New England has a really interesting mix of roller coasters.
The region has some classic wood coasters, 7 different mountain coasters, and some award-winning
roller coasters at both Lake Compounce and Six Flags New England.
Growing up and living in Massachusetts, I have managed to ride almost every roller coaster
in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and I’d say Rhode Island
but that poor state doesn’t have any roller coasters.
In this video, I will rank every single roller coaster currently operating or standing but
not operating in New England.
That will mean there will be several kiddie coasters on this list, so skip to number 30
on this list if you want to avoid them.
Before starting the countdown, I want to note the two I have not ridden.
I have not been on the Roadrunner Roller Coaster at Ocean Beach Park, as the rides were closed
when I tried visiting this park last year.
And I have not been on the kiddie powered coaster at the new Runway Fun Park that opened
last September.
But based on clones I have ridden at other parks, these two rides would have placed 3rd
and 4th from the bottom.
44) Orient Express at Palace Playland- This Wisdom Rides kiddie coaster is currently in
pieces and I hope it never gets reassembled.
This is among the roughest and jerkiest kiddie coasters out there.
43) Wildcat at Lake Compounce- This classic PTC coaster was recently retracked by Martin
& Vleminckx and received brand new GCI Millennium Flyers, yet this coaster somehow got rougher.
It’s now one of the worst coasters in the world.
The ride jackhammers violently throughout the course.
There’s no airtime.
You just have the occasional painful laterals and non-stop shaking.
It’s unfortunate this coaster is so brutal because it is historic and looks beautiful
in the center of Lake Compounce. 42) Kiddie Coaster at Lake Compounce- Adults
are not permitted to ride this Molina & Sons creation, but I rode it as a kid.
It has a simple layout even by kiddie coaster standards and I remember it being jerky.
41) Wacky Mouse at York’s Wild Kingdom- This wacky worm is smooth and comfortable,
but it moves at a glacial rate even compared to most kiddie coasters.
40) Little Dipper at Quassy- This Herschell little dipper has more tenacity than the prior
kiddie coasters on this list.
You get some pull over the bunny hill.
However, this one does have hard metal seats and since it’s a bit bumpy, it can rough
you up.
39) Goliath at Six Flags New England- This Vekoma giant inverted boomerang will likely
never reopen.
With the original trains, this ride would have placed in the top 10.
But with the Premier trains, this coaster was a torture machine.
The first drop was incredible, giving a true freefall sensation.
And I admired the ride’s intensity, but it beat you up.
The bulky over-the-shoulder restraints gave headbanging.
The restraints would crush your thighs on the high G segments.
And then the final stop on the vertical lift was a ball-buster.
38) Great Chase at Six Flags New England- This Miler kiddie coaster is decent.
This one offers no airtime, but the helix and final turn offers some laterals due to
the minimal banking.
37) Troublesome Trucks Runaway Coaster at Edaville Family Theme Park- This Zamperla
speedy coaster is quite a bit larger than the prior kiddie coasters.
This one is lightly themed to Thomas the Tank engine and while it is a bit janky, the final
bunny hills do give itty bitty pops of airtime. 36) Dragon Coaster at Canobie Lake Park- This
Zamperla powered coaster is one of the region’s best kiddie coasters.
It’s very smooth and you build up some appreciable speed in the helixes, so you get some solid
laterals. 35) Poogee Penguin’s Spin Out at Santa’s
Village- This is the larger 3 loop SBF Visa spinning coaster, but I find it doesn’t
spin as much as the smaller models.
It’s still better than your average kiddie coaster though.
34) Wipeout at Palace Playland- This is the smaller 2 loop SBF spinning coaster.
This one has decent spinning and a cool facade that you go through.
33) Spinning Ladybug Coaster at Edaville Family Theme Park- This is another SBF spinner.
This one spins similarly to Wipeout, but this one has a cycle that’s twice as long.
For me, that’s a positive.
