Great Coasters International is one of the best wood coaster manufacturers out there. This
company’s coasters are known for their twisted layouts, airtime pops, and great pacing. And this
company’s portfolio could look a lot different in a few years with the creation of their weld-free
steel titan track. So before this happens, I want to rank my top 20 roller coasters from GCI.
Before starting the countdown, I have a few things to note.
First, I have not ridden any of the GCIs in Asia. Some of the best ones appear to be in China.
Wood Coaster at Knight Valley in particular looks incredible with
its long layout on that wooded hillside. I would love to ride those ones someday.
Second, I have not been on Wicker Man at Alton Towers. I saw it under
construction back in 2017, but I need to get back there to try that one.
Third, I did not get to experience Gwazi or Ozark Wildcat before their removal.
Four, I know GCI performed a complete retrack and some profiling adjustments to Knott’s Berry Farm’s
GhostRider, but I still consider that coaster a CCI since they made the original layout.
Had I counted this coaster, it would have claimed the top spot.
Fifth, I have reviews for many of these coasters, including everything in the top 10.
Now let’s dig into the list. I have been on 21 GCIs. So which is the one that failed to make
the cut? None other than their original one in Hersheypark’s Wildcat. I really liked this
ride with the old PTC trains. It ran rougher, but it had some very powerful airtime towards
the front. The Millennium Flyers that were added in 2007 made the ride more comfortable,
but it still had a shake and the airtime was significantly weakened. So I’m not too
surprised that ride was closed and is currently in the process of being transformed into an RMC.
20) Roar at Six Flags America- It’s not too surprising some of the roughest GCIs all started
with PTC trains. These trains are not the most ideal for twister layouts. While all the others
eventually got Millennium Flyers, Roar has always had the original trains. This ride is very shaky
on wheel seats, especially as you move further back in the train. Not only that, the forces
aren’t all that great back there either. But if you get a front row ride, this coaster is not only
tolerable, but it has some solid pops of airtime. 19) Heidi the Ride at Plopsaland de Panne-
This is a near clone of another coaster you’ll see later on this list. While this coaster was
running quite smoothly for me in 2021, it just didn’t have the airtime I expect from a GCI.
Maybe it was due to the weather being in the 60s, but I only get some tiny pops of airtime. This one
did have a fun dark ride scene heading back to the station at least, so it ends on a positive note.
It's also worth noting I have not been on Wilkolak in Poland. This is a mirror image of Heidi.
18) Thunderbird at PowerLand- This is a clone of American Thunder, but it doesn’t run as
well as its US counterpart. You get some decent airtime going into and out of the turnarounds,
but the bunny hills oddly didn’t offer much airtime. That’s a bummer since there
are a lot of them. It was very smooth minus the pullout from the first drop at least.
Maybe this is another one that was impacted by cooler weather.
17) Roar at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom- This was nearly identical to the one at Six Flags
America, except the west coast version opened with Millennium Flyer trains.
It was still bumpy by the end of its life, but the cushioning made the experience tolerable in any
row. And the train navigated the course better, so the pacing and negative Gs were superior too.
16) Kentucky Rumbler at Beech Bend- This coaster starts strong. It has good airtime
into the turnarounds, but the ride fades towards the end. There’s this big hill
over the queue line that hurts the speed, power, and pacing. The ride never gets rough at least.
15) El Toro at Freizeitpark Plohn- This has a pretty unique layout. The start interacts with the
log flume. The first drop has some nice floater and there are some snappy directional changes.
The rest of the ride travels up and down a small hill. This coaster has nearly a half dozen airtime
moments, but it was on the weaker side. Then this is another coaster that died towards the
end. But I liked everything up to that point. 14) Apocalypse at Six Flags Magic Mountain- The
trackwork a few years ago saved this from missing the list. While this isn’t as airtime centric as
the other coasters on this list, it still gets you out of your seat a few times. Where this ride
really excels is in the sense of speed department. You move through the layout at a great clip.
13) American Thunder at Six Flags St. Louis- I last rode this coaster in 2020 when it was
running notoriously slower. Even in that state, I still liked it better than Thunderbird. Every hill
offered airtime, it was just on the weaker side compared to other GCIs. I have heard this one is
running faster again, so it has potential to move up a few spots when I reride it.
12) Lightning Racer at Hersheypark- I got my best rides on this coaster in 2022. While it has a bit
of a rattle now after 2 decades of operation, the airtime was more pronounced. It still can’t match
the rides in the top 10 in that department, but it has some solid pops. Most importantly,
you have the racing element. It gets your competitive juices flowing and creates some fun
near-misses and visuals along the course. 11) Prowler at Worlds of Fun-
This ride has a great setting. It’s tucked back there and surrounded by trees. This layout is
mostly an out-and-back coaster, but it has some agile changes of direction. There are several
bunny hills, but the airtime wasn’t quite as punchy as the GCIs higher up on this list.
