Pennsylvania is a wonderful state for anything with "rails" I also enjoy the scenic steam train rides & museums there. Many of them near or going to those wonderful parks. Kingdom coasters paint scheme threw me at 1st. Once my eyes adjusted I was "enchanted!" I almost like it better than Blue Streak. Great color choices for a wooden coaster. Candymonium also has a delicious paint job (pun intended)
Growing up in Western PA, I really took for granted the topography that made so many of the coasters at Kennywood like Phantoms Revenge so great. Definitely agree it holds up great! Nice video!
I’m honestly glad Fahrenheit wasn’t a gerstlauer euro fighter. If it would’ve been, it would’ve been one of the early ones, and so it probably would’nt have aged well. Intamin really nailed it in 2008 with Fahrenheit
As a huge enthusiast who lives in PA and visits Altoona yearly to see a curve game, getting to feel the nostalgia of one of those games while also watching a coaster run in the background is amazing, I’ve never had time to actually ride it though
You hit every adult coaster in Kennywood which is my home park. I am always amazed at how much fun Phantom's Revenge. It's a short ride but always has me laughing.
You have to rank this coaster based on its age and design of the time it was built. I have ridden it several times and find it exciting for its age and riding in a single car with no major restraints. You can feel some air time even though the drops are as advertised more as dips than hills.
We are really blessed in PA 🎢 8 of the 20 oldest operating coasters are in PA!! Thanks for the in depth look.. looking forward to Wildcats Revenge. They had some of the old cars out on display during holiday season.
Great list my man! Kennywood was my very first park ever as a kid so it's definitely cool to relive the coasters of my youth. I think the smell of oil for the track is stronger at Kennywood than at any other park, but that's probably my big nose. Did you ever get to try Potato Patch? I know you are a fish and chips guy and those fries are out of this world. There's also a really good cafe there that has some nice hearty meals with a menu that switches daily. I personally feel that the Racer is the most photogenic coaster in America. There's something about the red wooden track, the retro lighting that makes me feel like I'm on the set of Boardwalk Empire, and seeing how the entrance to the coaster is next to some games non-nonchalantly makes it really charismatic. Thunderbolt & P's Revenge are 2 of my personal favorite coasters of all time, which is pretty awesome because right next door, is Noah's Ark and The Turtle, two of my favorite flats (along with the Whip and Kangaroo) Awesome video
I grew up in both Western and Eastern PA and got to experience a large majority of these coasters and I couldn't agree more with your assessment. Thanks for nostalgia!
Solid list. I still have yet to make it to Kennywood but Skyrush is definitely my favorite in Pennsylvania at this point. One fun thing about the Pennsylvania coaster collection is that they have my favorite kiddie coaster which is Kozmo's Kurves. While "best kiddie coaster" isn't necessarily anyone's highest priority, that thing is just wild. I don't think it's a good starter coaster for little ones. It has ejector airtime in the back seat and it feels out of control.
Hope you make it to kennywood! One ride on the phantom and you’ll understand why it’s more thrilling than skyrush. 👍🏼 but skyrush is definitely my 2nd in the state nonetheless.
Kennywood should be on your bucket List... I haven't been since the last year of Steel Phantom (the arrow looper that was converted into the current hyper) but yeah Kennywood is an awesome park.
Awesome! I'm so happy to see Phantom at #1! I am so lucky to have it at my home park! The 2nd hill feels like a true death drop! Yay love this channel!!
Steel Phantom is also my favorite coaster in PA (so far). I'm heading to PA this summer. I'm hoping to get to some of these parks. I've only ever been to Kennywood and Hersheypark. And, I was last at Hershey in 1992.
Out of the PA parks, I’ve been to Waldameer, Conneaut, Kennywood, Dorney, Hershey, and Knoebels. (Hoping to hit Lakemont next year.) 1. Phoenix 2. Phantom’s Revenge 3. Ravine Flyer 2 4. Skyrush 5. Candymonium 6. Blue Streak (RIP) 7. Storm Runner 8. Steel Curtain 9. Fahrenheit 10. Talon
@@StamfordBridge I think PA has the most unique collection of the Top 4 states. They don't have a bunch of corporate parks like the other 3 states do, and so you will see more unique coasters overall in PA. I think I would probably give it to California, with Ohio and PA in some order as #2 and #3. Ohio really relies on Cedar Point and 3 coasters at KI's for me. I think once Wildcat's Revenge opens it would justify PA as #2. Florida is top loaded with Iron Gwazi, Velcocicoaster, Mako, Montu, and Kumba, but some of the other coasters that people really love (Hagrids and the Disney Coasters), I find overrated. I would have Florida 4th.
