Great Escape is a charming park near Lake George, New York owned and operated by Six Flags.
This park is located in the heart of the Adirondack mountains
and while it doesn’t feature a massive coaster lineup, the park does have several interesting
non-coasters and a full-fledged water park with some great slides.
So in this video, I will rank the top 15 rides and attractions at this theme park.
Before starting this countdown, I want to note that this list will include a
few defunct attractions since I’ve been coming to this park for over 2 decades.
I also want to note this list will not include either Steamin’ Demon or Canyon Blaster. Both
these Arrow coasters are much rougher than you’d expect and lack inspired layouts.
This list will also include several water slides. You can make a case the Hurricane Harbor water
park is better than the dry side, and this is the main reason many people visit this
Six Flags property. None of the water slides at the adjacent Six Flags Lodge indoor water
park would make this list, but I do recommend that accommodation when you’re in the area.
15) Screamin’ Eagle- This is one of the best sets of Larson flying scooters out there. These ones
seem to run a little faster than most, which allows for more movement and a nice breeze.
And I like how this one is placed next to a hill to offer better visuals too.
14) Condor- This rare Huss flat ride is quite disorienting. It feels like an elevated scrambler
as you spin high above Ghost Town. The views are extra nice since you’re atop a hill too.
13) Desperado Plunge- This Arrow Dynamics log flume features a different layout that circles
around the park’s boneyard. You travel past some old ride parts and the former show-building for
Nightmare. But you do get this little show-scene before the ride’s lone plunge with some
animatronic saw mill workers. That final plunge is quite small and not overly thrilling, but it’s on
par with most Arrow flumes from the time period. 12) Mega Wedgie- This tube bowl slide features a
zippy initial plunge followed by some fun spirals in the bowl. The first lap is the wildest by far.
Then the subsequent ones are much slower as you crawl in a circle before exiting out.
11) Banshee Plunge- This tube slide is one of three tube slides on a hill.
Two of them are comically slow and boring, but Banshee Plunge really sneaks up on you.
Because of its placement, you can’t see the slide until after you exit. So the large and speedy
double down catches most riders off-guard. And that second drop can give some weightlessness.
10) Flashback- This Vekoma boomerang is one of the smoothest ones out there. So instead
of worrying about getting a concussion, you can focus on the trio of forceful inversions
you experience both forwards and backwards. Then you also have tummy-tickling plunges on
the two spikes at the end of the attraction. Tornado- This old dark ride in Ghost Town was
super short and dated, but it was an old-school dark ride with a different theme than usual.
You passed a town being ravaged by a twister. 9) Tornado- This ProSlide funnel slide features
a great initial plunge that gives a small pop of airtime. Then you rock back in forth in that giant
and visually stunning funnel. This is another short slide, but that first drop carries it.
8) Sasquatch- This 19 story tall S&S drop tower was relocated from Six Flags New Orleans
and it offers stunning views of the Adirondack Mountains. You have two sides to pick from.
The launch side offers only mild airtime at the top,
but this ranking reflects the turbo drop side that shoots you down. You get more time to appreciate
the view, a sudden plunge, and a little airtime. 7) Extreme Supernova- This Zamperla frisbee has
been closed in all my recent visits, but it is one of the park’s best flats when it’s open.
This attraction runs a long cycle with several quick pops of airtime. This one
doesn’t offer much in terms of positive forces, but the abundance of airtime makes it notable.
6) Raging River- This Intamin river rapids ride has a much longer layout than you may expect.
It has a nice setting among the trees and travels quite a ways back from the midway. However,
this ride isn’t as refined as others. The water smells foul and then you have some of the crudest
effects I’ve seen. Rather than theming the water effects, this ride shamelessly made a waterfall
by poking holes in a hose and later douses guests with a torrent of water coming out of a basic PVC
pipe. Along with these extra effects, you also have several ok rapids. You won’t come off
this one soaked, but you’ll likely get wet. 5) Blizzard- This indoor scrambler is a fun
experience. It’s not only one of the fastest scramblers out there with plenty of laterals,
but the booming pop music and twinkling lights make the ride significantly more dizzying.
The northeast has quite a few of these indoor scramblers, which I talk about
in a separate video, and it really elevates a basic ride into a can’t miss attraction.
4) Cliffhanger- This trapdoor slide stands 8 stories tall and drops riders straight down. The
suspense before the plunge makes the ride. And the subsequent drop is fast, thrilling, and smooth.
3) Alpine Bobsled- This Intamin bobsled may not be long for this world given its rarity
and extensive downtime- which I cover in a review- but it is a solid experience when
open. I love how you feel the cars lift off the track after these little dips along the layout.
It’s a really shocking sensation. You also slide up quite a few of the turns. The one
downside from a ride perspective is that the entries into the brake runs are quite jarring
and really slam the bobsleds side-to-side. 2) Adirondack Outlaw- This Funtime booster
is the park’s best flat ride and most thrilling attraction. Perched atop a hill, this massive
attraction offers breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. Then the ride has plenty
of thrills as you quickly rotate over the top. You consistently flip once with every pass, which is
always a delight when you’re that high above the ground. This one has some positive Gs as well,
but not as much as some of the other versions out there. Still this is a fast and fun ride
that also runs a pretty long cycle. Just beware this ride’s capacity, which I note in a review.
Rainbow- This Huss flying carpet was an airtime machine.
Every single rotation had me levitating out of my seat while also throwing me side-to-side.
I also loved this ride’s placement at the front of the park where Sasquatch runs today.
1) Comet- This wood coaster is far and away Great Escape’s best coaster.
Built from the bones of the Crystal Beach Cyclone, this double out-and-back layout
features a sea of airtime hills. This ride doesn’t run as fast as it used to…and as a
result offers less airtime, but it still pops you out of your seat several times.
Most offer weak airtime nowadays, but there are a few stronger bursts towards the end.
Then the unbanked turns also offer some laterals for variety. And while the ride is running slower
nowadays, it is still very smooth for an old wood coaster under Six Flags’s care. Check out
my review for my full thoughts on this ride. So that is how I rank the top 15 rides and
attractions at Great Escape, both the dry park and their attached water park. What are your favorite
rides at this New York theme park? Do you like the mix of coasters, flat rides, and water rides?
Let me know your thoughts down below. If you enjoyed this countdown, I’d appreciate it if
you gave this video a like and you considered subscribing since there will be a lot more
roller coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!