The 10th and final part to my coaster ranking series, I dive into my 10 favorite roller coasters of all-time.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9
10. Gold Striker – California’s Great America (Santa Clara, California)
Great Coasters International, 108.2 ft tall, 103.3 ft drop, 53.7 mph, 3,197 ft length
While California’s Great America has one of the worst woodies in the country in The Grizzly, it also possesses perhaps the best coaster in all of Northern California with Gold Striker – a GCI woodie that first opened back in May 2013.
Despite hearing only rave reviews about this ride going in, I was a little unsure of what to expect, given the fact that like other GCI woodies, this coaster isn’t meant to blow anybody away with its stats. At a height of just over 108 feet with top speeds hovering around 54 mph, I was expecting a fun ride that wasn’t exactly going to blow my mind.
I was very wrong.
After descending on the trademark GCI twisted drop down an enclosed tunnel, Gold Striker utilizes tight angles and sharp turns throughout its nearly 3,200 feet in track to create a lengthy ride that doesn’t let up on its speed in the slightest.
While Mystic Timbers at Kings Island delivered on some of these characteristics, Gold Striker takes it a step further by providing a bit more variance in the layout – using a more compact footprint while heavily utilizing track crossovers, almost making this coaster feel like the brainchild of Mystic Timbers and Boardwalk Bullet at Kemah Boardwalk.
The use of the tunnels only enhances the ride experience as well, making the coaster feel even more compact while providing an extra thrill element for those riding at night. Not to mention, this ride is pretty damn smooth for a woodie, as I didn’t feel anywhere near the joltiness or violence I have on other wooden coasters despite this ride’s immense whip throughout.
If you want to hop on Gold Striker, I would recommend to start planning your trip to the Bay Area for next year already – as California’s Great America is likely to shutter for good after the 2027 operating season.
9. Goliath – Six Flags Great America (Gurnee, Illinois)
Rocky Mountain Construction, 165 ft tall, 180 ft drop, 72 mph, 3,100 ft length
One of just three RMC wooden topper-track coasters in operation, Goliath stands alone as the coaster I’ve waited the longest to ride – weathering a two-hour wait in July 2014 on a busy day to ride it just around a month after its initial opening.
This absolutely insane coaster is quick, intense and exhilarating, all while featuring one of the most outright intimidating experiences of any roller coaster – owing to its support-less crest at the top of the lift hill and the nearly vertical 85-degree plunge that follows.
While RMC has shifted their focus to all steel coasters using their I-Box track, Goliath remains incredibly smooth as a topper-track wooden coaster, a trait that technically makes it one of the wildest wooden coasters in the world.
The outright intensity of this ride begins with the aforementioned 180-foot drop taken at a nearly vertical angle, making riders feel as if they are standing up before flying into an over-banked curve after the drop.
From there, Goliath is a relentless hurricane of fast-paced elements, including two of my favorite inversions you can find on any ride – a dive loop that follows an airtime hill after the over-banked curve, which is then immediately succeeded by a euphoric zero-g stall, an inversion that looks incredibly disorienting on video but is comfortable and thrilling in-person.
Although the coaster doesn’t have much else to offer, traversing a few hills before slamming into its final brake run, Goliath is a rapid-fire version of what RMC has become known for – incredibly intense elements, steep drops and relentless speed, all packed into a single experience on just 3,100 feet of track.
While many, myself included, ultimately prefer RMC coasters that are lengthier and a bit bigger, Goliath is truly the poster child of what an all-killer, no-filler ride is like – and it remains a headline attraction at one of the world’s best amusement parks.
8. American Eagle – Six Flags Great America (Gurnee, Illinois)
Intamin, 127 ft tall, 147 ft drop, 66 mph, 4,650 ft length
While Intamin is now known for massive steel coasters that chase records, their first big record-breaker was actually this massive woodie that remains in operation at Six Flags Great America, with American Eagle opening as the world’s tallest and fastest roller coaster in May 1981.
