The eighth part to my coaster ranking series, I now get into my top 30 roller coasters of all-time – rides I’d go on every day if I could.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 9
30. Coney Island Cyclone – Luna Park (Brooklyn, New York)
Vernon Keenan, 75 ft tall, 60 mph, 2,850.3 ft length
Perhaps the most famous roller coaster ever built, the Coney Island Cyclone remains in operation at Luna Park in Brooklyn 99 years after it served up its first thrills in June 1927.
A wooden coaster that has been cloned countless times over the years, the experience on the real Coney Island Cyclone remains classic, authentic and every bit as violent as you’d think and hope a woodie of its age would be.
My wife and I got a ride on this during a trip to New York City in July 2025, and we were both blown away by just about every aspect of this coaster. From the incredibly small seats and bulky restraints to the unparalleled surroundings of the Lower Bay and high-rise apartment buildings in nearby Brighton Beach, there isn’t a coaster you can ride that can give the same ambiance as the Cyclone.
And don’t get me wrong – this is much more than just a blast from the past. Cyclone reaches top speeds of 60 mph despite only having a height of 75 feet, with this coaster providing some of the most potent ejector airtime I’ve ever felt on a roller coaster.
The joltiness of this ride could be a bit too much, so I suggest if you’re sitting next to someone on this coaster, you know them REALLY well – because if not, you’re about to be more closely acquainted!
While it is certainly on the side of being a bit too rough, everything else the Cyclone provides more than makes up for it – proving to myself and all other enthusiasts why it remains an irreplaceable attraction almost a century later.
29. Thunder Striker – Carowinds (Fort Mill, South Carolina)
Bolliger & Mabillard, 232 ft tall, 211 ft drop, 80 mph, 5,316 ft length
Any coaster enthusiast will tell you that you can never go wrong with a B&M hyper, and truer words have never been spoken.
While I haven’t been on anywhere close to all of them, I think it should be telling that my least favorite of the bunch still cracks my top 30, coming in the form of Thunder Striker, formerly Intimidator, in the South Carolina section of Carowinds.
This ride compiles some pretty impressive stats, featuring a 211-foot plunge that reaches top speeds of 80 mph – but this coaster certainly felt like one of the less intense B&M hypers that I’ve been on.
If you’re a fan of floater airtime, you will absolutely love this ride. With camelback hill after camelback hill throughout its L-shaped layout, Thunder Striker picks one element to go heavy on and capitalizes in a big way.
While I absolutely love floater airtime and view its moments on this ride as a highlight of the coaster, Thunder Striker doesn’t really feature a whole lot when it comes to other elements. With all of the camelback hills being longer and drawn out, there aren’t really any great pops of ejector airtime – and the coaster also lacks any twists or helices that could stack on the positive Gs.
Still, this is a very fun, glass-smooth B&M hyper with a euphoric first drop, making it a coaster that only feels weak when compared to its incredibly lofty competition within the same model.
28. Boardwalk Bullet – Kemah Boardwalk (Kemah, Texas)
The Gravity Group, 96 ft tall, 92 ft drop, 51 mph, 3,236 ft length
Easily one of the most impressive wooden roller coasters ever built in my opinion, the Boardwalk Bullet packs an incredibly thrilling, speedy experience within a miniscule one-acre footprint – making it the most compact wooden coaster in the world.
Taking a glance at this coaster when walking up, and you’d likely have no idea that this ride features well over 3,200 feet of track while offering a one-minute, 45-second ride.
The compact nature of this coaster greets riders immediately, with the 92-foot plunge after the lift hill being a headchopper moment itself, only acting as an introduction for a coaster that features a dizzying 42 separate track crossovers.
As for the coaster itself, the twisted drop and sharp turns immediately after the descent set the precedent for the amazing whip this ride has throughout its entire layout, not shorting riders at all when it comes to lateral and positive forces – clocking in at 3.5 Gs when it comes to the latter.
Despite the sheer noise this coaster makes, it isn’t as bumpy and violent as one may assume. My wife and I got three rides on this on Christmas Day 2024, and got a similar experience each time in terms of roughness while sitting in different spots of the train.
This is also a coaster that just feels like it’s going much faster than it actually is – a sensation undoubtedly aided by the unique track design that maintains energy throughout the layout, while also making riders feel as if they’re flying through an endless maze of lumber, leaving many merely guessing where the track will head next.
This is a one-off coaster at a very small theme park is a good 40-minute drive southeast of downtown Houston, so it may not be the easiest destination to get to. But if you find yourself in the area, the Boardwalk Bullet is absolutely worth the drive.
27. Viper – Six Flags Magic Mountain (Valencia, California)
Arrow Dynamics, 188 ft tall, 171 ft drop, 70 mph, 3,830 ft length
An incredibly polarizing coaster, this was the last mega-looper built by Arrow after previously making Shockwave at Six Flags Great America and Great American Scream Machine at Six Flags Great Adventure, both of which are long gone.
