12 Hersheypark Roller Coasters Ranked (2024)

Hersheypark was founded as an amusement park for those working at Hershey’s Chocolate Company back in 1906. Eventually, it became a sort of pilgrimage point for all Hershey’s Chocolate lovers.

But the park crossed over to its largest market with The Wild Cat, introduced in 1923 as The Joy Ride. It was the first Hersheypark wooden roller coaster, and its popularity led to the construction of many more. Today, Hersheypark has over a dozen rollercoasters offering a wide range of thrilling experiences.

The best Hersheypark roller coasters have much to offer, including high speeds, steep drops, and impressive airtime. Of course, not all rides are alike in these aspects, so the experience they deliver is also different.

And when it comes to ranking rollercoasters, experience trumps all. We don’t sort rides by height, drop, or speed. It certainly mentions those specs, but it ranks the rides based on how great of an experience they can give you.

To set a baseline for specs, consider the following list, which covers the minimum and maximum for each aspect.

Date Opened:

1946 – The Comet is the earliest (currently operational) rollercoaster at Hersheypark
2023 – Wildcat’s Revenge is the latest rollercoaster at Hersheypark

Height:

210 ft – Candymonium has the greatest height of all rollercoasters at Hersheypark
13 ft – The Cocoa Cruiser has the shortest height of all rollercoasters at Hersheypark

Length:

4,636 ft – Candymonium is the longest rollercoaster at Hersheypark
262.5 ft – The Cocoa Cruiser is Hersheypark’s shortest rollercoaster

Seating Capacity:

32 – The largest rollercoaster seating capacity is 32 riders per train
4 – Four is the smallest maximum seating capacity for a ride at Hersheypark

Drop:

216 ft – The greatest drop for a rollercoaster at Hersheypark is 216 ft
75 ft – The smallest drop at Hersheypark is 75 ft

Top Speed:

76 mph – At 76 mph, Candymonium is the fastest rollercoaster at Hersheypark
16 mph – With an average speed of 16 mph, The Cocoa Cruiser is the slowest rollercoaster at Hersheypark

Ride duration:

2:55 – The longest duration for a rollercoaster ride at Hersheypark is 2:55
00:85 – The shortest duration for a rollercoaster ride at Hersheypark is 85 seconds

Maximum Angle (vertical):

97° – 97° is the steepest vertical angle for a rollercoaster at Hersheypark
0° – 0° is the smallest vertical angle for a rollercoaster at Hersheypark

With the minimum and maximum values in mind, you can see why the best rollercoasters at Hersheypark are ranked as follows (starting with the best):

Rollercoaster	Track Length	Drop	Speed
Great Bear	2,800 ft	124 ft	58 mph
Wildcat’s Revenge	3,510 ft	135 ft	62 mph
Candymonium	4,636 ft	216 ft	76 mph
Skyrush	3,600 ft	212 ft	75 mph
Fahrenheit	2,700 ft	121 ft	58 mph
Laff Trakk	1,400 ft	n/a	40 mph
Storm Runner	2,600 ft	180 ft	72 mph
Comet	3,360 ft	78 ft	50 mph
Lightning Racer	3,393 ft	90 ft	51 mph
Jolly Rancher Remix	935 ft	n/a	47 mph
SooperDooperLooper	2,614 ft	75 ft	45 mph
Trailblazer	1,600 ft	n/a	35 mph

Great Bear

Date Opened: May 23, 1998
Height: 90 ft
Length: 2,800 ft
Seating Capacity: 32 passengers per train
Drop: 124 ft
Top Speed: 58 mph
Ride duration: 2:55

The Great Bear offers one of the coolest rollercoaster experiences you can have at Hersheypark. What sets it apart is that it is an inverted rollercoaster. The track is over your head, and your seat hangs under it the whole time. It really is a different kind of experience.

Great Bear is an inverted rollercoaster with seats hanging beneath an overarching track.
The ride is named after a star constellation of the same name.

Wildcat’s Revenge

Date Opened: June 2, 2023
Height: 140 ft
Length: 3,510 ft
Seating Capacity: 24 passengers per train
Drop: 135 ft
Top Speed: 62 mph
Ride duration: 2:36
Maximum Angle (vertical): 82°

Wildcat’s Revenge is the freshest coaster at Hersheypark, but it is named after the park’s first-ever rollercoaster, The Wildcat. Wildcat’s Revenge is big on everything from the track length to the ride’s drop, which is a staggering 140 feet. If you want an adrenaline high, then Wildcat’s Revenge is a coaster you can’t miss.

Wildcat’s Revenge is the newest Hersheypark rollercoaster.
With an 82° vertical angle, Wildcat’s Revenge is among the steepest ones at the park.

Candymonium

Date Opened: July 3, 2020
Height: 210 ft
Length: 4,636 ft
Seating Capacity: 28 passengers per train
Drop: 216 ft
Top Speed: 76 mph
Ride duration: 2:26
Maximum Angle (vertical): 77.3°

Candymonium is often ranked number one by coasterheads who live for the drop. If that’s you, then you might like Candymonium and its 216-foot drop, more than Wildcat’s Revenge and Great Bear. However, since Candymonium has no inversions and an average vertical incline, it cannot be ranked any higher than #3.

Candymonium is the tallest ride at Hersheypark.
The ride has a 216ft drop, the biggest for a Hersheypark ride.

Skyrush

Date Opened: May 26, 2012
Height: 200 ft
Length: 3,600 ft
Seating Capacity: 32 riders per train
Drop: 212 ft
Top Speed: 75 mph
Ride duration: 1:03
Maximum Angle (vertical): 85°

Skyrush misses the top three ranking by a hair. It has everything from an extreme drop to a steep vertical angle. The ride is definitely one of the most intense ones at Hersheypark.

