Great Bear at Hersheypark is the best inverted coaster in the Northeast. Built
by Bolliger & Mabillard, this invert provides strong forces with a unique layout. It really is
impressive how B&M crammed this coaster between pre-existing rides and over the creek. So while
the coaster may have presented some engineering challenges, the end result is fantastic
for riders. Find out why in this review! Great Bear was Hersheypark’s sixth roller coaster
and one of the first inverted coasters in the northeast. The only other B&M invert in the
northeast at the time was Batman the Ride at Six Flags Great Adventure.
Great Bear opened in 1998 and it would become one of B&M’s most unique inverts.
Most of their inverted coasters would feature a self-contained layout. Great Bear would do
things much differently, traveling over, under, and past pre-existing rides. Great Bear would
start atop Kissing Tower Hill, travel over the Coal Cracker log flume and Sooperdooperlooper,
navigate three inversions on a thin plot of land in Comet Hollow,
and then whiz over Spring Creek on its way back to the station.
The latter posed a particularly big challenge for B&M. The town didn’t permit any of the
ride’s supports to go into the water, so B&M had to design one of their weirdest and most complex
support structures. But their effort paid off since Great Bear is quite the sight to behold.
The black track isn’t too special, but I love how the train’s pink and yellow
highlights pop against the track. And this ride has a commanding presence.
Beyond the exciting elements, this ride has a loud and imposing roar. You always
know when Great Bear is cycling and it adds a ton of kinetic energy to Herhsey’s midways.
The ride’s name is in reference to the constellation. It’s a cool name
and I really like the ride’s logo, but there isn’t any theming along the course. And that’s
fine because the near-misses with the other attractions are the only visuals you need.
This is still one of Hersheypark’s more popular coasters. This ride always runs two trains,
each seating up to 32 riders across 8 rows. If you visit on a quieter day, it’s usually a walk-on.
But if this coaster’s wait stretches into the initial series of switchbacks,
you may have to wait 30-60 minutes. There isn’t a bad seat on this coaster, but
I have a slight preference for the front for the added sense of speed and the spectacular visuals.
If you see a short wait for the front, definitely take advantage of it. Because of how much space
Hershey allocated to the front row queue, it can sometimes back up pretty significantly.
The trains feature the familiar B&M over-the-shoulder restraints. Their hardness would
be problematic if Great Bear had headbanging, but this 2.5 decade old coaster is still glass smooth.
It’s one of the smoothest B&Ms out there. Great Bear begins with a 90 foot or 27 meter tall
lift. Rather than going straight into the drop, Great Bear begins with a weird 360 degree helix.
While you don’t enter this element with much speed, the dip downwards builds up
some deceptive speed and the element is shockingly forceful. It has strong
and leg-numbing positive Gs combined with the visual of being a hundred feet off the ground.
The helix then leads into the ride’s main drop, which is quite a bit taller than the lift at 124
feet or 38 meters. It’s a steep plunge that twists to the right. The drop builds up some good speed
and you get a little bit of floater airtime in the back row once the train straightens out.
You don’t get that on a lot of other inverts. Most of them just twist 180 degrees to the side.
Great Bear has my favorite drop on the older B&M inverts.
Great Bear then rips through the first of four inversions,
a 100 foot or 30 meter tall vertical loop. This loop is very forceful. You’ll feel the blood
rush to your legs and sometimes I greyout a tad. It’s one of the better loops on a B&M invert.
Before going into the next inversion, there’s a brief section of straight
track in a subterrain trench that allows you to appreciate the ride’s speed.
You then pull up into an Immelmann. You feel the positive Gs ascending the element and if you’re up
front, you get some decent snap. The flip itself is rather weak if you’re towards the back though.
The next element is a fantastic zero-G roll. You tenaciously whip 360 degrees.
It occurs so fast, you don’t really get any hangtime. Instead you get laterals
as you spin through this dizzying inversion. You then speed over this drawn out bunny hill
over Sooperdooperlooper’s brake run. You really feel the speed up front while those in the back
get a surprise pop of airtime. It’s a rare but welcome sensation on an invert.
Great Bear then maintains the speed as it zips over the creek.
This part is a bit awkward in the back since it feels like an extended bit of straight track,
but it’s exciting up front between the velocity and near-misses with the oddly shaped supports.
Then comes the final inversion, a super snappy corkscrew. It catches you off-guard
in any row but the front since you start to turn left before rapidly inverting clockwise.
It’s super disorienting. And it’s powerful too as the blood again rushes to your feet.
Great Bear is essentially over at this point. Remember how the drop was so much larger than
the lift? The finale is this elongated s-bend that gradually climbs back up the hillside.
Great Bear has felt pretty darn fast up to this point,
but it bleeds off speed quite quickly as it meekly returns to the brake run.
You do have some nice visuals, but the ending still feels anti-climactic compared to the rest of
the coaster. It sort of feels like autocomplete. But the power of the first 3/4 is well-worth it.
Great Bear has 2800 feet or 850 meters of track. While it has less elements than a lot of inverts,
Great Bear excels in the power department Some of the straight bits are awkward,
especially if you aren’t up front, but I love all four inversions and some of the quirky elements.
So what would I rate Great Bear? I would give this B&M invert an 8.5 out of 10. Great
Bear is an above average inverted coaster. I love how odd the layout is and most elements deliver.
That initial helix has strong Gs, the first drop is better than you may expect,
and all 4 inversions are forceful and snappy. Add in the glass smooth ride plus those neat visuals
and you have a great ride. Really the only weaknesses are the length and finale.
Great Bear is not to be missed while you’re at Hersheypark and it’s one of the park’s better
coasters. This was my first inverted coaster and it briefly became my new number one coaster when
I first rode it in 2005. While other coasters and inverts have passed it, I still think
it’s the best invert in the northeast. So those are my thoughts on Great Bear
at Hersheypark. What are your thoughts on this odd B&M invert? Do you appreciate its layout
and forces? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments. If you enjoyed this review, 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!