Arrow Dynamics was one of the most influential coaster manufacturers of all-time. They had a
series of advancements that forever changed the coaster industry. They developed tubular steel
track for the Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland and most manufacturers use that track type today.
They created the mine train genre. They reintroduced inversions with the Corkscrew
at Knott’s Berry Farm. They also brought back the suspended coaster with the Bat at Kings Island,
built the first full-circuit hyper coaster with Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point, and built
the first 4th dimension coaster in X (or X2 as it goes by today) at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
These developments were all groundbreaking. But unfortunately the company’s final coaster,
the aforementioned X2, caused them to go bankrupt and close in 2001.
But let’s take some time to honor this manufacturer by counting down their top 30 roller
coasters. This list will only include rides I’ve personally experienced, but I believe I’ve been on
most of their major coasters still in operation. This list will only include two defunct coasters.
Several of their loopers were removed before I could get out and experience them.
Fortunately, most of them still have very similar layouts in existence and I’ll touch
on them when appropriate. For the sake of this list,
I also will not be including Steel Phantom at Kennywood. I only experienced this
coaster after the Morgan transformation. I always heard the ride was rough, but that
second drop combined with a flurry of forceful inversions might have claimed a top 3 spot.
There are three other defunct coasters that had a chance to place in the top 3.
That includes two suspended coasters in the original Bat and Eagles Fortress at Everland.
Both appeared to have insane swinging, and the latter also had an incredible setting on a wooded
mountain. Then there was the Titan Max mini hyper coaster at the now defunct Space World in Japan.
Finally, there is another high profile SBNO coaster I have yet to experience.
That would be none other than Desperado at Buffalo Bills Resort. I’ve heard many call
this ride excessively rough, but it has always intrigued me with that colossal first drop and
long layout winding around the property. Lastly, if you want more in-depth thoughts,
I have separate reviews already published for many of these rides.
30) Runaway Mine Train at Six Flags Great Adventure- This mine train has a fun setting
in the woods. The first half is pretty mild, but things get interesting in the second half.
There’s a bunny hill with some thigh-crushing ejector airtime for all.
That moment comes out of nowhere! Those in back also get another weak spot of airtime or two.
29) Anaconda at Kings Dominion- This multi-looper gets too much hate. The middle section is awful.
The mid-course takes all your speed away. Then you crawl through these slow and awkward pretzel
turns. Watch your head here! Everything around it is solid though. You have a nice location on
the water. Then the first half has some serious bite between the vertical loop and sidewinder.
Then the final 2 corkscrews are slow so they inadvertently offer some hangtime.
28) Demon at Six Flags Great America & California’s Great America-
These coasters are very similar. Both have some fun theming between a catchy theme song and some
tunnels by the corkscrews. And the two vertical loops pile on the Gs. The first drop doesn’t have
the same airtime as the other loopers and some of the transitions are jerky, but it’s a classic.
27) Carolina Cyclone at Carowinds- This classic looper has its good and bad moments. On the
bright side, the first drop and entry into the turnaround give abrupt pops of airtime.
And the two vertical loops are quite forceful. Then the 2 corkscrews are ok. Unfortunately,
the train shuffles in several valleys and turns which hurts the comfort.
26) Ninja at Six Flags Magic Mountain- This suspended coaster is built on the backside
of the mountain. You gradually wind down it, dashing past trees and building speed as you go.
It takes a while to get going, but the final few turns are pretty intense. You
are swung nearly horizontal to the ground. 25) Vampire at Chessington World of Adventures-
This is a scenic suspended coaster. Most of the layout goes through the woods, keeping the layout
a mystery. There are a few decent drops along the way that build speed. While the open Vekoma trains
offer more freedom, the swinging didn’t feel as extreme as the older trains. Still this is a
fun ride if you enjoy a visual based ride. 24) Big Bad John at Magic Springs & River
King Mine Train at Six Flags St. Louis- These are two of the smoother mine train coasters.
Most of the ride is a scenic jaunt through the woods, but the finale ups the ante. You
have a sharp drop into a tunnel. If you’re in the back car, you get some jarring ejector airtime.
23) Adventure Express at Kings Island- This mine train has a unique layout. You have two
lift hills, one in the middle and one at the end. And that finale is legendary going from
this themed lift hill straight to the final break run. It’s positively mind scratching. But the
downhill sections have decent pacing with a few tunnels, good use of terrain, and some fun turns
offering some light positive Gs or laterals. 22) Thunderation at Silver Dollar City-
This mine train starts atop a wooded hill and rumbles down it. The coaster keeps picking up
speed. This leads to a decently forceful helix and a shockingly fast turn at the bottom.