Love the video. Grew up going to Hersheypark a ton, so I might have some bias here. But I'm going to list my Top 35 for Pennsylvania. I think we differ some, which is kinda cool. Here it goes: 35. Comet - Waldameer 34. Vapor Trail - Sesame Place 33. Trailblazer - Hersheypark xx. (defunct) Wildcat - Hersheypark xx. (defunct) Stinger - Dorney Park 32. Flying Turns - Knoebels 31. Leap the Dips - Lakemont Park 30. Merlin's Mayhem - Dutch Wonderland 29. Mountain Coaster - Camelback Mountain Adventure 28. Laff Trakk - Hersheypark 27. Jolly Rancher Remix - Hersheypark 26. Exterminator - Kennywood xx. (defunct) Hercules - Dorney Park 25. Skyliner - Lakemont Park 24. Kingdom Coaster - Dutch Wonderland 23. SooperDooperLooper - Hersheypark 22. Possessed - Dorney Park xx. (defunct) Laser - Dorney Park 21. Racer - Kennywood 20. Jack Rabbit - Kennywood 19. Impulse: Knoebels 18. Steel Force - Dorney Park (got good rides in 2022, so probably moving up) 17. Lightning Racer - Hersheypark 16. Oscar's Wacky Taxi - Sesame Place 15. Hydra The Revenge: Dorney park 14. Sky Rocket - Kennywood 13. Thunderbolt - Kennywood xx. (defunct) Blue Streak - Conneaut Lake Park 12. Comet - Hersheypark 11. Twister - Knoebels 10. Talon - Dorney Park 09. Fahrenheit - Hersheypark 08. Ravine Flyer II - Waldameer 07. Candymonium - Hersheypark 06. Steel Curtain - Kennywood 05. Storm Runner - Hersheypark 04. Great Bear - Hersheypark 03. Phoenix - Knoebels 02. Phantom's Revenge - Kennywood 01. Skyrush - Hersheypark And a fun note: of my 409 current credits, Roller Soaker from Hersheypark is 409. So that evens out my Hershey bias. LOL!
Thank you for covering my state and all its coasters. PA is truly a state with incredible rides and I'm glad to be more or less local to many of them within reason (Hershey, Dorney, and Konobels). they were a huge part of my childhood and Knoebels definitely has some of the best wooden coasters to marathon. Phoenix as described has such great intensity on those last 4 hills and the air time feels unmatched no doubt.
We have the same top 5. It may have been the same top 7 but Storm Runner was closed during my visit to Hershey in 2021. It will be interesting to see where Wildcat's Revenge will fit into the rankings. I look forward to going back to PA in 2023 and getting on some new coasters as well as revisiting certain coasters.
Thanks for the video. I've been on a lot of these coasters. You're knowledge of the Lazer at Dorney Park indicates to me that you live in or have lived in the eastern part of PA. Your knowledge about Hershey Park and Knoebels Grove seem to back up my assumption. One of my favorite coasters that are now gone was Hercules at Dorney Park.
Wow, this brought back so many great memories- Thunderhawk at Dorney Park was my first roller coaster when I was about 8 years old and rode it with my dad. My second coaster was the Coaster at Hersheypark. I ride Sooperdooperlooper at Hershey the first year it opened, and rode Phoenix at Knoebel’s the 19:51 first year it was there. Thank you for making this older “young at heart” woman smile!
So happy to see Phoenix at 3 I spent every summer going to knoebels for grandparents work picnic and Phoenix was always my favorite just for the raw negative g's on the bumps
You should check out the old Rocky Glen coaster (believe it was called the Million Dollar Coaster) & what it use to looked like. Pretty unique IMO. If that was still in operation I think it would have been awesome! I was at Rocky Glen as a kid before it closed, but never had the chance to ride it (I believe my parents did lol) but from the stories I heard about it, it sounded pretty awesome lol. I'm partial to the Phoenix because we go to Knoebels every year. I've also been on several of the Dorney Park coasters & was on the Superdooperlooper & racers in Hershey. Fun times! Thanks for sharing these fun coasters!
