The Giant Dipper is a historic wooden roller coaster located at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, an amusement park in Santa Cruz, California. The Giant Dipper, which replaced the Thompson's Scenic Railway, took 47 days to build and opened on May 17, 1924, at a cost of $50,000. With a height of 70 feet (21 m) and a speed of 55 miles per hour (89 km/h), it is one of the most popular wooden roller coasters in the world. As of 2012, over 60 million people have ridden the Giant Dipper since its opening. The ride has received several awards such as being named a National Historic Landmark, a Golden Age Coaster award, and a Coaster Landmark award.
The Comet is a wooden roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor in Queensbury, New York, in the United States.
Blue Streak is a wooden roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. Built by Philadelphia Toboggan Company, Blue Streak opened to the public on May 23, 1964. It is the oldest roller coaster operating at Cedar Point. In 2013, Blue Streak achieved its highest ranking in the annual Golden Ticket Awards publication by Amusement Today, ranking 27th among the world's top wooden roller coasters. In 2022, it was awarded a Coaster Landmark designation by American Coaster Enthusiasts.
Balder is a wooden roller coaster at the Liseberg amusement park in Gothenburg, Sweden. It opened in 2003 and was an instant success.
Screamin' Eagle is a wooden roller coaster located at Six Flags St. Louis in Eureka, Missouri. When it opened on April 10, 1976 for America's Bicentennial celebration, Guinness World Records listed it as the largest coaster at 110 feet (34 m) high and as the fastest coaster at 62 mph (100 km/h). The ride is a modified 'L'-Shaped Out And Back. The Screamin' Eagle was manufactured by the Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters and was the last coaster designed by John Allen, who was a designer of roller coasters, believed a coaster should inspire awe, not only from a ride full of thrills, but also from its magnificent beauty. Originally Allen wanted to design a coaster to replace the Comet at Forest Park Highlands, but lack of funds prevented him from doing such. The Screamin' Eagle is reminiscent of the Comet, mirroring its L-shape, but to a much larger scale.
Colossos - Kampf der Giganten, German for Colossos: Battle of the Giants, is a wooden roller coaster located at Heide Park in Soltau, Lower Saxony, Germany. Manufactured by Intamin, the roller coaster opened as simply Colossos in 2001. Unlike traditional wooden coasters, its track was prefabricated, laser-cut in a factory to a high degree of precision, with sections designed to snap together like Lego pieces. Some of its planks were tightly bonded in multiple layers instead of traditionally nailed together by hand. The roller coaster closed in 2016 due to deteriorating track conditions and reopened in 2019 after refurbishment.
Phoenix is a wooden roller coaster located at Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. It was moved to its current location in central Pennsylvania in 1985. Prior to its purchase and relocation to Knoebels, it operated under the name The Rocket at Playland Park in San Antonio, Texas.
Jack Rabbit is a wooden roller coaster located at Kennywood Park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. Designed and built by John A. Miller and Harry C. Baker, Jack Rabbit opened in 1920, making it one of the oldest roller coasters in the world still in operation. The ride's three trains were manufactured by Edward Vettel Sr. in 1951 and contain three cars of six seats each. Due to the use of a small lap bar in the cars, some young children are disallowed to enter the ride, as 42” is the minimum. A popular early feature of the ride was a tunnel which covered the turnaround section after the first drop, but this was removed in 1947. In 1991, the tunnel was restored at a slightly shorter length.
Lightning Racer is a wooden dueling roller coaster at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Built by Great Coasters International (GCI) and designed by Mike Boodley of GCI, the ride was completed in 2000 within the Midway America section of the park. Lightning Racer was GCI's second roller coaster at Hersheypark.
Hades 360 is a hybrid roller coaster at Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. When it opened in 2005, the coaster was known as Hades; it was renamed in 2013 when the 360 degree roll was installed. It is the largest roller coaster in the park. Hades 360 is a rarity among wooden roller coasters due to its 360 degree roll, 110-degree over banked turn, and steep 65-degree drop as well as its 90-degree banked turn, as drops and angles this steep are generally not included on wooden roller coasters due to structural limitations. The ride was designed by The Gravity Group.
