The 10 Wildest Roller Coasters on Earth
If vertigo isn’t an issue for you, and you have no problem keeping your lunch down while hurtling through space, then you just might be a roller coaster fan.
Twists, turns, wild loops and an onslaught of g-forces are some of the fun that can be had on winding tracks of steel and wood. As the art and engineering behind the construction of roller coasters has advanced, so have the thrills. Speed, death-defying drops and a good amount of time spent hanging upside down (and possibly a few upset stomachs as well) are the rewards enthusiasts can expect as they hunt down the best rides around. Here is a list of some of the wildest roller coasters on the planet.
Millennium Force, Cedar Point, Ohio
This bad boy coaster reaches an impressive 310 feet up into the sky. That’s the incline you’ll have to climb before you shoot down a 300-foot drop, at 93 miles per hour. Millennium Force is so tall, in fact, a new category of roller coaster had to be coined just to describe it. Welcome to the “giga coaster.” When it was first built, it was the tallest and fastest coaster in existence, although than honor has now passed on to others. Still, Millennium Force will take your breath away.
Vortex, Ontario, Canada
The Vortex coaster, located at Paramount’s Wonderland in Ontario, Canada, offers up some pretty amazing rides. This coaster isn’t listed here because of its height or speed, but rather due to the fact that it was one of the first roller coasters to suspend its riders from the tracks, rather than keep them seated inside the cars on top of the rails. This engineering feat allows the cars to swing back and forth, giving even more movement to the cars, and the passengers, as they speed along.
Mamba, Kansas City, Missouri
The Worlds of Fun Park in Kansas City, Missouri, is the proud home of the Mamba roller coaster. With two massive vertical drops and a top speed of 70 miles-per-hour, this is one snake-like coaster you’ll want to catch a ride on. You’ll get to fly along a mile of track, and plummet down 200-foot descents as you twist through coils of sharp rotations. Air Force test pilots are probably the only people who can hop off this roller coaster without wobbly legs.
Top Thrill Dragster, Sandusky, Ohio
Is speed your thing? If so, the Top Thrill Dragster in Sandusky, Ohio, should make you very happy. This roller coaster will shoot you through the atmosphere at speeds of up to 120 miles per hour. In case you were wondering, that’s extremely fast. This speed demon is one of the tallest and fastest roller coasters in the world. You can pretend you’re an astronaut being blasted into space with a spin on this baby. All you have to do afterward is clean the dead bugs out of your teeth.
Roar (West), Vallejo, California
There are two ‘Roar’ roller coasters in existence. One is in Maryland, and one is in California. We’re going to take a look at Roar, California. This insane ride, located at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, is one of the longest wooden roller coasters in the world. At 3,468 feet, you’ll be guaranteed an electrifying ride full of hard twists and scary drops. This is an old-fashioned looking roller coaster on steroids, which should have you screaming at the top of your lungs.
The Fujiyama, Japan
The Japanese know a few things about amusement park rides as well. The Fujiyama, situated in Yamanashi, Japan, is well over a mile long, and reaches an impressive 259 feet up into the sky, with speeds of up to 81 miles per hour. This “king of the mountains” roller coaster numbers among the tallest, and longest steel coaster on the planet, which means the thrills will just keep on coming and coming, until you’re out of breath.
Nitro, Jackson, New Jersey
When it comes to roller coasters, the engineers working for Six Flags really know their stuff. Six Flags Great Adventure, in Jackson, New Jersey, is no exception. Six camelbacks and a 540-degree helix help make the Nitro one stimulating ride. The draws of this coaster are its speed, height and airtime. Nitro is consistently rated as one of the best steel roller coasters in the country. When the weather is pristine, and you’re summiting different parts of the track, you can even catch a glimpse of Philadelphia’s skyline off in the distance.
Bizarro, Agawam, Massachusetts
This coaster, which was previously named ‘Superman: The Ride of Steel,’ is a great crowd-pleaser. The river and green scenery surrounding the ride are stunning. The actual coaster shouldn’t be taken lightly either. Fire effects, fog-filled tunnels, a 221-foot plummet, high-speed spirals and a speed of 77 miles per hour all help make the Bizarro (Superman’s enemy) experience an amazing one. This is one ride that will have you coming back for more.
Dragon Khan, Spain
The Dragon Khan, with eight inversions, will literally keep you spinning upside down throughout the duration of your ride. This Iberian roller coaster — located at the PortAventura theme park in Salou, Spain — will send you through corkscrews, diving loops, vertical loops and more as you cascade across the tracks yelling your head off and zipping around at 65 miles per hour. You’ll have a blast as you try to figure out where the sky ends and the ground begins.
Nemesis, Alton Towers, United Kingdom
Alton Towers, England, is home to one of Europe’s best roller coasters. The Nemesis isn’t the highest coaster on record, by any means, but it’s still a great ride. The real fun comes when the tracks swing below the trees and through underground tunnels, giving you the sensations that you’ll crash into the ground any moment. While some roller coasters reach to the heavens, this one wants to drag you along the ground, into and out of ravines, for a spectacular time.