After reaching my 100th coaster credit at California’s Great America last weekend, I went through the 102 coasters I’ve gotten a chance to ride and ranked all of them.
As a lifelong coaster enthusiast, there are few things that are more exciting than getting to go to an amusement park you haven’t visited before filled with rides you’ve never experienced.
While I was incredibly spoiled to have Six Flags Great America in Gurnee as my home park growing up, things are bit more difficult now living in California’s Sacramento Valley. Now a 2.5 hour drive from the nearest amusement park, it isn’t quite as easy to hit the road and ride some coasters.
Due to the park’s expected closure after the 2027 season, my wife and I made it a priority to get down to California’s Great America in Santa Clara this year, around a 3.5 hour drive from our home in Chico. Nestled next to Levi’s Stadium with a backdrop of the Santa Cruz mountains, it served as the perfect environment to reach a coaster milestone in.
In the 16+ years that I’ve been riding large roller coasters, I’ve gotten the chance to visit many of the U.S.’ largest and most famous theme parks – though there remain a few large blindspots on my list. A full look of the 102 coasters I’ve been on can be found here.
Ultimately, these rankings are simply from the mind of one enthusiast, with the rankings simply based on which coaster I’d want to ride the most at any given moment. I would consider myself to not be as much of a fan of outright intense roller coasters as many enthusiasts are – especially at my age – which certainly impacts how I laid these rankings out.
I’m a big fan of both ejector and floater airtime and typically enjoy a smoother ride, but I also have a strong affinity for large wooden roller coasters. On the other hand, I’m not as much of a fan of strong positive G-forces as many other enthusiasts are, so I’m not as big of a fan of coasters that rely on pushing you into your seat more than anything else.
With that said, here’s a look at the bottom of my rankings of every roller coaster I’ve gotten a chance to ride:
102. Rockin’ Roller – Mid America Adventure
Bradley & Kaye, height, length and speed unknown
The lone coaster on this list I wasn’t able to find any video footage of, this was a small kiddie coaster located in what was once Six Flags St. Louis from 1975-2006.
A simple coaster that traversed through a loop with small bunny hills, this was a very forgettable ride – even for a kid who was pretty afraid of large roller coasters at the time I rode it in June 2004.
A solid step below even a good amount of kiddie coasters found at other parks across the country, young enthusiasts certainly aren’t missing out on much by not getting a ride on Rockin’ Roller.
101. Scooby’s Ghoster Coaster – Kings Island
Caripro, 35 ft tall, 8 mph
An extremely bizarre kiddie coaster that operated at Kings Island from 1998 to 2005, Scooby’s Ghoster Coaster featured an elevator lift with cars that could fit either one person or a child accompanied by an adult before traversing through a small layout while reaching whopping speeds of eight miles per hour.
While an incredibly unique coaster that you won’t find anywhere today, this was nothing that should have been held on to – feeling a good amount more like a short gondola ride than a thrill coaster of any sorts.
Still, its novelty stood out both within the Kings Island kids’ section and the broader park itself, emerging as a short-lived unique attraction that not many ultimately got to experience.
Although there was nothing special about this coaster, it was cool to get a ride on it during my family’s visit in July 2002 while it lasted.
100. Pegasus – Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park
Custom Coasters International, 60 ft tall, 45 ft drop, 40 mph, 1,600 ft length
The first non-kids coaster I ever rode, this ride is of a confusing size – not large enough to be a regularly sized wooden coaster found at most parks, but also a good deal larger than a junior coaster designed to ease young riders into thrill rides.
While it’s been nearly a quarter-century since I rode this ride as a young kid in the summer of 2002, I think a lot of my aversion to large roller coasters as a young kid can be traced back to Pegasus. An incredibly rickety and rough ride even at its young age at the time that I rode it, this woodie had me thinking that all coasters were as violent and jerky as this ride is.
After becoming a coaster enthusiast later in life and looking back on rides I rode as a kid, I felt incredibly validated to learn that Pegasus’ reputation perfectly matches what I thought of it after riding it as a 6-year-old – a violent woodie of a puzzling size that is easily overshadowed by the other coasters at the park.
Although I’d be more than willing to give Pegasus another shot if I were to visit Wisconsin Dells again, I certainly wouldn’t be expecting my experience to be all that different.
99. Woodstock’s Air Rail – Kings Island
Vekoma, 48.6 ft tall, 26 mph, 1,122 ft length
A suspended family coaster that has previously gone under the names Runaway Reptar and Flying Ace Aerial Chase, this is a great entry-level junior coaster for young thrillseekers who are perhaps intrigued by larger inverted coasters where riders hang beneath the track.