This coaster does hold its speed well, but it can be a bit shaky at points. I’ve always
heard this is a legendary night ride, but I’ve only gotten to experience it by day.
10) InvadR at Busch Gardens Williamsburg- Size doesn’t always matter. InvadR proves that. The
stats look more like a family coaster, but it packs a punch on the ends of the trains.
The first drop has good airtime in the back. Then the hills have sharp crests
so there’s no shortage of airtime on the rest of the turnarounds and bunny hills. And this
ride is particularly good at night since it’s quite a ways back from the midway.
9) White Lightning at Fun Spot Orlando- Maybe it’s because of the Florida heat and humidity, but this
ride has way more power than the aforementioned Heidi. This is one of the smaller GCIs based
off size and length, but it has negative Gs that can compete with the larger coasters.
I love the airtime and laterals on the first drop in back. And the bunny hills on the return run are
another highlight. Some parts were running shaky a few years ago, but it was running well last year.
8) Texas Stingray at SeaWorld San Antonio- This ride does several things well. It’s very smooth.
It holds its speed start-to-finish. And the first half has some sweet airtime, particularly on the
first drop in back. The return run didn’t have the airtime I expected, but I believe the coaster
was running slow considering it was in the 50s the day I visited. Had those hills delivered,
it had a chance to place in the top 5. 7) Joris en de Draak at Efteling-
This ride takes the racing element that I love from Lightning Racer and adds the more forceful
airtime pops I’ve come to expect from a GCI. The first three quarters is a beautiful blitz of bunny
hills, all of which shoot you into the air. The finale is pretty weak, but I love everything else.
I thought the ride was running very smoothly in 2021 and with the recent addition of Titan
Track, it should be running every better! 6) Thunderhead at Dollywood- This ride once won
the Golden Ticket Award for the best wood coaster. While it may never have been worthy of that title,
it is still a great ride. The retracking over the past few years has it in good condition.
Then the twister layout has good pacing and some nice airtime,
particularly entering and exiting any turnaround. 5) Troy at Toverland- I finally got the great
rides everyone described in 2022, but it is worth noting it took a 100 degree day to do so.
The train was hauling through the layout. I got airtime in spots I hadn’t gotten it before.
The turnarounds and dips offered quick pops of airtime and then there were some small bunny
hills with some sustained floater. Then almost all the turns and directional changes offer
laterals- sometimes sustained and other times more rapid jolts. It’s not as smooth as the
4 coasters ahead of it, but the cushiony trains make it plenty tolerable for me.
4) Renegade at Valleyfair- I love this coaster’s layout. The first half has some large turnarounds
with strong jolts of airtime. Then you have these smaller hills with sustained floater.
The second half finishes things off with some more brief but satisfying negative Gs.
This one has really good pacing and isolated setting makes it especially wonderful at night.
There are two downsides with this coaster. One, it has a bit of a shimmy. Two, this
one has retractable seatbelts- unlike the other GCIs- that can limit how much airtime you get.
3) Gold Striker at California’s Great America- I’m so glad this coaster got a big retrack
because it was running extremely well in 2022. It has a strong case as the most intense GCI.
This ride has a lot of positive Gs for a wood coaster. Gold Striker rips through the layout.
It’s fast on its own and the speed is augmented by the tunnels and supports you whiz past.
And you of course have a bevy of airtime pops. Not quite as strong as the two coasters ahead of it,
but when paired with everything else, this is a very complete ride.
2) Wodan Timbur Coaster at Europa Park- This is another ride that benefitted mightily from
a retrack. I liked this ride in 2017. Great layout, but it was rough. In 2021,
this ride was running smoothly so it shot up my rankings. You have my favorite drop
on a GCI. It’s noticeably taller than their other coasters and offers great sustained
floater in back. Then you carry all your speed through the layout. This ride is a masterclass
in pacing between the near-misses and rapid-fire elements. It’s one airtime hill after another.
Some sustain the negative Gs. Others offer more abrupt pops. And there’s even some theming in the
queue line as well that’s an added bonus. 1) Mystic Timbers at Kings Island-
This coaster feels like Prowler both in terms of the setting and layout, except this one
is significantly smoother and has way more power. Despite having an out-and-back layout,
the way the hills dash side-to-side makes the course feel more complex. The sustained speed
is wonderful, especially with all those trees, and every hill will shoot you out of your seat.
Then you have the shed at the end. It’s quirky, but it always puts a smile on my face.
So those are my top 20 roller coasters from GCI. This list has the ability to
fluctuate more than most since these placements are contingent upon how well
they’re being maintained, but this is the snapshot as of the end of the 2022 season.
Which ones are your favorite? Let me know down in the comments. 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!