Forty-five years later, American Eagle still sits at the back of Six Flags Great America, with its majestic helix the first sign of the park that is visible to those driving through on nearby Interstate 94. And despite its relative roughness and age, it remains one of my favorite coasters that I’ve gotten the pleasure to experience.
Although a racing coaster that used to run forwards and backwards trains simultaneously, you’re likely looking at two-train operations on a single track if you’re making your way to Great America today – but racing or not, this coaster remains more than worth it.
After climbing a 127-foot tall rickety lift hill, riders plunge 147 feet below while reaching top speeds of 66 mph – the kind of velocity rarely ever felt on a traditional woodie, making this drop one of my absolute favorites in the country despite its relatively shorter size.
Following a series of airtime hills after the drop, American Eagle climbs back up for the start of its massive 560-degree helix that provides riders with an excellent view of the park and the surrounding area, slowly building energy and speed before the coaster’s emphatic, violent finale.
With riders almost certainly being jostled in their seats by the end of the helix, American Eagle then slams passengers with a couple of airtime hills that give some of the most fierce and savage pops of ejector airtime you will ever feel on a roller coaster.
Although many enthusiasts have clamored for this coaster to be given the RMC treatment over the years, I am vehemently opposed to such an idea – both because Great America already has an excellent RMC coaster in Goliath, and also because American Eagle represents a true dying breed in the coaster world – a massive wooden coaster meant to break records that isn’t nearly as janky or rough as similar coasters made by the Dinn Corporation or Custom Coasters International. When it comes to RMC’ing an old, large woodie, The Boss at Mid America Adventure serves as a much more compelling option.
Still, there’s no telling how much longer this ride will last, even though it is still very well maintained by the park. Make sure to head to the back of Great America during your next visit to take in a slice of roller coaster history, which happens to be one of the most exciting woodies you can still ride.
7. Orion – Kings Island (Mason, Ohio)
Bolliger & Mabillard, 287 ft tall, 300 ft drop, 91 mph, 5,321 ft length
The newest of the three B&M gigas, this space-themed monstrosity opened at Kings Island as the largest coaster in the park in July 2020, and was easily one of my most anticipated rides ahead of my most recent visit to the park in June 2024.
Just barely qualifying as a gigacoaster with a 300-foot drop, Orion takes on a different blueprint than what B&M hypers typically follow – sending riders on a layout that focuses on sheer speed, as opposed to the floater airtime-focused approach of many B&M hypers.
Riders ascend the massive 287-foot lift hill directly out of the station before reaching that 300-foot drop – one that feels especially incredible and airtime filled with a back row seat, which I was assigned to on both of my two rides.
The first element after the drop is easily one my favorite coaster elements of all-time, as the train soars back to a lofty height while riders are sent almost entirely sideways in a waveturn that provides a rare moment of true weightlessness with a lateral force, making it a unique element that at least caught me off guard despite watching the POV countless times ahead of riding.
The train then reaches hypercoaster heights again by climbing up a 202-foot tall hill leading into a sharp turn that kicks off some of the other highlight elements of the coaster, including a majestic floater airtime hill that transitions directly into a speedy helix that hits riders with positive Gs before one solid ejector airtime pop leads into the ride’s final brake run.
While many enthusiasts view this coaster as a little disappointing and a case of untapped potential, I still think Orion is one of the best coasters you can ride in the world – giving a rarely matched sensation of sheer speed that is only complemented by what is arguably the smoothest ride experience I’ve ever had.
Although I certainly wouldn’t complain if the ride was longer, make no mistake – Orion is an amazing coaster that still greatly delivers in every way that a coaster needs to, for the park and fans alike.
6. Millennium Force – Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio)
Intamin, 310 ft tall, 300 ft drop, 93 mph, 6,595 ft length
From one of the newest gigacoasters to the original gigacoaster, Millennium Force is one of the most iconic coasters of all-time and is a landmark achievement in the history of amusement parks, debuting in 2000 as a record-shattering ride meant to take roller coasters into the 21st century.
Over a quarter-century later, and Millennium Force remains a headline attraction at Cedar Point and one of the most recognized coasters in the world – and its reputation is certainly warranted.