Then instead of finishing with a boring old lift hill, this coaster throws in its largest drop at
the end en route back to the station. I’ve gotten some bumpier rides on this coaster in the past,
but I can’t look past its uniqueness and visuals. 21) Road Runner Express at Six Flags Fiesta Texas-
This Alan Schilke designed mine train has a more daring layout than the older mine
trains. It goes above a quarry wall, holds its speed better, mixes in a few airtime moments,
and hits riders with positive Gs on the turns and valleys. Plus it also rides a bit smoother.
20) Viper at Six Flags Darien Lake- This multi-looper was the first coaster
with 5 inversions. The coaster has nice ejector airtime on the first drop and a
forceful trio of inversions in the first half. The corkscrews in the second half are taken slowly,
so you’ll feel yourself lift out of your seat a bit. While the layout is solid,
the tracking is not. This ride has several spots with jackhammering and slamming.
19) Steeplechase at Blackpool Pleasure Beach- This is probably the tamest layout on this list.
But this ride has two things going for it. One, the racing element is executed extremely well.
Two, the horses you ride on leave you far more open than almost any coaster.
Don’t expect thrills, just expect fun. 18) Mad Mouse at Michigan’s Adventure-
Arrow didn’t build many wild mice, but this is the best by far. The first few hairpin turns have
solid laterals per usual, but the braking never really kicks in, so the laterals stay strong.
Then the second half has some shocking airtime for this type of ride. Most drops have quick
pops of airtime and that little bunny hill even gives weak sustained ejector.
Just beware this ride’s capacity! 17) Loch Ness Monster at Busch Gardens
Williamsburg- This is one of the most iconic coasters out there. The interlocking vertical
loops look stunning and they also have strong positive Gs. Then if you ride in the back,
you’ll also get abrupt jolts of airtime on the 3 main drops. The ride does have two issues though.
One, the pacing. The middle section drags with the long and slow indoor helix and the second lift.
Two, the shakiness. The train rattles on the turns and valleys, so you can
hit your head if you’re on the shorter side. 16) Vortex at Kings Island- This looper had an
unconventional layout. There were two big drops at the start, one of which had nice floater airtime.
The two vertical loops delivered strong positives. Then you had two enjoyable corkscrews in the
middle before tackling a batwing towards the end. This element offered a mix of hangtime
and positives. The one downside is that some of the transitions could cause headbanging.
15) Excalibur at Valleyfair- This is bizarre ride looks like a mine train,
but it has far punchier elements. The first drop is trimmed, but once you clear the brakes,
those in back get delayed and violent burst of ejector airtime. The ride flies through
a brief layout, which also includes an intense s-hill that will eject everyone.
The ride is short and a bit bumpy, but it delivers some memorable elements.
It's also worth noting there is ride that looks similar in Japan called the Yagiyama Cyclone. I
haven’t ridden it, but a few friends who have says the first drop is even more intense.
14) Dragon Mountain at Marineland- This looping coaster is often called the Beast
of steal coasters and I can see why. It spans 30 acres and the setting is fairly isolated.
You ride around, on top, and through a heavily wooded hillside.
The ride’s pacing isn’t the best as it does a lot of meandering, but it never gets rough. And there
are some good elements. The first drop has good airtime and then the 4 inversions all offer good
Gs, particularly the back-to-back vertical loops. 13) Big Bad Wolf at Busch Gardens Williamsburg-
This suspended coaster was famous for the Rhine River drop. And that was one of the most visually
intimidating drops out there. It really felt like you’d snap off the track and fall into the water.
The rest of the second half was fast and had some wild swinging too. The first half wasn’t nearly as
intense, but you swung through a scenic Bavarian village. There were some good near-misses.
12) Bat at Kings Island- This suspended coaster starts with a big drop. The ride
then holds its speed until the very end. It’s fast to begin with, but it feels even faster
whizzing past all the trees. The layout is short, but you have a series of low
and snappy turns that cause some wild swinging. 11) Viper at Six Flags Magic Mountain- This is
the last of the Arrow megaloopers. The first drop whips you down it. Then the three vertical loops
always cause me to greyout from their force. The mid-course trim slows you way down. So the final
four inversions have some unintended hangtime on the batwing and corkscrews. While the coaster’s
pacing isn’t perfect and some of the turns are jerky, the contrast of the positive Gs and
hangtime on the inversions makes it enjoyable. It's worth noting I never experienced Great
American Scream Machine at Six Flags Great Adventure or Shockwave at Six Flags Great America,
but those two rides had similar layouts and had a chance to place similarly.
10) Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland- This ranking is specifically for the Tomorrowland side,
which is the wilder of the two tracks. This ride is famous for being the first coaster
with tubular steel track. It may be jerky at points, but it is a pure joy weaving through
the mountain. It’s impossible to tell where you’re going next and some of the turns are super tight.
Then there’s an awesome drop towards the end with an abrupt pop of airtime.
9) Vortex at Canada’s Wonderland- This suspended coaster’s layout is nearly identical to the
aforementioned Bat, but this one is far more forceful. The speed and swinging feels similar,
but that’s accompanied by strong positive Gs here. Every single turn offers a mix of wild
swinging and great forces, particularly on that picuresque helix around Yukon Striker.
This ride is short, but it’s fast and furious. 8) Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland & Magic
Kingdom- These two mine trains do everything you could want from this type of ride.
You have the visuals. The track wraps around and through a beautiful mountain.
Then you have a long layout with some thrills too. There are several small dips giving quick bursts
of airtime. And the turns and helixes offer nice laterals too, especially since there’s no seat
divider so you’re free to slide side-to-side. 7) Gemini at Cedar Point- This racing hybrid
coaster has some underrated airtime. The first half is particularly strong in the back car,
but the front gets their turn rising into the turnarounds. Then the tight valleys also throw
in some positive Gs as well. The pullouts and valleys have some bumps, but it’s worth it for
the negative Gs and that racing element. 6) Canyon Blaster at Adventuredome-
This coaster has the same layout as the aforementioned Carolina Cyclone, but it’s a far
better experience. For one, the ride is newer and smoother. Two, it’s indoors and runs around and
through a rock structure. This enhances the sense of speed and results in a more disorienting ride.
Three, it’s faster. This amplifies the already intense forces. You have good floater on the drop,
two forceful vertical loops, a pop of airtime, and two quick corkscrews.
5) Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach- This hyper coaster starts off with one of my favorite drops.
It’s devilishly twisted and the train is violently snapped down it. The rest of the layout is pretty
mild with only some weak airtime here and there, but you get a long and scenic ride
as you wind your way through the park. 4) Shuttle Loop- These launched loops
don’t have the best uptime, but they’re intense. After climbing a tower, you are launched out of
the station. This launch is weak, but everything that follows sure isn’t. You get a violent burst
of ejector airtime. Then you navigate a forceful vertical loop. You then rise up another platform-
getting another ejector pop. Then you pause briefly and are launched backwards to repeat
the layout. The forces are even better in this direction since backwards ejector airtime is
a rare delight. Especially if you’re on one of the installations with the longer 6 car train.
3) Tennessee Tornado at Dollywood- One of the company’s last looping coasters, this one feels
way different. The elements are supersized and the ride has glass-smooth tracking. It’s shocking how
much smoother this ride is than their earlier coasters. As for the elements, that first drop
is incredible. It pierces through the mountain and offers great sustained floater airtime. The
first inversion offers a little bit of hangtime while the next 2 hit you with positive Gs. The one
downside with this coaster is its super short length, but I’ll take quality over quantity.
2) Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point- The original full-circuit hypercoaster was a trailblazer. It
paved the way for the airtime-focused mega coasters we love today. The ride is rough
around the edges. Some of the transitions are janky, but the triangular shaped bunny
hills on the return run offer some of the most aggressive airtime of any coaster.
Then the first half has more sustained airtime while offering stunning views of Lake Erie.
1) X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain- While this coaster ended Arrow Dynamics, it’s their crowning
achievement. This 4th dimension coaster was ahead of its time between its scale and flipping seats.
This coaster is insane. You have a near-vertical drop. The seats face you towards the ground and
then you flip at the last second. Then you have some more world-class inversions. The first raven
turn offers strong positive Gs and airtime. The two camelbacks in the middle offer sustained
weightlessness as the track and trains rotate. The final raven turn delivers crushing positive Gs.
And then the twist into the brake run throws your body wildly. This coaster is bouncy, particularly
on the outside seats, but it’s one of the most memorable coaster experiences in the world.
So those are the top 30 Arrow coasters I have personally experienced. What
are your favorite coasters from this manufacturer? Let me know down in the
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coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!