Top 6 Coasters At Hersheypark

There are 14 rollercoasters at Hersheypark. These range from small, child friendly rollercoasters to huge, intense, modern steel coasters. In this article I will try to rank the top 5 rollercoasters at the Park. This is definitely subject to opinion as there is certainly more than 5 good coasters at Hersheypark.

6.Great Bear

Great Bear is an inverted coaster manufactured by Bolliger and Mabillard. The coaster has a 124 ft drop, 4 inversions and a top speed of 58mph. Great Bear is certainly in the upper category of inverted coasters out of the ones I have experienced. However, it doesn’t match the intensity of some of the absolute best inverted coasters in the world, such as Nemesis at Alton Towers. A fun fact about the ride is that the steal supports were not filled in with sand. This causes the rollercoaster carriages to make more noise when passing through the track. The idea behind this was to try and replicate the sound of a Bears roar. The sound of the ride is now iconic to guests who regularly visit the park.

5.Fahrenheit

Fahrenheit is a steel rollercoaster which features 6 inversions and a beyond vertical drop. The initial 97 degree drop on Fahrenheit was the steepest drop on any rollercoaster when the ride opened in 2008. This has since been beaten by several other rollercoasters. Fahrenheit is now only the 7th steepest coaster in the world. The ride is also the only coaster in the USA to contain a Norwegian loop.

4.Lightning Racer

Lightning Racer is a duelling wooden coaster which is located towards the back of the park. Opening in 2000, Lightning Racer was the first duelling wooden coaster to be built by Great Coasters International (GCI). Since opening, the coaster has always been ranked as one of the top 25 wooden coasters in the world by Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Awards. Both coasters (Lightning and Thunder) include the same elements but the speed at which each coaster passes through a specific element is different. This has led to much debate over which side is the better coaster. Usually, guests prefer Lightning over Thunder.

3.Stormrunner

Stormrunner is a launched Intamin coaster. The ride opened in 2004 and is located in the Pioneer Frontier section of the park. The ride was specifically designed to interact with 3 other rides at the park; Dry Gulch Railroad, Trailblazer and the Monorail. The ride accelerates from 0-72mph in 2 seconds. The ride only lasts 30 seconds after the initial launch but it certainly fits a lot into this short amount of time. The ride includes 3 inversions and a 180 ft drop.

2. Candymonium

Candymonium, new for 2020, is Hersheypark’s 14th rollercoaster. This steel hyper coaster was designed by the hugely popular Bolliger & Mabilard. The coaster is 10 feet taller than Skyrush and will reach slightly faster speeds. This is the only coaster on this list we have yet to ride. However, we have been on many similar coasters so now exactly what to expect. We absolutely love these types of coaster and this is the reason why we have ranked it so highly despite never actually riding it in person.

1.Skyrush

Skyrush is definitely the stand out rollercoaster at Hersheypark. It’s the one truly world class steel rollercoaster at the park. Skyrush provides an insane amount of airtime. Combine this with the huge 212 foot drop at the start of the attraction and you quickly realise why this is such a highly regarded rollercoaster. Skyrush also reaches a top speed of 72mph. The only negative regarding Skyrush is that it is a bit painful on the top half of your legs due to the aggressive airtime this ride generates. However, this does not take away from the absolutely insane ride experience you get every time you go on Skyrush.

What’s your favourite coaster at Hersheypark?