the Statue of Liberty. Check out these extreme roller coasters from the United States that make a trip to the amusement park exciting!
Top Steel Roller Coasters
Kingda Ka
Six Flags Great Adventure
Jackson Township, New Jersey
Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson Township, NJ. Photo by nthdesign.
With a height of 456 feet, a drop of 418 feet, and a speed of 128 mph, this mighty beast is the tallest and fastest in the United States.
Top Thrill Dragster
Cedar Point
Sandusky, Ohio
Top Thrill Dragster, Cedar Point, Sandusky, OH. Photo by adpowers.
Just behind Kingda Ka is this thrill ride, which boasts a height of 420 feet, drop of 400 feet, and amazing 120 mph speed.
Millennium Force
Cedar Point
Sandusky, Ohio
Millennium Force at Cedar Point, Sandusky, OH. Photo by soundfromwayout.
Also at Cedar Point, Millennium Force ranks on the list for longest as well as fastest, tallest, and tallest drop. It has stats of 310 feet in height, a 300-foot drop, is 6595 feet long, and runs at 93 miles per hour. It’s a force to be reckoned with.
Goliath
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Valencia, California
Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, CA. Photo by respres.
With a speed of 85 miles per hour, height of 235 feet, and spot on the record list for vertical drop as well, Goliath lives up to its name.
Superman: The Escape
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Valencia, California
Superman: The Escape at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, CA. Photo by Mike Kazarnowicz.
Goliath’s neighbor at Six Flags Magic Mountain may not hold as many records, but with a drop of 328 feet and speed of 100 mph, it’s a superhero in the world of roller coasters.
Top Wooden Roller Coasters
Son of Beast
Kings Island
Mason, Ohio
Son of Beast, Kings Island, Mason, Ohio. Photo by Brandon Cirillo.
With a height of 218 feet, drop of 214 feet, and speed of 78.4 mph, Son of the Beast is the current world-record holder for height, drop, and speed.
El Toro
Six Flags Great Adventure
Jackson Township, New Jersey
El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson Township, NJ. Photo by tenioman.
Six Flags Great Adventure isn’t just great for a steel-coaster ride. The wooden El Toro ranks on the tallest, fastest, and biggest drops lists with a height of 181 feet, drop of 176 feet, and speed of 70 mph.
The Voyage
Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari
Santa Claus, IN
The Voyage at Holiday World, Santa Claus, IN. Photo by Neuski.
This voyage is one of the longest in the world on a wooden roller coaster at 6442 feet. It also ranks on the lists for tallest (173 feet), tallest drop (154 feet), and fastest (67.4 mph).
Mean Streak
Cedar Point
Sandusky, Ohio
Mean Streak at Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio. Photo by nealpatrick61.
This is one mean wooden coaster, with a length of 5427 feet, a height of 161 feet, and a drop of 155 feet.
The Boss
Six Flags St. Louis
Eureka, Missouri
The Boss at Six Flags Over St. Louis, Eureka, MO. Photo by HAM guy.
The Boss is no slouch, with a speed of 66.3 miles per hour, a length of 5051 feet, and a drop of 150 feet.
Do you have a favorite roller coaster or amuseument park?
Information credit: Wikipedia
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34 Responses
Thanks for including The Voyage in your list of top coasters! Thought you might enjoy taking a virtual ride: http://holidayworld.com/voyage_video.html. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
We open for the season on May 2!
Paula Werne
Holiday World
Paula Werne, Holiday Worlds last blog post..Must be finals week…
Wow, some of those are staggering!
Somewhere between 16 and 36 my neck and back lost their love for the almighty roller-coasters. lol
When I was a kid I could never understand why my parents were too dull to go on the big coasters with me. Now that I’m older, and achier, and less invincible, I’m betting that I’ll be done with coasters before my kids get started too…
Fun collection! I still love the thrills, but can’t find anyone to go with me anymore… except on the kiddie coasters!
I’m partial to our local “Giant Dipper” at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in California.
Wow! I haven’t been to an amusement park in ages, they’ve really evolved from the standard loop de loop. I think dad is going to have to take the boys to ride the coasters!
Tracys last blog post..A Guide to Pirate Parenting – A Book Review
I’ve always love The Comet at Hershey Park, although I’ve not been there in ages and have no idea if it still stands.
Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson – always too crowded.
Personally, I hate wooden roller coasters. Huge headaches!! But the extreme steal coasters look fantastic!