I rode this back in August 2013, and there’s few things you can do to prepare yourself for such a ride. While a gigacoaster like Orion is known for its smoothness and gracefulness that it has along with its speed, Millennium Force doesn’t cheap out at all when it comes to the second word of its name – providing one of the most forceful rides you can find on the planet.
It all begins with the speedy cable lift hill hauling riders up the 310-foot ascent, at least killing some of the anxiety that would certainly build on a slower chain lift. Once reaching the top, passengers get perhaps the best view you can find in coasters – a wide open shot at Lake Erie with the rest of Cedar Point visible to the right.
After the seemingly endless drop, Millennium Force piles on the forces in relentless fashion, beginning with a trademark overbanked curve that pushes riders into their seats after the weightlessness of the first drop.
The overbanked curve following the first drop is one of just four in the ride, with Millennium Force mostly staying lower to the ground after the initial descent while using sharp angles and abrupt turns to maintain its incredible speed.
This does not come with a graceful experience, as riders are tossed around the trains during the powerful lateral forces of the curves, with the volume experienced in the coaster’s pair of tunnels only adding to the intensity.
Expect a few grey-out moments on this one for sure, but that comes with the territory for what is one of the most complete coaster experiences you can find, striking a great balance between intensity and exhilaration.
5. Raging Bull – Six Flags Great America (Gurnee, Illinois)
Bolliger & Mabillard, 202 ft tall, 208 ft drop, 73 mph, 5,057 ft length
My favorite roller coaster for the vast majority of my time as a dedicated enthusiast and the first ride on this that I would consider to be perfect, Raging Bull is so much more than the standard B&M hyper that it appears to be – providing one of the most well-balanced rides of any roller coaster in the world.
I can accept that there may be some bias with this ranking, especially as this was my first hypercoaster and the roller coaster that made me a true enthusiast that wanted to ride just about everything there is – as opposed to a dorky kid who loved the stats but was too afraid to ride them myself.
For me, the core memory from that afternoon in June 2010 is finally reaching the crest of the lift hill and descending down the 208-foot drop – expecting for my stomach drop and for me to feel wildly uncomfortable, I was instead greeted with a truly unparalleled sensation of airtime that had me hooked before we had even reached the bottom of the drop.
And that sensation is for good reason! Unlike almost all other B&M hypers, Raging Bull is one of just two that features a pre-drop at the top of the lift hill, an element that leads to an incredible pop of ejector airtime on the first drop towards the back of the train, especially in the back row.
While I’ve somehow still never rode this in the back row, Raging Bull is so much more than its initial drop, employing a hyper-twister layout that greatly differs from the barrage of camelback hills that riders have come to expect on B&M hypers.
Although Raging Bull packs on the low-to-the-ground elements, containing plenty of sharp turns throughout while ending with an epic helix that packs in some intense positive Gs, the coaster certainly doesn’t cheap out on floater airtime either – almost acting as a value pack of sorts for all of the amazing elements you can experience on a coaster of its kind.
Above all else, this is a bona fide crowd pleaser. Ignoring the height and speed that the coaster comes with, this is a coaster that isn’t really meant to scare the shit out of riders, offering the experience of going incredibly fast and dropping from towering heights in a smooth fashion with comfortable restraints that doesn’t leave people wondering if they’re going to die.
While it’s arguable that all B&M hypers succeed in this regard, Raging Bull takes it to another level thanks to its dynamic layout that is significantly less reliant on a single element – and it makes it one of the best coasters on the planet.
4. The Beast – Kings Island (Mason, Ohio)
Kings Island, 110 ft tall, 141 ft drop, 64.8 mph, 7,361 ft length
My favorite wooden coaster of all-time and currently my top coaster in Ohio (at least until I ride Steel Vengeance), The Beast remains the longest wooden roller coaster on the planet a whopping 47 years after it served up its first rides in April 1979.
