Knott's Berry Farm Roller Coasters (2024 Ranks)

Knott’s Berry Farm is an all-American amusement park with 40 rides, 10 of which are rollercoasters. Some rollercoasters have broken state-level records, so it is worth exploring, especially if you’re a wooden rollercoaster enthusiast.

Since waiting times for rides at Knott’s Berry Farm can go up to 40 minutes in some cases, you might not experience every ride on your first visit. The Knott’s Berry Farm Roller Coaster rankings in this article will help you prioritize rollercoasters according to your preferences:

Rollercoaster	Track Length	Drop	Speed
GhostRider	4,533 ft	108 ft	56 mph
HangTime	2,198 ft	122 ft	57 mph
Xcelerator	2,202 ft	200 ft	82 mph
Silver Bullet	3,125 ft	109 ft	55 mph
MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress	800 ft	140 ft	55 mph
Jaguar!	2,602 ft	45 ft	35 mph
Pony Express	1,300 ft	38 ft	38 mph

Each roller coaster write-up below includes a review of the layout, drop, and height, as well as of the speed and theme of the ride. But before diving into specifics of the Berry Farm’s rollercoasters, let’s look at park averages…

The information below will help you see the range of rollercoaster specs at Knott’s Berry Farm. Aside from establishing a baseline, you can also use this information to go for the steepest, tallest, shortest, or kid-friendliest rollercoaster rides at the park.

Date Opened – The oldest operating rollercoaster at Knott’s Berry Farm opened in 1978.
Height – The tallest rollercoaster at the park is 205 feet high. And the shortest one is 44 feet tall.
Length – The longest rollercoaster at Knott’s Berry Farm is 4,533 feet. The shortest rollercoaster track at the park is roughly 800 feet.
Seating Capacity – Most rollercoasters at the park accommodate 16 to 30 riders per train.
Drop – The biggest rollercoaster drop at Knott’s Berry Farm is 200 feet high. The park’s smallest rollercoaster drop is 38 feet tall.
Top Speed – The fastest rollercoaster at Knott’s Berry Farm moves at 82 mph. The slowest one has an average speed of 35 mph.
Ride Duration – The park’s longest rollercoaster ride lasts 2 minutes and 40 seconds. The shortest one has a duration of 36 seconds only.

Now that you have a baseline for Knott’s Berry Farm rollercoaster specs, you can see why the coasters below are ranked the way they are. Here is a table ranking the rides from most thrilling to least intense.

1. GhostRider

Date Opened: December 8, 1998
Height: 118 ft
Length: 4,533 ft
Seating Capacity: 24 riders per train
Drop: 108 ft
Top Speed: 56 mph
Ride duration: 2:40

There are plenty of wooden rollercoasters at this park, and GhostRider is their undisputed king. It is one of the most popular rollercoasters in the US, not because of its height or drop (both roughly 100 feet tall). It is popular because it is an “authentic” rollercoaster. You truly feel out of control.

The ride features multiple airtime hills and a generous duration of two minutes and forty-five seconds. Most visitors rank it pretty high in retrospect because it is easy to underestimate the specs alone.

There are no inversions of this rollercoaster, and it doesn’t have a wild vertical angle. But what rides love about it is the floating sensation they get throughout the ride, especially on the airtime hills.

GhostRider is one of the most popular wooden rollercoasters in the US.
The ride has been operational for over 25 years and still remains a big draw for the park.

2. HangTime

Date Opened: May 18, 2018
Height: 150 ft
Length: 2,198 ft
Seating Capacity: 16 riders per train
Drop: 122 ft
Top Speed: 57 mph
Ride duration: 1:15

HangTime is a 150-foot surf-themed rollercoaster with a top speed of 57 miles per hour. It is popular not for its speed or height, though. Most people line up for HangTime because of its steep 96-degree drop. Plus, it has five inversions packed into 40 seconds, which is something most coasterheads appreciate. That said, the ride lasts 75 to 80 seconds only.

Compared to other rollercoasters at Knott’s Berry Farm, HangTime scores 9/10 on intensity and thrill. It starts off with one of the steepest drops in California, followed by an acrobatic flurry of loops and turns. It’s designed to give riders the experience of surfing a huge wave.

Hang Time (usually called Hang Ten) is a surfing maneuver where the surfer’s ten toes are facing the water underneath. It happens only when the surfer can get on a high enough wave and balance his board in a daring position. HangTime, the rollercoaster, aims to offer the same thrill without requiring the same skill.

HangTime is located at The Boardwalk section of Knott’s Berry Farm.
The average waiting time for the ride is 37 minutes.

3. Xcelerator

Date Opened: June 22, 2002
Height: 205 ft
Length: 2,202 ft
Seating Capacity: 20 riders per train
Drop: 200 ft
Top Speed: 82 mph
Ride duration: 1:02

Xcelerator is among the fastest rollercoasters in the state. It doesn’t have the common chain lift hill mechanism that relies on gravity alone. Xcelerator is a launched coaster ride that goes from 0 to 82 miles per hour in 2.3 seconds. At this dizzying speed, it covers over 2000 ft of steel tracks in 62 seconds.