I got to ride that coaster several times before the park closed. Yes it was a really good coaster. It was a thrilling ride but ran rather smooth with good air time and a variety of turns. This park was a major loss to the area as they had a good number of rides for the whole family.
@John Chambers It definitely was a loss! We live 10 minutes away - I was still a bit too young to ride it, but I do have memories of going to Rocky Glen with my family & going on the rides with my brother. My parents use to go to the dances they held there. It's a shame to see what became of the park/the land, etc.
ROcky Glen's Million DOllar COaster didn't even cost a million bucks, it was $250k in 1940's dollars. The only reason the ride closed is that the lift hill diag supports where put into the lake and as the lake froze in the winter it compromises the structure, after just 11 years it had to be torn down. As they were dismantling it the good lumber was used to build the comet, which was also named Ghost Town Jet, Mighty Lightning and one other name escaping me. That coaster built and opened in 1959 was designed by JOhn Allen using bluePrints from Schmecks adult Junior comet layouts, adjusted for terrain. The coaster opened with 2 PTC buzz Bar Trains, which were not maintained and were junked for a used single 3 car grab ring train which stayed with it until it was burned down and razed in 1994. There is video footage of the 1988 auction and Dick Knoebels was seated in the front seat of the ride, he didn't buy it because it needed a lot of work. Stricker's grove bid $3000 for it and got it, but took too much time to get it down and moved and by that time the aeroplane tower collapsed onto the 2nd turnaround and then the local scum of the area tried to burn it down every single year until they finally got lucky burning the right half of the ride. AFter the last fire it was razed 5 days later. A BUlldozer hooked on to what was left of the lift chain and pulled it down. The remains are buried in the same area it stood and if you walk the park you can see portions of the steel road rails and some of the stack sticking out of the ground. Stricker's luckily still had the blue prints and built their replica (Mirrored) and it still operates today. for a 55ft drop and less than 2100 ft of track, it packs a wallop, some call it a junior phoenix.
I rode Skyrush this year for the first time, and even though I had no issues with the restraints, I honestly found it very underwhelming. The first drop gave a pop of airtime on the kink, and the three hills have good semi sustained ejector, but half the ride felt like filler. I honestly prefer Stormrunner, which I think is extremely underrated.
Thanks for your count down of Pa roller coasters. I made it a point to visit all the parks except the one with the wacky taxi. We have some of the best coasters in the United Sates. I have ridden many other coasters outside Pa but still rank our collection as some of the best. I prefer wooden coasters so for me the best coaster is the Phoenix coaster at Kenobles. As mentioned in the video you can’t beat the air time you get especially those last small hills on the way back to the station. This park is also highly ranked due to free parking and your choice of either paying by the ride with tickets or on most days an all day ride pass. I recommend viewers visit any of our parks and see how good they are. Many are close enough you could do more than one in a day.
Just bought a Cedar Fair platinum pass this year, so will be hitting up Dorney. Glad to hear some solid reviews on here for their coasters. We did Pittsburgh in 2019, and hit up Idlewild, Kennywood and Conneaut before Blue Streak was brought down.
I have been to all these parks and will really miss Conneaut parks Blue Streak. It was old and defiantly needed more updating before the new owner took it down. But it is again another great coaster that was lost due to where it was located and the greed of the new owner not wanting to invest and try to make the park work for the area. So much has been lost at this park it most likely will be permanently shut down.
@@johnchambers8528 Honestly, Blue Streak was REALLY rough. I had more fun on their flat rides (most of which seem they're gone too). Their turtle, witch's stew, trabant were all really fun. My kids went on the kiddie coaster, and my wife was downright scared with how jerky it was in motion. I can't blame her. We may hit up Lakemont just so I can ride Leap the Dips.
I grew up 10 minutes from idlewild and spent much of my childhood on this ride. Very unique “wild mouse” coaster. Although for years it was a big problem that it would almost never be open
The Keystone State is my home state. There really is a lot to love about it. The coaster lineup is one of the stronger ones. I also enjoy hiking and PA has tons of great choices for hiking.