32) Orient Express at Fun World Game Center- This is the region’s best kiddie coaster.
The indoor setting makes this ride.
You are surrounded by mirrors and I’m pretty sure you can hit the walls and roof if you
raise your hands.
The claustrophobic setting is very dizzying.
And you also have a helix around a Pinocchio statue, so theming.
There is one bad jerk into the station, but its otherwise smooth.
31) Catwoman’s Whip at Six Flags New England- This Zierer large Tivoli coaster is most notable
for having a super long 20 car train.
If you ride in the back cars, you get some nice whip and laterals on the first two drops.
The rest of the ride is pretty dull but it’s a nice step up from a kiddie coaster.
30) Rudy’s Rapid Transit Coaster at Santa’s Village- This is the same ride as Catwoman’s
Whip, except this one has a cool Rudolph lead car and it gives two laps.
29) Canobie Corkscrew at Canobie Lake Park- This ride is slated for removal, but since
it was standing for the 2021 season I decided to include it.
This Arrow looper has a simple layout, but the first drop gives a good pop of ejector
airtime.
The turns are very jerky, but the corkscrews were ok and you had some headchoppers with
the trees.
28) Polar Coaster at Story Land- This Hopkins coaster is built on the side of a hill.
And the layout reminds me of a cross between a mine train and a wild mouse coaster.
You slowly snake your way down the hill and then you have a decent finale.
You have a fun helix and an elongated speed hill over the water.
The ride isn’t thrill, but it’s smooth and I absolutely love this coaster’s adorable
walrus trains.
And the igloo-themed station is cool too.
27) Flashback at Six Flags New England- This Vekoma boomerang is average for the model.
There’s some headbanging on the cobra roll, but the inversions deliver strong positive
Gs.
And the elements are particularly dizzying in reverse.
Then the initial plunge is always fun, giving a tummy tickling sensation.
26) Zoomerang at Lake Compounce- This is one of the smoothest boomerangs out there, which
is why I place it ahead of Flashback.
It rides identically from a force perspective, you just don’t hit your head nearly as often.
25) Gotham City Gauntlet at Six Flags New England- This Maurer wild mouse is decent.
My most recent ride had less braking than usual, which resulted in great laterals and
1-2 small pops of airtime.
This is a basic layout, but it has its merits.
24) Wild Mouse at Funtown U.S.A.- This is also a Maurer wild mouse, but I give this
one the edge since it is a little smoother and less likely to trim you in the first half.
23) Sky Rider at Urban Air Adventure Park- This may be a debatable one, but I consider
this zipline coaster a roller coaster.
It feels like a suspended coaster.
You have some small dips, but what makes this ride wild is the swinging and spinning.
If you get a running start, you can swing to the horizontal, which is really freaky
in such an open ride vehicle.
And there’s one turn where it feels like you’ll smack a building support.
You also can spin throughout, which can cause some bizarre centripetal forces, especially
if you’re swinging simultaneously.
I’ve ridden the version at the Massachusetts location, but they also have locations in
Maine and Connecticut.
22) Sea Viper at Palace Playland- This Preston coaster looks huge at the back end of the
park.
The first two drops have ok whip towards the back, but the highlights are the 3rd and 4th
drops.
Both have strong laterals and whip.
The final helix is a bit shaky, but the rest of the ride tracks quite smoothly and this
is a solid coaster for a boardwalk park. 21) Mountain Coaster at Cranmore Mountain
Adventure Park- This Wiegand model is my least favorite mountain coaster, but it’s still
enjoyable.
This one is built on a hill, but the ride space is pretty open.
There aren’t many trees to conceal the layout as you head down the hill.
The downhill bit has decent speed, but you don’t get any airtime or strong laterals
on this one.
20) Riddler Revenge at Six Flags New England- Until a few years ago, this was in contention
for one of the worst coasters in New England.
But Six Flags invested in new trains with the Vekoma vests that eliminate all headbanging.