The ride experience is super smooth — it has to be at that speed. But speed and smoothness aren’t the only talk-worthy features of this ride. Xcelerator also has a staggering 200-foot drop. That said, the ride has no noticeable inversions and is far from the tallest one at the park.

You should line up for Xcelerator if you’re a fan of speed. There is no coaster speedier than this one at Knott’s Berry Farm.

Xcelerator is located in The Boardwalk section of Knott’s Berry Farm.
It is the fastest rollercoaster at the park but has one of the lowest queues (Over 85 minutes waiting time).

4. Silver Bullet

Date Opened: December 7, 2004
Height: 146 ft
Length: 3,125 ft
Seating Capacity: 32 riders per train
Drop: 109 ft
Top Speed: 55 mph
Ride duration: 2:30

Silver Bullet is a 146-foot western-themed rollercoaster with a layout that crosses three park sections. At 55 miles per hour, the ride zips through Ghost Town, Fiesta Village, and Indian Trails in two minutes and thirty seconds.

The rollercoaster has a 109-foot drop, which isn’t special. Most rollercoasters at the park have 100 ft+ drops. What’s relatively unique about this ride is that it inverts six times and that the inversions are spread across a longer duration. So, you get to appreciate the thrill of each flip along the way.

Silver Bullet’s first inversion happens over water, but the aspect most riders talk about and remember is its Cobra Roll. It is the ride’s biggest draw and, according to most reviews, well worth the wait.

Silver Bullet is located at the park’s Ghost Town section but goes through Fiesta Village and Indian Trails as well.
You can expect to wait 30 to 40 minutes in queue for this ride.

5. MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress

Date Opened: May 21, 1978
Height: 148 ft
Length: 800 ft
Seating Capacity: 28 riders per train
Drop: 140 ft
Top Speed: 55 mph
Ride duration: 0:36

This ride has gone through multiple rebrands and is currently shut for major refurbishment. Still, it reserves a top spot because of its incredible specs and the promise that it will reopen soon.

Both as Montezooma’s Revenge and as Montezuma: The Forbidden Fortress, the rollercoaster featured a 148-foot drop and a major inversion alongside a top speed of 55 miles per hour. Most riders are hopeful that these specs will remain consistent or be upgraded when the ride reopens.

The ride uses a relatively rare fly-wheel launch and goes from 0 to 55 mph in 4.5 seconds. This speed is maintained for a large portion of the ride, which lasts roughly 36 seconds. During this time, you’re catapulted with a jet-propulsion-based launch mechanism. The train zips through a 76-foot-high 360-degree loop and onto a 140-foot tower for the ride’s greatest drop.

MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress is located at the Fiesta Village section of the park.
The ride is currently closed and might open with a different name.

6. Jaguar!

Date Opened: June 17, 1995
Height: 65 ft
Length: 2,602 ft
Seating Capacity: 30 riders per train
Drop: 45 ft
Top Speed: 35 mph
Ride duration: 2:00

Jaguar! is not a top rollercoaster by standard measures. It has a top speed of only 35 miles per hour. But that’s exactly what you want from a family rollercoaster. It is a very child-friendly ride but does have a minimum height requirement of 48 inches.

For the average coasterhead, though, Jaguar! is nothing to write home about. Its drop is just 45 feet high, and its top speed is 35 miles per hour. The ride has zero inversions and nominal tilts. So, if it is good, it is so because of its theme and ambiance.

The ride is closer to Disneyland rollercoasters than to a Knott’s Berry Farm rollercoaster. Its lore features Jaguar-headed warriors and Mayan prophecies. Aztec skulls, ancient tablets, and tribal drums are all part of the Jaguar! experience. So, it makes sense that the train doesn’t zip through its tracks at a blinding speed. Slowing down is important for the experience.

Jaguar! It is located at the Fiesta Village section of Knott’s Berry Farm.
The ride has one of the smallest queues at the park, with an average waiting time of 10 minutes.

7. Pony Express

Date Opened: May 22, 2008
Height: 44 ft
Length: 1,300 ft
Seating Capacity: 16 riders per train
Drop: 38 ft
Top Speed: 38 mph
Ride duration: 0:36

The Pony Express would not have made the rankings had it not been a motorcycle rollercoaster. There aren’t very many of those. This ride is a kiddy coaster by every metric. It is 44 feet high with no steep drops and features zero inversions. For adrenaline junkies, this rollercoaster is a downer, but for experience-seekers, it offers a great change of pace.

The Pony Express goes from 0 to 38 miles per hour in roughly 3 seconds to glide along 1,300 feet in 36 seconds. There are no intense drops or loops along the way. The “bikes” are shaped to look like ponies, but the experience is closer to riding a motorbike in the air.

Many motocoasters can be bumpy, but this one is pretty smooth. This adds to its kid-friendliness. But as is the case with most kiddy coasters, you can skip this one if you’re a seasoned coasterhead chasing the biggest drop.

The Pony Express is located at Knott’s Berry Farm’s Ghost Town section.
The ride has an average waiting time of 10 to 15 minutes.

Knott’s Berry Farm Roller Coasters (2024 Ranks)