While I’ve fortunately gotten the chance to ride 91 different roller coasters across the U.S., a handful still stand out as destinations I hope to make it to soon.
In a very personally eventful 2025 that saw my wife and I move across the country, it was pretty easy to forget just how much I love roller coasters after going an entire calendar year with just a single coaster ride.
My interest in roller coasters has persisted since my early childhood, though my affinity for the amusement rides didn’t always translate into a willingness to ride them.
Yet after a fateful trip to Six Flags Great America in June 2010 as a 14-year-old, I finally got myself onto the coasters I had spent my childhood being afraid of, and was converted into a full-blown coaster enthusiast from that point on.
Certainly spoiled to have a stacked park like Six Flags Great America as the one closest to where I grew up, I also got chances to check out coasters at Cedar Point, Six Flags Magic Mountain and Six Flags St. Louis throughout my adolescence and early adulthood.
The pursuit for riding new coasters took a more definitive turn in 2024 for my wife and I, as we had a year full of travel ahead of us that conveniently had us in locations with nearby access to tons of roller coasters.
Thanks to the purchase of an all-park season pass, my wife and I made numerous visits to Great America, in addition to taking trips to Six Flags Magic Mountain, Six Flags Over Georgia and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, with a summer trip to the then-Cedar Fair-owned Kings Island as well.
This greatly expanded the list of the roller coasters I’ve been on, which included a handful of rides on what is currently my favorite roller coaster ever – ArieForce One at FunSpot Atlanta in Fayetteville, Georgia.
While I have a long list of coasters I love and have gotten a chance to experience, there are still several renowned coasters I’m seeking my first-ever ride on. Here’s a look at the four across North America that stand out the most to me:
1. Steel Vengeance, Cedar Point
Often found near the top of “Best Coasters” rankings, Steel Vengeance is seen by many to be Rocky Mountain Construction’s magnum opus, an absolute titan of a ride that completely reimagined what was a forgettable wooden coaster.
Though I’ve never rode Steel Vengeance, I did get a chance to ride its predecessor, Mean Streak, during a visit to Cedar Point in August 2013. A gargantuan woodie known for its large first drop and unrelenting roughness, RMC transformed the overlooked coaster into the highlight attraction at Cedar Point.
First opening in 2018, Steel Vengeance features a staggering 200-foot, 90-degree first drop that reaches top speeds of 74 miles per hour, only the beginning of a riveting two-and-a-half minute adventure that holds the world record for most airtime on a coaster with 27.2 seconds.
While I’ve ridden other RMC coasters such as ArieForce One, Goliath at Six Flags Great America and Twisted Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain, none quite approach the intensity and grandiosity that Steel Vengeance does, towering in the back of America’s most recognized amusement park.
2. VelociCoaster, Universal Islands of Adventure
Perhaps the toughest coaster to include on this list, I missed a perfect opportunity to make my way to Islands of Adventure while I was employed with NBC Chicago, thanks to NBCUniversal offering free park admission to employees once a year.
While I did utilize the perk to check out Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood, I missed out on one of the most acclaimed coasters on the planet right now in VelociCoaster, the Jurassic Park-themed monstrosity at Islands of Adventure.
You’ll never find me complain about the thrills-first coasters one experiences at Six Flags parks, but there’s something uniquely captivating about a high-budget ride that is equal parts exhilarating and immersive – exactly what Intamin and Universal accomplished with the VelociCoaster.
Featuring multiple launches and two distinct sections, the VelociCoaster reaches its maximum height and speed on its second launch, kicking off the ride’s second, more intense section.
After being catapulted up a 155-foot tall top hat hill, riders are flushed down a 140-foot drop at speeds near 70 miles per hour before being sent through two of the ride’s four inversions, including the trademark “Mosasaurus roll” over the water before returning to the station.
Oh yeah, all of that only takes around 90 seconds. Sign me up.
3. Superman: Krypton Coaster, Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Perhaps the most random inclusion on this list, I’m omitting Iron Rattler from Six Flags Fiesta Texas as I’ve already included an RMC coaster – so instead I went with another coaster in the park that makes ideal use of the fantastic terrain.
Located in San Antonio, Six Flags Fiesta Texas is incredibly unique among American theme parks in that much of it is tucked away in a quarry, creating for both a unique atmosphere in all parts of the park and an added element to certain attractions.
That’s exactly where Superman: Krypton Coaster comes in, a floorless coaster produced by the renowned Bolliger & Mabillard. Originally opening in 2000, Superman is not exactly a coaster to sneeze at, boasting a 183-foot height and 168-foot drop, the latter of which sends riders down the cliff of the quarry.
The first drop immediately flows into a 114-foot tall vertical loop, which features a Superman figurine at the loop’s crest, an instantly recognizable symbol of the ride seen throughout much of the park.
With the trademark smoothness of a B&M along with the picturesque implementation of the surrounding scenery, Superman: Krypton Coaster deserves its reputation as one of the best B&M floorless coasters.
4. Yukon Striker, Canada’s Wonderland
I have still yet to ride a dive coaster, and while I would have loved to have gotten a ride on Wrath of Rakshasa at Six Flags Great America before moving away from the Chicago area, the Yukon Striker at Canada’s Wonderland remains my most sought-after dive coaster.
One of three monstrous B&M’s at the top-heavy Canada’s Wonderland, Yukon Striker remains tied for the tallest dive coaster in the world, while still holding the distinctions for the longest and fastest coaster of its kind.
Initially opening in 2019, Yukon Striker reaches a towering height of 223 feet, with its 245-foot drop and maximum speed of 81 miles per hour, statistics that one would most likely associated with a standard B&M hypercoaster.
After the 90-degree plunge down 245 feet, the coaster seamlessly flows into four inversions, including a post-drop Immelmann Loop that has grown to become a standard feature of B&M dive coasters.
While the height, drop and speed are all wildly impressive, this coaster has particular allure to me due to the soaring smoothness riders are almost always in for on B&M coasters, with its relatively young age likely still helping the coaster live up to that reputation.
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