The first coaster of its kind that I ever rode, it was a great way to get acquainted with a different kind of ride as a young kid – though there isn’t much to offer for the adults joining their kids on the ride.
Despite a decent height and track length, this coaster doesn’t really include a true drop – sending riders in a turning descent throughout the ride’s layout, offering some mild positive G-forces but not a whole lot of anything else.
Although a great coaster for a thrill-curious kid, don’t be expecting to get all that much out of it if you’re joining them for the ride.
98. Tiger Terror – Safariland
Wisdom Rides, 16 ft tall
A very small steel coaster that was located inside an indoor arcade/amusement park in Villa Park, a western Chicago suburb, Tiger Terror packed a little bit more punch that it appears to, serving as a pretty damn good option considering its location.
After ascending 16 feet up a spiral, drive-tire lift, riders descend down a slight angled drop that leads directly into a helix, making the absolute most out of the ride’s small footprint and short height. To add to it, the ride also provides a decent headchopper effect after the drop, offering a near-miss element often reserved for larger rides.
Though smaller and shorter than some of the rides below it on this list, Tiger Terror did an excellent job at serving its purpose – providing some coaster thrills in a spot where you’re not expecting it, which was the case with me during a visit in the spring of 2008.
Tiger Terror operated from Sept. 17, 2002 until Aug. 17, 2025, with the coaster’s train still used inside the park as a theming object.
97. The Joker – Six Flags Great America
S&S, 120 ft tall, 54 ft drop, 38 mph, 1,019 ft length
An extremely polarizing coaster model among enthusiasts, the S&S 4th dimension free-spinning coasters are an absolute nightmare to me, but are a blast for many others.
The only one of these coasters I will ever ride, The Joker starts riders up one of two vertical lift hills where riders may be facing towards or away from the coaster. Upon reaching the top, the trains wind through the track back down the station, with the individual cars freely flipping as the train moves down.
Because the cars are free-spinning, the amount of inversions you get in a particular ride can widely vary, although you’re guaranteed at least two with the physical track inversions.
On my ride in September 2018, I was flipped constantly throughout the coaster, leading to a few headbanging moments and a massive headache upon getting off the ride.
If you’re someone who loves going upside down without any other elements or movement to it, then this ride is absolutely for you. If not, then expect its slow speed, frequent flipping and uncomfortable restraints to leave you just wanting to go home.
96. Woodstock Express – Kings Island
Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, 38.6 ft tall, 30 ft drop, 35 mph, 1,350 ft
A junior wooden roller coaster that was known as the Beastie when I rode it in July 2002, this is everything that a junior coaster should be – noticeably taller than a kiddie coaster while still being a level below what a coaster for the general population would offer.
Reaching speeds of 35 mph on a 30-foot drop, Woodstock Express is a solid preview for kids who are curious about the larger wooden roller coasters in the park, serving as a rare option for kids to experience a small wooden coaster in an era where essentially all kiddie and junior coasters are steel.
The figure eight layout isn’t incredibly interesting or thrilling, but the 54-year-old woodie offers a bit of a longer ride to kids who are probably used to getting off and getting right back on after a 25-second trip around the layout.
It may be a bit rough and not really pack any thrills to a general rider, but this is a coaster that does an excellent job at fulfilling its purpose.
95. Little Dipper – Six Flags Great America
Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters – 28 ft tall, 24 ft drop, 25 mph, 700 ft length
The first coaster I ever rode, this iconic wooden kiddie coaster operated for 59 years at Kiddieland in Melrose Park, a children’s amusement park in the Chicago suburbs. After the park’s 2009 closure, the coaster was moved to Six Flags Great America in 2010, where it remains in operation today.
Yes, I know it seems weird to put a smaller kiddie coaster above a junior coaster with a bit more bite – but I am perhaps a bit biased here as this was the coaster that started it all for me.
Riders are introduced to shallow drops and bunny hills throughout the coaster’s circular layout, all of which lead back to the instantly recognizable station that remains in the same shape it was when it was located at Kiddieland.
This coaster still being in operation today is amazing, as it serves as a way to unite coaster enthusiasts of yesteryear who themselves had childhood memories of riding Little Dipper with their children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews who are getting their first experiences on roller coasters.
Without rides like Little Dipper, roller coasters may never have advanced to the point that they are today – while serving as a reminder of just how far it has all come.
