Wooden classics and record-breaking steel, region by region.
For the thrill-seekers, this is the ultimate ride list. Here's a checklist of America's best roller coasters, grouped by region — from century-old wooden classics like the Coney Island Cyclone to modern record-breaking steel giants — with the park each calls home and the year it first opened.
| Roller Coaster | Park & Location | Opened |
|---|---|---|
| Cyclone | Luna Park, Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY | 1927 |
| El Toro | Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, NJ | 2006 |
| Nitro | Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, NJ | 2001 |
| Phoenix | Knoebels Amusement Resort, Elysburg, PA | 1985 |
| Skyrush | Hersheypark, Hershey, PA | 2012 |
| Phantom's Revenge | Kennywood, West Mifflin, PA | 2001 |
| Roller Coaster | Park & Location | Opened |
|---|---|---|
| Fury 325 | Carowinds, Charlotte, NC | 2015 |
| Intimidator 305 | Kings Dominion, Doswell, VA | 2010 |
| Lightning Rod | Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, TN | 2016 |
| VelociCoaster | Universal Islands of Adventure, Orlando, FL | 2021 |
| Mako | SeaWorld Orlando, Orlando, FL | 2016 |
| SheiKra | Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Tampa, FL | 2005 |
| Roller Coaster | Park & Location | Opened |
|---|---|---|
| Millennium Force | Cedar Point, Sandusky, OH | 2000 |
| Steel Vengeance | Cedar Point, Sandusky, OH | 2018 |
| Maverick | Cedar Point, Sandusky, OH | 2007 |
| The Beast | Kings Island, Mason, OH | 1979 |
| Goliath | Six Flags Great America, Gurnee, IL | 2014 |
| Outlaw Run | Silver Dollar City, Branson, MO | 2013 |
| Roller Coaster | Park & Location | Opened |
|---|---|---|
| New Texas Giant | Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington, TX | 2011 |
| Iron Rattler | Six Flags Fiesta Texas, San Antonio, TX | 2013 |
| Titan | Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington, TX | 2001 |
| Roller Coaster | Park & Location | Opened |
|---|---|---|
| Twisted Colossus | Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, CA | 2015 |
| X2 | Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, CA | 2002 |
| GhostRider | Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Park, CA | 1998 |
| Giant Dipper | Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, CA | 1924 |
| Giant Dipper | Belmont Park, San Diego, CA | 1925 |
Turn this list into a keepsake. The Triptyka Roller Coasters Passport is a printable PDF with a checklist of every entry, a detail page for each, suggested routes, and achievement badges to earn.
Get the Printable Roller Coasters Passport — $9.99 on Etsy →Triptyka passports are also free phone apps — check off places, add photos, and earn badges as you go. Three are live now: the Ballpark Passport (30 MLB stadiums), the Bourbon Trail Passport (18 Kentucky distilleries), and the Frank Lloyd Wright Passport (21 buildings).
Free to start; unlock every guide, route, and bonus chapter for $9.99. More passport apps are on the way.
Ride the big coasters first thing — lines are shortest at park opening and just before close. Buy tickets online in advance to save money and skip the gate line. Consider a season pass if you'll hit two or more parks from the same chain in a year. Check ride status before a special trip — marquee coasters occasionally close for maintenance.
Leap-The-Dips in Pennsylvania (1902) is the oldest operating coaster, and the Coney Island Cyclone (1927) is the most famous of the surviving wooden classics. Both are on this checklist.
Records change as new rides open, but several of the tallest and fastest steel coasters in the country are included here, noted by park and opening year.
Wooden coasters give a rougher, rattling ride prized by purists; steel coasters allow taller drops, inversions, and higher speeds. This list includes the best of both.
Cedar Point in Ohio and Six Flags Magic Mountain in California are perennially among the parks with the most coasters, and both feature heavily on any bucket list.
A printable roller-coasters passport — a checklist of every ride, a detail page for each, suggested park road-trip routes, and achievement badges — or the free Triptyka phone app for other passports.