Boulder Dash is a wooden roller coaster located at Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut. The coaster was built by Custom Coasters International using Southern Yellow Pine wood, while the track is made of Douglas Fir. Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards ranked Boulder Dash as the world's best wooden roller coaster in 2004 and from 2013 to 2016. The trains were built by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC).
Renegade is a wooden roller coaster at Valleyfair in Shakopee, Minnesota, that was designed by Great Coasters International. It was one of the first coasters built by Great Coasters International to use their Millennium Flyer trains, which are designed to give a smoother ride. Renegade's layout is a combination of an out-and-back and a twister roller coaster.
The Legend is a wooden roller coaster at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari in Santa Claus, Indiana, United States. It was designed and built beginning in 1999 by the now defunct Custom Coasters International, with the help of designers Dennis McNulty and Larry Bill; it opened on May 6, 2000. The Legend is themed after Washington Irving's short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and mimics the frightful ride Ichabod Crane took as he was chased through the woods by the Headless Horseman. The Legend has been consistently ranked among the world's top twenty-five wooden roller coasters at the Golden Ticket Awards, which are presented annually by Amusement Today magazine.
American Thunder is a wooden roller coaster located in the 1904 World's Fair section of Six Flags St. Louis in Eureka, Missouri. Opened on June 20, 2008, the coaster was originally named after and themed to the famous motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel. It was renamed American Thunder for the 2011 season. To help promote the opening of the then-Evel Knievel Roller Coaster, Knievel's son, Robbie Knievel, jumped a Honda CR-500 motorcycle over 25 Dodge Chargers on July 3, 2008.
Shivering Timbers is a wooden roller coaster located at Michigan's Adventure in Muskegon County, Michigan. It was developed and built by Custom Coasters International. Opened in May 1998, Shivering Timbers debuted for the park's 32nd year in operation and was a success. Construction for the ride began in 1997. The trains were made by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters. The ride's out and back layout is 5,383 feet (1,641 m) long, making it the fourth-longest wooden roller coaster in the world. The ride has been re-tracked by Martin & Vleminckx and Great Coasters International. Shivering Timbers is the tallest and fastest roller coaster in Michigan.
Ravine Flyer II is a hybrid wooden roller coaster located at Waldameer Park in Erie, Pennsylvania. It was ranked as the Best New Ride of 2008 by Amusement Today magazine. Ravine Flyer II was built at the site of the park's old Ravine Flyer roller coaster, which was dismantled in 1938 after a man died on it. Initial concepts for the replacement ride were developed by Custom Coasters International in the early 1990s, further developed by Dennis McNulty several years later, then finalized and constructed by The Gravity Group, with Jeff Mason overseeing construction.
Tremors is a wooden roller coaster located at Silverwood Theme Park in Athol, Idaho. It features four underground tunnels, the first of which goes under the ride's gift shop.
White Lightning is a wooden roller coaster located at Fun Spot America amusement park in Orlando, Florida. Manufactured by Great Coasters International (GCI), White Lightning opened to the public on June 8, 2013, as the first wooden coaster to be built in Orlando. Unlike traditional wood designs, the support structure is made of steel to reduce maintenance costs, and it was the first time GCI incorporated the design into one of their coasters. White Lightning has also been well-received, consistently ranking in the top 50 among wooden roller coasters in the annual Golden Ticket Awards from Amusement Today.
Mystic Timbers is a wooden roller coaster located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. Constructed by Great Coasters International and designed by Skyline Design, the roller coaster opened in the Rivertown section of the park on April 15, 2017. The ride's fictional theme is set to the site of an abandoned logging company where unexplained events are taking place. During its marketing campaign, the finale element in an enclosed shed was not revealed to the public until opening day.
The PNE Roller Coaster is a wooden roller coaster at Playland in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Opened in 1958, it is the oldest roller coaster in Canada. The ride is 2,840 ft (870 m) long—which established it as the largest roller coaster in Canada at the time it was completed—and has a height of 68 ft (21 m) and speeds of up to 76 km/h (47 mph). The coaster was awarded the Coaster Classic and Roller Coaster Landmark statuses by American Coaster Enthusiasts.
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