I rode Possessed for the first time when it still had the hold brake and it was very fun. The feeling of your upper body being pressed against the restraints face down was awesome. Dorney Park, Knoebels, and Hersheypark are my home parks since I am from the Scranton area which used to have popular amusement parks such as Rocky Glen and Angela Park both which have closed down in the late 80s.
I visited both the parks mentioned and both were good family parks but were lost at a time many parks closed due to the various gas shortages and the higher maintenance and labor costs for these older parks.
Pennsylvania might be my favorite state for coasters. There is such variety with the coasters and the different parks. My favorite is Skyrush. 2nd place is between Ravine Flyer II & Phantoms Revenge. I love both for very different reasons.
Someday when I have the time to go on a solo trip dedicated to roller coasters (if I haven't gotten too physically decrepit to ride them), I have this dream of just doing a tour of Pennsylvania. Only it'd almost make more sense to break it into Eastern PA and Western PA trips. And then the eastern trip could incorporate SFGA and the Jersey shore and the western one could extend into Ohio. And and and... (The less-ambitious version would just be a Knoebels-Dorney Park-Hersheypark three-fer, which seems much easier to do. The western version would be mainly Kennywood and Waldameer.) Hersheypark was a regular visit and my favorite theme park when I was a coaster-phobic kid, but between one thing and another, the only coasters I've ridden there (and in PA in general) are Fahrenheit, sooperdooperLooper and Trailblazer. It's enough of a taste that I want to ride the rest.
I305 was my number one since I rode it until 2019, but when I rode Skyrush back in August, it became my number 1. I was genuinely shocked by how good it was. The only coaster I could see beating it in my rankings is Ride to Happiness.
Grew up with Conneaut lake park and Waldameer. Visited Kennywood for the first time in 2017 I believe (went in 2019, 2021 and 2022) and I don’t remember when I went to Hershey for the first time but I did go back in 2021. I am so thankful that I live in Pennsylvania with these amazing amusement parks. (Never been to any amusement park outside Pennsylvania so maybe I’m being a bit biased lol)
So far I've only ridden the roller coasters at Kennywood. It sucks how Pennsylvania is one of those states where all its great parks are on opposite ends of the states.
This is my my home state so here are my top 15 15:Impulse Knobels 14:Hydra The Revenge Dorney Park 13:Sky Rocket Kennywood 12:Fahrenheit Hershey Park 11:Talon Dorney Park 10: Ravine Flyer II Waldaneer 9:Twister Knoebels 8:Steel Force Dorney Park 7:Steel Curtain KennyWood 6:Storm Runner Hershey Park 5:Candymonium Hershey Park 4:Wildcats Revenge Hershey Park 3:Phoenix Knoebels 2:Phantoms Revenge KennyWood 1:Skyrush Hershey Park
Out of the handful of roller coasters I had ridden from your list, I would say Phoenix at Knoebels is my favorite. Steel Force and Hydra are on my top list, too.
I go to Hershey Park a few times a year. Candymonium is insane; i don’t think my butt ever touched the seat. The entire time you’re in line there is an automated message reminding you that you cannot take anything at all on the ride that could be lost - glasses, hats, sandals. You’d literally lose it on the first hill. It’s especially cool at night because most of the ride is out of view of the park, so you are the dark for most of the ride. Being in front for that first drop is more heart-pounding than the front of Storm Runner
My only suggestion would be that Comet at Hersheypark should have been maybe closer to the top than it was rated. This is a 75 year old coaster that has a good first drop and fun bunny hops on the return that you can hear the top wheels of the train leave the track. I'm assuming that trailblazer and sidewinder both at Hersheypark were just outside the list. Trailblazer was the first coaster I went on as a kid and the first "real" coaster I took my daughter on. It is a very smooth ride with a good hillside corkscrew at the end. Other than that, this was a great list. Thank you for putting it together.
Phoenix is the best coaster of all time. I spent my childhood riding that over and over. Nothing like the last ride of the night. They would turn the lights off and send you through 2-3 times.