But because it barely lasts a minute and has zero inversions, most people end up linking slightly slower but longer ones more. But don’t let that affect your preferences. If what you’re into is a steep, straightforward drop and high-speed turns, then you’ll love Skyrush.

Skyrush generates a G-force of 5g
It cost 25 million dollars to construct this ride.

Fahrenheit

Date Opened: May 24, 2008
Height: 121 ft
Length: 2,700 ft
Seating Capacity: 12 riders per train
Drop: 121 ft
Top Speed: 58 mph
Ride duration: 1:25
Maximum Angle (vertical): 97°

Fahrenheit at Hersheypark is one of the few rollercoasters with a remarkable pre-drop experience. Most rollercoasters, in general, get interesting after the drop. But Farenheit’s 90-degree upward climb is unique, and it heightens the anticipation for the drop, which at a 97-degree angle is well worth the wait.

Fahrenheit has a 90-degree lift hill climb.
The ride lasts 1 minute and 25 seconds

Laff Trakk

Date Opened: May 23, 2015
Height: 51 ft
Length: 1,400 ft
Seating Capacity: 4 people per cart
Top Speed: 40 mph
Ride duration: 1:10

Laff Trakk is certainly different. For starters, it is located indoors. Then, there are glow-in-the-dark elements that further differentiate the ride. There’s even a hall of mirrors. The ride’s whimsical setting is partially carnival-inspired, so it is big on sightseeing.

That’s why it has an average speed of just 40 mph. While that works for Laff Trakk’s concept, it also lowers the ride’s overall standing among other highspeed coasters at the park.

Laff Trakk is an indoor rollercoaster with glow-in-the-dark elements
The ride lasts one minute and ten seconds

Storm Runner

Date Opened: May 8, 2004
Height: 150 ft
Length: 2,600 ft
Seating Capacity: 20 riders per train
Drop: 180 ft
Top Speed: 72 mph
Ride duration: 0:50
Maximum Angle (vertical): 90°

Unlike chain-lift hill rollercoasters, this one zips into action right away. That’s the beauty of a launch rollercoaster. Storm Runner, however, isn’t just any ordinary accelerator ride. It packs three inversions into 50 seconds. And that makes sense when you consider that it goes from 0 to 72 mph in just two seconds.

Storm Runner is an accelerator rollercoaster with three inversions
The ride has a maximum angle of 90 degrees (vertical)

Comet

Date Opened: 1946
Height: 84 ft
Length: 3,360 ft
Seating Capacity: 24 riders per train
Drop: 78 ft
Top Speed: 50 mph
Ride duration: 1:45
Maximum Angle (vertical): 47°

The Comet at Hersheypark is worth a ride regardless of whether its specs excite you or not. It has historic significance as it is one of the park’s oldest (and most popular) rides. It was outdone by newcomers with better specs, but fresher entries cannot deliver the classic “out of control” feeling of old wooden rollercoasters. This one has been around since 1946, which is why, even with a 78-foot drop, it is still quite impressive.

The Comet is one of the oldest wooden rollercoasters in Pennsylvania
It lasts 1 minute and 45 seconds (± 5 seconds)

Lightning Racer

Date Opened: May 13, 2000
Height: 92 ft
Length: 3,393 ft
Seating Capacity: 24 riders per train
Drop: 90 ft
Top Speed: 51 mph
Ride duration: 2:20
Maximum Angle (vertical): 45°

Lightning Racer is a racing coaster, which means your train competes with another train to get to the finish line first. This competitive element is just one aspect of what makes the Lightning Racer enjoyable. It also has everything Hersheypark coasters are known for (thrilling drops, great airtime, and high speed).

Lightning Racer is a racing coaster with two trains
The red train is named Lightning, and the green one is named Thunder

Jolly Rancher Remix

Date Opened: May 11, 1991
Height: 116.5 ft
Length: 935 ft
Seating Capacity: 28 riders per train
Top Speed: 47 mph
Ride duration: 1:48

Jolly Rancher Remix is a Hersheypark favorite because of its unique concept. The ride’s candy-themed track is not the only novel thing about it. Each ride in the Jolly Rancher Remix is different, so you won’t get bored going twice.

And why would you want to go twice?

Because who doesn’t want to experience six inversions in 1.5 minutes?

Jolly Rancher Remix starts with a 360-degree spin
Depending on how it begins, the ride takes a relatively unique path from multiple track options.

SooperDooperLooper

Date Opened: May 8, 1977
Height: 70 ft
Length: 2,614 ft
Seating Capacity: 24 riders per train
Drop: 75 ft
Top Speed: 45 mph
Ride duration: 1:45

SooperDooperLooper is worth a ride for its historic significance. It was created when looping rollercoasters were virtually nonexistent. When SooperDooperLooper was constructed (1977), there was only one other vertical looping rollercoaster in the world (Revolution, opened in 1976).

But apart from the bragging rights, this ride is archaic and…a bit…underwhelming. It might be the second vertical looping rollercoaster ever to exist, but that doesn’t make its 45 mph speed more exciting.

Among modern rollercoasters, SooperDooperLooper is the second ever to have a vertical loop.
The ride lasts 1 minute and 45 seconds

Trailblazer

Date Opened: May 18, 1974
Height: 43 ft
Length: 1,600 ft
Seating Capacity: 30 riders per train
Top Speed: 35 mph
Ride duration: 1:15

Trailblazer might be your favorite ride if you have young kids. It is great for families but underwhelming for adults. The experience of a 43 ft rollercoaster with zero inversions or noticeable drops is closer to a subway ride than an amusement park ride.

Trail Blazer is a child-friendly leisure coaster
It doesn’t have any inversions or steep drops