I’m scared just looking at the photos!
AWESOME, such things are rare this sides nowadays, we had plenty when i was growing up!
Been there, done most of that. Lol I love me some roller coasters! Sandusky is the Sh*T! That fastest one is…fast.
I love roller coasters!
iWalks last blog post..Overlooking Nuremberg From Imperial Castle
I recommend Holiday World, it has a great water park..It also provides free drinks and sunscreen and a vast free parking area.It is in a beautiful and interesting area also , about twenty-five miles north of the Ohio River.Just a few miles down the road [Five or less is a fine state park and the place where Lincoln grew up.-his mother is buried there and there is a recreation of the Lincoln homestead. Just north about 18 miles is Huntingburg which has a minor league baseball team of some standing,and the pleasant old german city of Jasper-to the east a little way is the vast Hoosier National forest and to the west the city of Evansville.This part of Indiana is under-rated,it makes a great place for a weeks vacation.The biggest problem in this area is hotel accommodation. i recommend the inns in Jasper the drive is about 20 miles but pleasant. and scenic.Don’t stay in Tell City -the Days Inn there should be renamed “The Bate’s Motel.”
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Nice list. I’ve ridden five of them. The remaining are on my “to do” list of coasters to experience.
Disney-ORamas last blog post..Disney Imagineers: Rolly Crump and Don Edgren Honored at Disneyland
The only one I’ve ridden on this list is The Voyage at Holiday World. That ride is a BEAST! You come off that thing feeling like you’ve just been violated!
I’ve heard GREAT things about Cedar Point… all those coasters look awesome, though! Thanks for the cool post.
Lunchbox Obsesseds last blog post..A Rainbow of Choice in Bento Lunch Boxes
I’ve been on Superman: The Escape, it’s definitely one hell of a coaster!
Monica, The Comet in Hershey Park is still standing. I rode it last week. It’s a classic!
Six Flags Great Adventure in NJ houses some of the most amazing roller coasters in the country. It’s just a shame that the cleanliness and atmosphere is a total dump.
Boi des are sum clean asz roller coasters…..♥
I was a 6 Flags Jersey before they took away the drive through Safari. I remember riding the Great american Screem Machine. do they still have that one?
Cedar point is my favorite spot in the world because you just bounce from coaster to coaster. Despite the fact that Top Thrill Dragster is taller, i still prefer Millennium Force. That is the most awesome ride of all.
Wooden coasters are great until they get older and then the rattling is akin to having someone take out your liver with a spoon.
Julies last blog post..Grand Traverse Pie Company Opens in Indianapolis
[...] blew the kids away with the sheer amount of thrill it contained. After reading this article on the Uptake Attractions Blog, I’m realizing we have a lot more traveling to do to catch all the most thrilling rides! Faster [...]
Where’s the love for The Beast @ Kings Island? Greatest Wooden coaster ever.
One roller coaster that I love is the Mystery Mine at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennesse. It features a 100 foot drop, a corkscrew, two ninety degree angles going up, and a flip. It’s awesome. The Boss is painful. The Screamin Eagle is awesome, too. It’s at the same place as Boss.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa! The Beast is WAY better then the “Mean Streak” Your kidding me! I live in ohio tho do you even put the Mean Streak up there. Just wow!
I have to say that if you ever go to kings islandyou have to ride the following rides=
Delirium, Runaway Reptar, Diamond Back, Beast (my favorite), Son of Beast, and Back lot Stunt coaster!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I WENT ON THE MEAN STREAK, TOP THRILL DRAGSTER AND MILLENNIUM FORCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’ve been all over the world trying out roller coasters and I book my accommodation through the holiday rentals price comparison site Compareaway.com
Hey, don,t you guys forget about the Shiekra in at Busch Gardens of Tampa, FL.
[...] Top 10 Roller Coasters in America attractions.uptake.com/blog/top-10-roller-coasters-4014.html – view page – cached From the tallest to the longest to the fastest, these steel and wooden roller coasters are the best in America. — From the page [...]
Holiday World and the Voyage absolutely rock. BUT, a list w/o THE HULK at Universal/Orlando is no list at all.
The Beast is without peer, but there are some other good ones not mentioned. The obvious one is Cyclone at Astroland on Coney Island. My other favorite is Ghostrider at Knott’s Berry Farm.
I love roller coasters1 I’ve been on el Toro and gonna go on kingda ka soon althought my favorite ride at six flags great adventure is nitro.