Defiantly worth doing. PA is a big state and it took me several trips to visit all the parks in the state. But if you want to do it you could most likely break it up by visiting the western Pa parks and then the ones more in the middle of the state and finally an eastern trip to finish visiting them all. I don’t think you will be disappointed in both the variety and relatively low cost compared to going to Disney or Universal type of parks. Plus I will tell you other than the busiest days the lines are shorter than any of the big national parks.
@@CanobieCoaster Yeah realized that after commenting. Beyond a few places our listings were pretty similar. I think the Texas coasters are pretty easy to rank. There's a clear hierarchy
I love the costers at Kennywood and Waldarmeer. Sadly do to my size, I can't ride some of them anymore. The last time I went one the Ravine Flyer 2, the seat were so narrow, they hurt my hips.
As I was looking around on a used ride website I found a Schwarzkopf double looper with a picture of laser and saying it was refurbished in 2013 which is when testreke was refurbished. I think it’s for sale. Just looked and it’s sold. Wondere where it’s going
We definately have very different lists. I would put Skyliner in my top 10 in PA, being that the violent airtime it has really appeals to me. It reminds me of Phoenix to some degree. Yea it has some rough spots but the ride quality is so good that I don't care about the roughness. I also would rank Candymonium very low, with how loaded the state is perhaps outside the top 20 even. I see its airtime as very weak in comparison to other B&M hyper/giga coasters. I agree with the top 2 but I'd probably flip them (I'll admit both coaster con bias with Skyrush and that ride playing a big part in my enthusiast arc due to riding it its opening year and feeling it was too much for little 11 year old me so it was actually something to conquer on revisits), so I have a soft spot for it).
Skyliner is nowhere near what it used to be. PLus it operates with PTC Junior trains instead of the stad PTC coaster Train. I was lucky enough to ride it when it stood at ROseland in Rochester, NY. By the time Roseland closed the coaster was in such bad shape. WHen it was moved to Altoona, the park reached out to Dick Knoebels to give them insight on the logistics and the cost involved with the move. Knoebels pulled phoenix from Texas, which is quite a distance... Rochester, NY is much close so the cost wasn't as intense as Phoenix. 900k for SKyliner versus 1.3 million for phoenix Funny though when Knoebels built Twister it cost $3,000,000 USD and that was added 14 years later. Had knoebels built a ground up new version of Phoenix back in 1985, it would have cost them 700k more than doing the relocate, but they had the benefit of getting one of the Herbert Schmeck Comet Triplets. Skyliner is doomed, as the current owners of lake mont do not have the money to do a restoration and the coaster is getting very rough and showing signs it may need to be shut down. They cannot afford a re-tracking and it needs new trains which is another cost they cannot take on as PTC won't build the original Juniors anymore and the newer juniors are too heavy for the current support structure.. A retracking plus new trains would cost as much as it would to build a new Gravity Group basic out and back ($3.7 million). However, should lakemont close, I know from working at Knoebels, that DIck Knoebel was offered the ride if it was ever to be torn down/closed. I don't know if they would take it today, or where they could put it, but it is his to take as long as they bare the cost of relocation. I am hoping it makes it to 2024 so I can get another ride on it when I make my cross state trek to Kennywood with my kid to introduce him to Phantom Revenger and Thunderbolt.
@@Whatchamawhozit No way Skyliner runs juniors. Its trains are a lot bigger than Sea Dragon or Waldemeer's Comet (which I know are juniors). And from what I understand it isn't in bad shape, it just is at the point where it would need a repaint for the aesthetic. The park would rather spend that money on other things. Something will ultimately need to be done about it in the future (repaint or chemically treat the wood) but as of now it is not in bad shape. And when I rode it this past year I could tell trackwork had been done in the first valley. Also, from what I understand, the Curve/Pirates have invested money in the ride over the years since it is used as an element of their games. I know they've gotta have spare paint lying around somewhere, would be nice if they'd use it for Skyliner.