The ride is still shaky, but I can appreciate the fast-paced and aggressive inversions when
I’m not getting my skull bashed in.
There’s nothing wrong with the SLC layout.
The issue always has been the execution.
19) Untamed at Canobie Lake Park- This Gerstlauer Eurofighter packs a solid punch.
It has a great beyond-vertical drop gives some serious ejector airtime.
And then you get some hangtime on both the vertical loop and especially the final inline
twist.
The ride does have some jerky transitions, particularly on the entrance to the helix
and the cutback, which can result in headbanging. 18) Mountain Coaster at Gunstock Mountain
Resort- This is another Wiegand mountain coaster.
This one is tucked amongst the trees.
There may not be any airtime on this one, but there’s decent laterals.
And pitch black night rides in the snowy winters are a cool- pun intended- experience.
17) Thunderbolt at Six Flags New England- This classic wood coaster has one elite moment.
There’s this strong ejector bunny hill on the backside of the ride.
The rest of the ride has more mild pops of airtime scattered about, including on a double
down.
The ride is pretty darn smooth, but I wish it still ran with buzz bars like it used to.
16) Yankee Cannonball at Canobie Lake Park- The signature attraction at Canobie is this
Herb Schmeck designed wood coaster that runs along the parking lot.
And this one has buzz bars, which means you have several inches of room for airtime.
Too bad there isn’t much…anymore.
GCI retracked this coaster in the 2015-2016 off-season and it severely weakened the ride’s
airtime.
You used to get nice airtime on every hill.
Now you only get moderate pops on a few hills.
The ride is incredibly smooth though despite being 90 plus years old.
15) Batman the Dark Knight at Six Flags New England- This is a compact Bolliger & Mabillard
floorless coaster.
The ride is fairly smooth and has a few decent inversions, most notably the awesome zero-G
roll.
The hangtime that element provides is incredible.
And then the final two corkscrews are decently snappy as well.
14) Pandemonium at Six Flags New England- This Gerstlauer spinning coaster has solid
spinning, particularly through the helixes and finale.
Then you also have a few solid drops, especially if you take them sideways or in reverse.
13) Joker at Six Flags New England- This S&S free spin is a solid ride.
The flipping is more plentiful on the green side, but the flips are better timed on the
purple side.
I love how the top section violently flips you after the first drop and if you can manage
to get a flip on a raven turn- an occurrence that seems more common on the purple side-
you’re in for a treat.
This ride is a disorienting blur and unlike any other coaster in New England.
12) Mountain Coaster at Jiminy Peak- This was my first mountain coaster, so it has been
a while since I rode it.
This Wiegand model has an incredible wooded setting, several turns with solid laterals,
and a few smaller drops with itty bitty pops of airtime.
11) Beast Mountain Coaster at Killington Resort- This is the first of three Aquatic Development
mountain coasters you can find in New England.
The descent is fairly secluded on this one and it has good speed.
The laterals are fine on this one, but this one excels in the length department.
10) Timber Ripper Mountain Coaster at Okemo Mountain Resort- This one starts and ends
strong.
You have some powerful laterals during the initial section and the finale.
It feels like you’ll flip off the track.
The middle section does have this really awkward and long straightaway where you lose all your
speed though, which disrupts the pacing.
9) Phobia Phear Coaster at Lake Compounce- This is one of the best Premier Rides Sky
Rocket II clones since this one has just lap bars.
This one has the familiar launch sequence with some moderate launches and that leads
into an exciting sequence.
You get powerful ejector airtime ascending the tower.
You then get tons of hangtime on this super slow barrel roll high above the ground.
And then you get wicked laterals and ejector airtime on the descent.
This is one ride I don’t mind seeing cloned since it’s a rapid blitz of forces.
8) Thunderbolt Mountain Coaster at Berkshire East- This is a very long mountain coaster
in western Massachusetts.