Manufactured in-house by Kings Island as the brainchild of Charles Dinn, who would go on to found the Dinn Corporation, The Beast takes full advantage of its unique setting, occupying a 35-acre plot of hilly, wooded terrain located in the back of the park. This greatly influences the ride experience, which makes riders feel as if they’re on an out-of-control train ride through the woods – and not merely in a large amusement park.
Coming in at over 7,360 feet in track length, The Beast is truly a one-of-a-kind ride experience that feels like two separate wooden coasters combined into one in many ways – with the two halves of the ride split with two separate lift hills.
The ride’s first drop descends into a tunnel as it begins its travels away from the rest of the park, moving up a series of airtime hills secluded in the woods before taking a few elongated turns and maneuvering through a tunnel-enclosed helix, picking up speed again on a few more twists before running into the second lift hill.
This is where The Beast truly gets its reputation among enthusiasts, as the second drop is an angled, 141-foot descent that goes directly into another tunnel-enclosed helix – except this time, you’re at the ride’s top speeds while being pounded with positive and lateral Gs in a pitch-black environment, serving as one of the most exciting drops I’ve ever experienced.
This ride is absolutely sensational no matter how you experience it, but it earns its place on this list for its treasured night ride, which my wife and I got the chance to experience back in June 2024. With the only nearby lighting being relatively dim lights in the station, riders get to take in around a mile-and-a-half of pitch blackness on The Beast at nighttime, a truly unforgettable experience that no other coaster is capable of producing.
While The Beast’s second drop is one of the best drops you can experience no matter what time of day it is, it is an indescribable level of euphoria and elation when taking it in at night – making it an absolute must for any coaster enthusiast.
3. Twisted Colossus – Six Flags Magic Mountain (Valencia, California)
Rocky Mountain Construction, 121 ft tall, 128 ft drop, 57 mph, 4,990 ft length
My favorite coaster in California, this RMC conversion completely reinvented Colossus, a large racing wooden coaster that operated at the park from 1978 to 2014, closing in the summer of 2014 to start a massive reimagination of the ride.
The product was Twisted Colossus, an inverting hybrid coaster using RMC’s steel I-Box track while providing essentially two separate rides in one – with the coaster foregoing the racing aspect in favor of one train traversing both tracks in the same lap.
This alone makes it a very unique ride that objectively delivers more than most other coasters do – it’s essentially two excellent RMC coasters wrapped up into the same experience.
While you’re far from a guarantee to be synced up with a train on the other track, the ride itself gives plenty to be excited about, beginning with a modest 128-foot drop on an 80-degree angle before getting into the meat-and-potatoes of the layout.
Following a few curves and airtime hills, riders get their first pass at the famous “Top Gun” inversion, where the non-inverted blue track passes directly under the inverted green track, creating a high-five moment if the two trains are synced up. The blue train gets its own zero-g roll on the next element, throwing in a few more airtime hills before getting to do it all again on the green track.
This coaster is far from the most intense RMC, and its height and speed aren’t going to blow anybody way. Yet from the ride’s photogenic appearance to the two-lap course that provides a sampling of most of the elements RMC has become beloved for, this is a coaster I could truly ride again and again – offering the perfect balance of novelty and thrills.
While there may be more thrilling RMC coasters out there, none of them offer the buy-one, get-one free deal that Twisted Colossus does – and it certainly doesn’t cheap out on any of the elements at all.
2. ArieForce One – Fun Spot Atlanta/TBD (Fayetteville, Georgia)
Rocky Mountain Construction, 155 ft tall, 146 ft drop, 64 mph, 3,400 ft length
When I was taking a trip to Atlanta back in May 2024, I knew I had to make my way to Fun Spot Atlanta to ride this beautiful looking coaster – one whose existence truly made no sense at all.
Unlike pretty much all of the other coasters on this list, ArieForce One was not located at a major theme park with state-of-the-art rides everywhere the eye can see. Instead, this massive thrill ride was a major investment for Fun Spot Atlanta, a park that was more known for its batting cages, arcade and go-kart courses than it was for its amusement rides – with the park having two small roller coasters at the time of ArieForce One’s addition.