I've been on some defunct coasters from zyklon( it changed names several times during its lifetime- ended up last in Florida and hurt some people but could of been worse- at del Frisco it may have caused chills and excitement but no one got hurt on it during the time there...tho I can't say much about other parks it was in..del grosso knew how to keep upkeep besides pa has stricter restrictions in safety then other states) del grosso(blands park at the time) the coaster was razed last year in 2022, and high speed thrill coaster, jet star (whirlwind is still in use today but under different name) and this one at dorney a wet log gloom type ride called journey to the center of the earth, so I liked coasters a lot. Tho you had phoenix at 3 I'd say I would put it at two flipflopping your 2 to 3 well that would be mine feeling. Anyways the black diamond(golden nugget at Morey's pier in new jersey) the Knoebels built indoors coaster(New Jersey it was a outdoor coaster) showing the area where miners and the on fire town of Centralia well underground I've been there several times is up there if rank this one way above the flying turns I really don't like it , I've only been on it 3 times since it was built , I don't like the one area on it so avoid it like the plague , the twister at Knoebels would drop to around 25 cause if the area before the tunnel that throws a twist which caused my back to hurt and how heavy rickety around those turns it has, the one coaster in Knoebels that I dislike and if I had a list would be last on any coaster list is the Cosmo Curve which is a purple tragedy(oops) I say it may be for children the meter if many people liking it is low(this replaced the better coaster called high speed thrill coaster) I liked this video it was fun watching all these coasters The blue streak should been called mean streak or something wicked this there came for that one was a torture rack of hurt getting on it, I went at the park while the 13 floors of fear, and got on the blue streak and wow going thru pitch black night time through the valleys of death oops meant fear it was one wicked rude of pain to me and it was a great yearning not to go it again and I didn't. To bad the tide was tore down I would of thunk it could've been fixed yet the cost would of been outrageous for the park that barely is striving today.
Yes, the Blue Streak was a rough ride but due to its age and lack of major repairs it still was a great coaster to ride. I loved the fact that you went through 3 big hills before the turn back to the station. It is a shame the new owner of the park choose not to upgrade it rather than tare it down. However due to his continuing removing old rides I don’t think he has any intention of keeping the park running. This park is also not close to any major city so it would be hard to get enough people to come and keep the park in good condition. At least I got to ride it several times and have to add it to my list of dead coasters I have ridden in the past.
My good friend lives in Honesdale, PA and after seeing this, methinks a trip out for a visit is now a Bucket List! What a collection this state has...I always think of CA or OH, but man...Besides Dorney, Hershey, what are the 'must' parks (no kids, so could skip Sesame Place) and how many days total for 2 adults to hit them all? Thx, all, for any recommendations!!
Dorney, Hershey, and Knoebels are all really close to each other (and SFGAdv is not far away, either). Then on the other side of this rather large state are Kennywood and Waldameer. I’d say those should be top of your list - especially Hershey, Knoebels, and Kennywood.
As for days, I’d say Hershey, Dorney, and Knoebels can be done in three straight days - they can easily be done using the same lodging as a base even. Then it’s a long drive across the state, so maybe that drive could be combined with a half-day at Waldameer, which is a very small park. And then a full day at Kennywood. So that’s five days in total (not including travel days to and from PA).
@@smeagolbeagle2316 Glad it’s useful! Last minor suggestion: if you do the trio of Dorney, Hershey, and Knoebels, I’d suggest starting with Dorney. It’s the least impressive of the three (not everyone is amazed by Knoebels, but most are), so you’ll have the feeling of working your way up, instead of having Dorney feel like a disappointment after a better park the day before.
My hot take: I liked Twister more than Pheonix at Knobels. Got the chance to marathon Phoenix on opening day last year. Unfortunately flying turns didnt have enough people to run when we were there. Knobels is a special place. Wonderful atmosphere. Also, I really miss Conneaut Lake Park. Grew up very close to it, and spent a lot of time getting beat up by Blue Streak. It's the coaster responsible for my love of coasters to this day. It's also probably partly responsible for one of the herniated discs in my back lol.
@@CanobieCoaster yeah it does. That's alright though. Just more incentive to go back to that great park. I'll give them a pass there though, as like I said, it was opening day, and they hadn't gotten fully staffed yet. We got ERT on Phoenix though, and that was awesome!
Literally first! Oh, and jsyk, Busch Gardens Williamsburg was closed on the scheduled day Mach Tower would operate for the last time. So its last day of operation was January 7, 2023 since the park confirmed its closing date wouldn't be pushed.