This seven-inversion behemoth opened at Magic Mountain back in April 1990, and I’m honestly shocked that this coaster remains in operation today. I first got a ride in March 2013, and thought at the time that it would almost certainly be my only ride on a coaster that seemed like it was on borrowed time. Nearly 11 years later in January 2024, I got to ride it again.
While many enthusiasts and members of the general public alike complain that Viper is far too jolty, aggressive and intense to be a fun ride, I personally had a great time on both of my rides – and didn’t feel as if it was anymore aggressive than any other Arrow looper.
The intensity of this coaster, particularly in its first half, is on a completely different level. After a twisted 171-foot drop that reaches top speeds of 70 mph, riders quickly ascend towards a 141-foot tall small vertical loop that is easily the most intense vertical loop I’ve ever experienced – and I’m counting the old Schwarzkopf loopers that showed up earlier on this list.
From there, riders get an absolute barrage of positive Gs, starting with a quick helix that transitions directly into a double loop before the mid-course brake run, at which point most riders will feel their faces melt off of their heads.
While the second half of the ride still features a batwing and double corkscrew, the experience in Viper is all about those first 20 seconds or so of ride time – making the insane transition from high speeds on a large drop to an inversion that simply isn’t made like that anymore.
Keep your head back and ride defensively on this one for sure, as Viper remains a relic of its time and a coaster that shouldn’t be passed up on a visit to Magic Mountain.
26. Magnum XL-200 – Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio)
Arrow Dynamics, 205 ft tall, 194.7 ft drop, 72 mph, 5,106 ft length
A landmark in roller coaster history, this is the highest-ranked Arrow Dynamics coaster on my list – and it comes in the form of the ride that kicked off the coaster wars of the 1990’s and early 2000’s in earnest.
Opening in May 1989 as the first roller coaster to eclipse 200 feet in height, the ride was marketed as a “hypercoaster” by the park in promotional materials – which has since grown to become a term used to describe any coaster with a height or drop length between 200 and 299 feet.
This record-breaker was absolutely ahead of its time, which certainly shows for those riding this classic ride today while comparing it to more modern coasters of similar heights.
While this coaster is absolutely exhilarating with an incredible first drop and an unreal barrage of ejector airtime moments at the end, it is also a very rough experience that makes it pretty clear that this was the first time a coaster of this caliber was being tried out.
In addition to bulky trains and uncomfortable lap bars, the track itself feels much rougher than most steel coasters I’ve been on – even when compared to older Arrow loopers that are much smaller. This was also from my ride in August 2013, and I can only imagine the coaster has grown more painful as time as gone on.
Still, the inherent jankiness of Magnum XL-200 is a huge part of its appeal. You can still ride a coaster that was the first of its kind, with its flaws and oversights just as obvious as its redeeming factors and thrilling moments. Yet when you consider these coasters were made without the computer-aided design that has been standard since the mid ’90s, it all makes a bit more sense.
While you should prepare yourself for a rough ride and not expect to marathon this coaster, it’s still an absolute must-ride at Cedar Point.
25. The Boss – Mid America Adventure
Custom Coasters International, 122 ft tall, 150 ft drop, 66.3 mph, 4,631 ft length
An absolute monster of a woodie, this coaster also has a relatively polarizing reputation among coaster enthusiasts while remaining a headline attraction at Mid America Adventure 26 years after it first opened.
Debuting towards the end of an era dominated by massive wooden coasters, Boss remains one of the more intense woodies you can find on the planet – descending 150 feet while reaching top speeds of over 66 mph.
While I’ve often heard complaints of this coaster being exceptionally rough, I greatly enjoyed my rides on this back in June 2016 – and didn’t feel like it was any more violent than any other large wooden coaster.
Not to mention, the unique terrain layout of this coaster almost makes it feel like a sugar-free version of The Beast at Kings Island – including multiple large drops in a mostly wooded area in the back corner of the park, earning plenty of points for scenery.
Still, there’s a few noticeable drawbacks to this one that kept it from being ranked much higher on this list. For one, the final helix of this coaster was removed after the 2017 season – getting rid of an intense finale that packed on some lateral and positive forces.
Additionally, this coaster has aged another decade since my last ride, and it does look a good deal rougher. As much as I love large, old wooden coasters, Enchanted Parks can put their new acquisition on the global radar if this coaster were to undergo a Rocky Mountain Construction-led conversion.
24. Twisted Cyclone – Six Flags Over Georgia (Austell, Georgia)
Rocky Mountain Construction, 100 ft tall, 50 mph, 2,400 ft length
An RMC conversion of an old Cyclone clone that operated as the Georgia Cyclone from 1990 to 2017, this reimagination turned a smaller, rough woodie into a fast-paced hybrid coaster with plenty of punchy elements throughout.