Fun Spot bet big on this ride, shelling out $13 million to add a coaster that they hoped would attract enthusiasts and the general public alike to Fayetteville, Georgia – a small town located over 25 miles south of downtown Atlanta.
Unfortunately for them, the investment didn’t pan out at all – as Fun Spot Atlanta permanently closed last month, with Six Flags Entertainment Corporation announcing the purchase of ArieForce One weeks later. The ride is expected to reopen in 2028 or 2029 at a to-be-determined park.
Although the addition of the coaster turned out to be a financial disaster, the coaster itself was anything but – acting as an all-star team of coaster elements combined into a compact experience.
Starting with a 146-foot drop that has riders reach top speeds of 64 mph, the coaster rises up again before plunging into a dive loop, or “raven truss dive” the first of four inversions on the ride. The descent from that leads directly into the coaster’s signature element, an elongated zero-g stall approximately 100 feet off the ground that gives riders an unmatched feeling of weightlessness.
After a relatively graceful start, ArieForce One appears to turn up the gas as it transitions into the next part of the ride with an aggressive outward banked airtime hill that gives an abrupt pop of both lateral and ejector airtime.
The coaster then plows through a series of airtime hills before taking a zero-g roll into a helix, packing on the positive Gs for a moment before transitioning into the fourth and final inversion of the ride, a barrel roll.
As if getting a taste of every element wasn’t enough, ArieForce One features an epic finale of jolty ejector airtime hills that will absolutely leave your shins bruising if you were to marathon ride this before slamming into the final brakes to conclude this complete package of a ride.
While I’m elated that this ride will live on, its existence at Fun Spot Atlanta was a coaster enthusiast’s dream – an elite coaster in the middle of nowhere with no lines whatsoever, allowing me to ride this coaster eight times during my visit of just a couple of hours in May 2024.
Wherever this ride eventually opens, it will absolutely make its new home park worth traveling to.
1. Fury 325 – Carowinds (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Bolliger & Mabillard, 325 ft tall, 320 ft drop, 95 mph, 6,602 ft length
This may not come as too much of a surprise to those that remember me writing about my experience on this ride back in June, but needless to say – the accolades this ride gets all add up. I get the hype, and I fully buy it. This is the best roller coaster I’ve been on.
In some ways, anticipating this ride was like hearing about how great and important a particular album is before listening to it, and having to listen to that album knowing how lofty its reputation is.
I didn’t fully understand the reception for Kid A until I listened to it, and I didn’t fully understand the reception of Fury 325 until I rode it.
The definitive B&M giga, this coaster, like Orion, employs a format heavily focused on the speed the ride generates on its first drop, not focusing as much on the floater airtime that B&M hypers are known for.
Yet unlike Orion, Fury 325 doesn’t feel short in the slightest – with a more relentless series of elements, staying closer to the ground throughout much of the ride.
And I think that’s what blew me away the most about this coaster – the ridiculous speed at which you maneuver through traditional coaster elements in. While 95 mph is only 15 mph faster than the 80 mph reached on multiple B&M hypers, this coaster felt nearly twice as fast, particularly in the series of turns that happens directly after the first drop.
With that said, this coaster doesn’t slow down at all – hauling through every inch of track before reaching the final brake run, which also added a little extra zip onto the few drops that were part of the main layout – particularly the “hive dive” drop into a short tunnel with the ride’s logo outlining the track.
What impressed me the most about Fury 325 is that it feels like it’s the perfect coaster for the greatest amount of people – its sheer speed and intensity is more than enough to keep even the craziest of thrillseekers entertained and satisfied, while its lack of inversions and overbearing moments of positive Gs keep casual riders from being too intimidated to ride again or even ride in the first place.
Fury 325 is the consummate crowd-pleasing roller coaster, and it’s one that absolutely checked every box I have as an enthusiast. When it comes to balancing pure elation and thrill with adrenaline and intensity, there isn’t a single coaster that can deliver like Fury 325 can – and it’s what makes it the greatest of the 102 roller coasters I’ve gotten to ride in my 30 years of life so far.
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