Have you ever ridden The Steel Phantom? The first coaster to break 200 feet…and 4 inversions…I assumed you didn’t but thank for putting phantoms revenge as number one!
@@CanobieCoaster To be honest, once the novelty of the ride wears off, It isn't worth the hour to hour and a half to wait in line for it. That's just me though.
Twister at Knoebels will be running even smoother in 2023. 900 feet of the double helix is being retracked. Hopefully the complete aerial shot of Flying Turns in action will make an appearance in one of your future videos . 😏
Hi! Admittedly I only watched this because it's of my home state, and I'm not a fan big of coasters. I was however impressed with the shear number of them, as I have not been to all the parks mentioned. I live a short drive from Dorney, and the only coaster I've ever been on, made your list...Comet, at Hershey. Thank you for the informative video.
I loveee the phantoms revenge we go to kennywood all the time it goes super fast and if you go through the tunnel at the right point the thunderbolt goes right above you and you think your going to crash but you don’t and it’s super cool
My first ever coaster was Great Bear. I've also been on Twister, and Phoenix, but my number one pick..... Velocicoaster! I wanna go back to Universal !!!
To paraphrase Homer: "He who is tired of the Phoenix is tired of life." If you get off this roller coaster and you're not laughing, I question whether you have a soul.
Easily one of the best states for coasters. ESPECIALLY old coasters. My god they have so much old stuff that still runs so good. Dorney looks like an ok but overated Cedar Fair Park. Knoebels is absolutely amazing for its size and rides. Kennywood is also super great to have, and then Hersheypark probably has the most diverse variety of any park. Diversity is everywhere in this state.
I grew up going to kennywood, it's Hella sketchy bc there's ALWAYS a shooting there but the exterminator is the BEST. But it hurts to ride the older you get I've come to realize. Feels like you got into a highway pile up after you get off but worth it
Unrelated question… I’m sure you can help me… I’m planning on a trip to New England this spring, and I need to know if Six Flags New England and lake Compounce open for weekday operation starting on memorial day… Thanks for any help. Always love the videos.
Traditionally Six Flags is open daily between Memorial Day and Labor Day, but they were closed a few Mondays and Tuesdays in early summer last year. Lake Compounce did something similar.
When I was young, I didn't realize how spoiled I was by having half these parks and then all of NJ around me. I thought the whole country was like that lol PA is so stacked.
funny you mention laughing after getting off the phoenix well my first time on the phoenix i was young and the whole ride all i did was laugh like a mad man and yeah phoenix is special been in service sine if i recall 1972
Konobles is great! Never got to ride the flying turns. Remember it being built years back. Also remember there was i white coaster that was torn down. Also didn't know there was a newer one there
@@CanobieCoaster as a kid i always loved that place. Went almost every summer with my family. As life goes on we stopped going. Father had a pa house that's currently selling. One day I'll go there again and maybe have a family of my own and pass on the Konobles experience. I still remember the sounds of the rides. Great memories
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I've been really enjoying this "US States Ranked" series you've been doing - looking forward to more episodes!
Glad you like them! This will be the last one for a while. I have some country countdowns coming next.
Pennsylvania is a wonderful state for anything with "rails" I also enjoy the scenic steam train rides & museums there. Many of them near or going to those wonderful parks. Kingdom coasters paint scheme threw me at 1st. Once my eyes adjusted I was "enchanted!" I almost like it better than Blue Streak. Great color choices for a wooden coaster. Candymonium also has a delicious paint job (pun intended)
It's a great state.
Growing up in Western PA, I really took for granted the topography that made so many of the coasters at Kennywood like Phantoms Revenge so great. Definitely agree it holds up great! Nice video!
Thanks!
I’m honestly glad Fahrenheit wasn’t a gerstlauer euro fighter. If it would’ve been, it would’ve been one of the early ones, and so it probably would’nt have aged well. Intamin really nailed it in 2008 with Fahrenheit
Wish more of these models got built
Plus the capacity likely would have been even worse.
I think the operations are actually really good on this ride
@joeybremer5858 they are but it just moves slow because for the throughput
As a huge enthusiast who lives in PA and visits Altoona yearly to see a curve game, getting to feel the nostalgia of one of those games while also watching a coaster run in the background is amazing, I’ve never had time to actually ride it though
It's worth popping in for a ride since they have a pay per ride option.