94. Sprocket Rockets – Six Flags Great America
Vekoma, 27.9 ft tall, 21.7 mph, 679.1 ft length
A junior steel coaster that has been a staple of the kids’ area at Six Flags Great America since its opening in 1998, I’ve always been of the opinion that Sprocket Rockets is among the better junior or kiddie coasters one can find in the country.
Propelled by a small booster wheel lift hill, Sprocket Rockets sends riders through around a half-minute of twists and turns in a tightly-compact layout. Although the coaster lacks a true drop, Sprocket Rockets takes the small plot of land to its advantage, introducing a few tight turns and a headchopper element that perhaps took some inspiration from Whizzer.
Sprocket Rockets also greatly speaks to the depth of coasters at Six Flags Great America – this coaster serves as a logical step-up from Little Dipper, with other family-oriented coasters such as The Dark Knight Coaster and Whizzer serving as the next steps forward for young thrillseekers who are looking for a little more.
While I’ve gotten countless rides on this coaster over the course of my life, it is still one that’s worth a quick ride on today if there’s no line, serving as the kind of ride I’d imagine in my backyard if I ever won the lottery.
93. Flight of the Hippogriff – Universal Studios Hollywood
Mack Rides, 42.7 ft tall, 28.5 mph, 1,099.1 ft length
Yet another junior roller coaster, this is a ride that offers exactly what it looks like it does – a family-oriented ride with mild elements that is still a clear step above a coaster strictly marketed to young children.
A slightly longer, more drawn out version of Sprocket Rockets, Flight of the Hippogriff also doesn’t include a true drop, instead building its energy on turns – with a pair of helices in the aftermath of the drop serving as the highlight of the ride.
While there’s nothing wrong with this coaster, chances are it’s going to have a pretty long line during your visit. My wife and I lucked out with a fairly short ride, but we also visited during a weekday in January – not exactly when most are planning their trips to Universal Studios Hollywood.
With that said, the recent opening of Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift at the park as its first true thrill coaster will perhaps spread out the crowds a bit more for those hoping to add this to their credits list.
92. Sidewinder Safari – Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Zamperla, 42.7 ft height, 29.1 mph, 1,378 ft length
Walking up to this coaster during my visit with my wife in September 2024, I actually had pretty high hopes. Instantly reminding me of the old Ragin’ Cajun that used to be at Six Flags Great America, I was thinking I was in for a hilarious, thrilling ride on a spinning wild mouse with out-of-control turns and drops at weird angles.
What we got instead was an incredibly boring, slow ride that failed to pick up energy thoughout, feeling like a long, circular tour back to the station instead of a roller coaster.
The few short drops the ride does contain come before the cars begin to freely spin, taking all of the surprise and thrill out of the small drops that need another element in order to be thrilling to any degree.
By the time the cars do finally start spinning, the largest drops are already behind you – with just one short descent ahead as the cars spin over the last winding section of track – likely to make you feel dizzy instead of exciting.
Ultimately, this coaster is a story of lost potential – a ride that could be an incredibly thrilling family ride with a rare, communal riding experience that can’t be found on other coasters. Instead, it’s a snoozer at a park desperately in need of some more captivating attractions.
91. The Grizzly – California’s Great America
Curtis D. Summers, 91 ft tall, 88 ft drop, 55 mph, 3,250 ft length
When looking at the numbers behind The Grizzly, I was expecting a rough, but solid wooden coaster. With an 88-foot drop and a top speed of 55 mph, this was par for the course for what many woodies around the country offer, and I was anticipating a relatively similar experience to a generic mid-sized woodie when I rode this coaster this past weekend.
Instead, The Grizzly serves as perfect proof that you cannot fully rely on numbers to tell the whole story – especially when compared to its wooden counterpart at the same park, Gold Striker.
The Grizzly’s layout is impressively boring – wasting all of the energy built on what was still a pretty stagnant first drop on an immediate climb up another hill, sending the trains on a literal crawl as it struggles to even get going on the coaster’s first lap.
The rest of the ride is slow, boring and forceless – with the exception of one extremely jerky turn found at 1:36 in the above video, which is almost guaranteed to send you slamming into the rider next to you with an uncomfortable pop of lateral G-forces. Unfortunately, that’s just about the only thing you will feel on this ride.
I didn’t think it was possible for me to be underwhelmed by a coaster that already has an unbelievably poor reputation, but I was! I’d rather this coaster be a bit more violent if it meant that there was some force on the first drop or a few airtime moments snuck in throughout. There is simply none of that on The Grizzly, a ride that is nothing more than an oversized, poorly-designed junior coaster, taking up much more space than it needs to in a small park.
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