Not of an intimidating size at all, Twisted Cyclone rises 100 feet before its first drop, reaching top speeds of 50 mph – again, nothing that will blow anyone away on paper. Yet starting with a 75-degree angle on that first drop, this coaster begins a wonderful contemporary version of a classic.
The steep descent is immediately followed by a pseudo cobra roll inside the coaster’s structure, serving as a wonderful way to reinvent the first lap around the layout with the trademark inversions RMC is known for adding.
Moving with an incredible amount of energy throughout the layout, riders are given some potent lateral forces with the waveturn outside of the first set of inversions – only leading into yet another highlight with the low-to-the-ground zero g roll in the final lap of the course giving riders one of the more unique inversions one can experience.
While this is a short coaster that isn’t anywhere near as crazy as some of the larger RMCs, this is a textbook example of the miracles RMC is able to work with even the modest of starting points. My pair of rides in May 2024 solidified this as an elite ride within the park and state of Georgia, as well as an RMC that remains very popular with enthusiasts and the general public alike.
23. Mystic Timbers – Kings Island (Mason, Ohio)
Great Coasters International, 109 ft tall, 98 ft drop, 53 mph, 3,265 ft length
On paper and to the naked eye, it’s a little confusing why Kings Island went out of their way to add a standard wooden coaster to their lineup in 2017 – a GCI project with a 98-foot drop and top speeds of 53 mph.
Yet as I’ve learned more and more recently, numbers, particularly on wooden coasters, don’t mean nearly as much as the ride’s layout and design, with few coasters proving this more than Mystic Timbers.
Building energy off of the trademark twisted drop from GCI, Mystic Timbers is a whippy, aggressive and speedy woodie that makes you disregard whatever stats you saw about the ride heading in.
Staying low-to-the-ground for the vast majority of its layout, Mystic Timbers focuses on speed above all else, packing the second half of the ride with a series of airtime hills – some of which are slightly angled to give riders a violent pop of ejector airtime and lateral forces, doing an excellent job at keeping passengers out of their seats.
Despite its jolty nature and layout packed with a ton of sharp turns, Mystic Timbers isn’t a particularly rough ride – which can of course partially be attributed to its still-young age. While most woodies aren’t coasters to marathon, I felt like I could have gotten on this again and again during my rides in June 2024.
It’s far from the largest or most noticeable ride in the park, but make sure to catch a ride on Mystic Timbers if you’re visiting Kings Island – it’s not the kind of ride you can find anywhere else.
22. Goliath – Six Flags Over Georgia (Austell, Georgia)
Bolliger & Mabillard, 200 ft tall, 175 ft drop, 70 mph, 4,480 ft length
On paper, this is one of the more tame B&M hypers – only reaching a height of exactly 200 feet with the coaster’s second drop actually being the largest one of the ride. Yet as I’ve said with the few previous entries, don’t let the numbers alone tell the story.
Although I have many more B&M hypers left to ride, I had an absolute blast on this one, featuring two airtime-filled drops to start the coaster and plenty of floater airtime throughout while also incorporating plenty of other elements.
In addition to the silky smooth ride and steady supply of airtime, this coaster also does well at incorporating its surroundings – sending riders descending towards a small pond on one of the drops before taking the train into a powerful helix that’s technically located outside of the park boundaries.
This moment in particular served as a highlight of the ride for me, briefly piling on some positive Gs on a potent turn before returning to the expected flow of floater airtime hills to finish the ride.
While I personally wouldn’t have minded a bit more variation in the ride’s second half between the camelback hills, this is still an amazing coaster that packs in a wide range of elements while providing a smooth, very comfortable experience. This is the best coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia, and one that’s worth catching a couple of rides on during your visit.
21. Tatsu – Six Flags Magic Mountain (Valencia, California)
Bolliger & Mabillard, 170 ft tall, 111 ft drop, 62 mph, 3,602 ft length
A flying coaster that soars along its terrain after reaching a maximum height of 170 feet tall, this ride is absolutely fucking insane – and not for the faint of heart at all.
I skipped this one during my visit in January 2024, but caught a front-row ride back in March 2013 and it remains one of my more memorable coaster experiences. Similar to the Superman: Ultimate Flight flying coasters, fear and anticipation surely builds for riders as they ascend the lift hill – but ascending to 170 feet surely feels a hell of a lot more scary than ascending 100 feet.
The lift hill stands out as the scariest part of the ride, but it’s only the beginning of Tatsu’s intensity – reaching top speeds of 62 mph while also including what is still the world’s tallest pretzel loop, a face-melting inversion that is still one of the most powerful in the world.
Outside of those crazy intense moments, Tatsu is smooth and graceful as it weaves through the surrounding terrain and nearby areas in equal parts, providing a true flying sensation with the scenic sights of Magic Mountain beyond the horizon.
This is for sure one the scarier rides I’ve ever been on, but I would still be happy to give it another shot, as it offers an experience you’re simply not going to find on any other coaster, B&M flyers included.
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