This one is from Aquatic Development Group and it features a wonderful blend of strong
laterals and a half dozen small pops of airtime.
Add in the usually great wooded setting and you have a ride worth seeking out.
7) Nor’Easter Mountain Coaster at Attitash Mountain Resort- The best mountain coaster
in New England is this Aquatic Development Group creation.
This one has a long downhill portion along a densely wooded mountain.
This one is super fast.
It’s loaded with tight turns delivering wicked laterals and positive Gs.
And then you also have several drops that give pops of airtime, including a pretty large
one under the lift hill midway through the ride.
6) Wooden Warrior at Quassy- This was the original junior Gravity Group wood coaster.
This ride is super smooth and despite its small stature, it has several good pops of
airtime.
The airtime is more sustained towards the back, but you’ll be popping out of your
seat no matter where you sit.
5) Excalibur at Funtown U.S.A.- This Custom Coasters International woodie has a great
setting.
The coaster is tucked in the woods.
And thanks to recent trackwork, Excalibur is pretty darn smooth right now and the ride
rips through its course providing a combination of solid airtime and excellent laterals.
The first half front loads the airtime.
The large drops deliver nice floater airtime in the back while the front gets more aggressive
airtime pops entering the turnarounds.
And while those turnarounds do offer solid laterals, Excalibur delivers some of the most
sustained laterals in the second half in its figure 8 finale.
4) Roar-O-Saurus at Story Land- This coaster may be just 40 feet or 12 meters tall, but
it has a dozen airtime moments.
And they’re strong airtime moments too!
This junior Gravity Group wood coaster has more power than the others.
The finale in particular feels like the one on Steel Vengeance as the four consecutive
bunny hills aggressively fling you from your seat.
I can’t believe this ride was built at a children’s park, but I’m certainly not
complaining!
The turns do have a light shake to them, but the super comfortable Timberliner trains absorb
the blows effortlessly. 3) Wicked Cyclone at Six Flags New England-
New England’s only RMC is a great ride.
The old wooden Cyclone was converted into an aggressive airtime machine.
The first half features an amazing first drop, a super forceful overbank that causes me to
greyout, and several other hills loaded with ejector airtime.
The strongest being the outward banked hill.
Then you also have 3 inversions with great hangtime.
The coaster does lose a lot of speed on the final lap, but the coaster still finds ways
to get you out of your seat.
This ride is a frenetic blitz of elements and the perfect complement to the park’s
number one.
2) Superman the Ride at Six Flags New England- This is the region’s lone hyper coaster
and it’s running better than it has in a long time.
The coaster received new wheels in 2019 and the coaster is running faster than it has
since the mid-2000s.
This coaster has one of the best layouts ever created.
The first half is an out-and-back coaster with powerful, sustained ejector airtime along
the river.
The 3rd and 4th hills are two of the best hills on any coaster.
Then the second half is a twister with quicker pops of airtime and strong positive Gs on
the helixes.
Most people have an issue with the bulky restraints, but I don’t mind them since I can still
fully experience this coaster’s airtime and forces.
1) Boulder Dash at Lake Compounce- New England’s best coaster has an incredible setting.
The coaster is built on a heavily wooded mountainside.
This creates some incredible visuals as you whiz past trees by day.
And then there’s no light on the mountain at night, which makes this one of the world’s
best night rides.
This CCI also has an amazing layout.
The pacing and sense of speed is top notch.
You have plenty of airtime.
Most of it is of the floater variety with the highlight being the endless series of
bunny hills on the return run, but you do have two ejector pops on the outward leg.
And then you also get some sneaky laterals despite this ride having an out-and-back layout.
The ride can get bumpy if you ride further back in the train, but my advice is the ride
up front where the airtime is best anyway.
So that is how I rank every single roller coaster currently standing in New England.
What are your favorite coasters in New England or thoughts on any of the rides featured on
this list?
Let me know down in the comments.
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