You hit every adult coaster in Kennywood which is my home park. I am always amazed at how much fun Phantom's Revenge. It's a short ride but always has me laughing.
Such a great park.
Crazy how you placed Leap the Dips so high for its stats and age. Really cool that it holds up to be such a unique and special attraction
It does more than you'd expect.
You have to rank this coaster based on its age and design of the time it was built. I have ridden it several times and find it exciting for its age and riding in a single car with no major restraints. You can feel some air time even though the drops are as advertised more as dips than hills.
Great list, especially the top 15. Thanks for posting!
Glad you enjoyed!
We are really blessed in PA 🎢 8 of the 20 oldest operating coasters are in PA!! Thanks for the in depth look.. looking forward to Wildcats Revenge. They had some of the old cars out on display during holiday season.
I'm excited for that ride too.
Great list my man! Kennywood was my very first park ever as a kid so it's definitely cool to relive the coasters of my youth. I think the smell of oil for the track is stronger at Kennywood than at any other park, but that's probably my big nose.
Did you ever get to try Potato Patch? I know you are a fish and chips guy and those fries are out of this world. There's also a really good cafe there that has some nice hearty meals with a menu that switches daily.
I personally feel that the Racer is the most photogenic coaster in America. There's something about the red wooden track, the retro lighting that makes me feel like I'm on the set of Boardwalk Empire, and seeing how the entrance to the coaster is next to some games non-nonchalantly makes it really charismatic.
Thunderbolt & P's Revenge are 2 of my personal favorite coasters of all time, which is pretty awesome because right next door, is Noah's Ark and The Turtle, two of my favorite flats (along with the Whip and Kangaroo)
Awesome video
Yes, I love Potato Patch. The garlic salt fries are my favorite there.
My cousin and I rode the Phoenix 13-14 times when were kids because it was a slow day it was awesome!! Glad you loved it!
Nice! The ops there are fantastic.
@@CanobieCoaster My daughter is taking ASL this semester in HS. I told her that you can talk to the Twister ticket taker this year.
I grew up in both Western and Eastern PA and got to experience a large majority of these coasters and I couldn't agree more with your assessment. Thanks for nostalgia!
You're welcome!
Solid list. I still have yet to make it to Kennywood but Skyrush is definitely my favorite in Pennsylvania at this point.
One fun thing about the Pennsylvania coaster collection is that they have my favorite kiddie coaster which is Kozmo's Kurves. While "best kiddie coaster" isn't necessarily anyone's highest priority, that thing is just wild. I don't think it's a good starter coaster for little ones. It has ejector airtime in the back seat and it feels out of control.
Kennywood is a must visit in my opinion.
Hope you make it to kennywood! One ride on the phantom and you’ll understand why it’s more thrilling than skyrush. 👍🏼 but skyrush is definitely my 2nd in the state nonetheless.
Kennywood should be on your bucket List... I haven't been since the last year of Steel Phantom (the arrow looper that was converted into the current hyper) but yeah Kennywood is an awesome park.
Awesome! I'm so happy to see Phantom at #1! I am so lucky to have it at my home park! The 2nd hill feels like a true death drop! Yay love this channel!!
I love that drop.
@@CanobieCoaster The original Phantom is legendary though makes the revenge feel weak in comparison.
I love the Phoenix roller coaster I've ridden it hundreds of times
Nice!
Steel Phantom is also my favorite coaster in PA (so far). I'm heading to PA this summer. I'm hoping to get to some of these parks. I've only ever been to Kennywood and Hersheypark. And, I was last at Hershey in 1992.
Is a full day at Knoebels in that itinerary ?
@@easynhonest i hope so.
Never rode the original Phantom, just the updated one.
@@CanobieCoaster oops! I meant Phantom's Revenge. Steel Phantom was an impressive coaster, but the remix is so much more fun!
Out of the PA parks, I’ve been to Waldameer, Conneaut, Kennywood, Dorney, Hershey, and Knoebels. (Hoping to hit Lakemont next year.)
1. Phoenix
2. Phantom’s Revenge
3. Ravine Flyer 2
4. Skyrush
5. Candymonium
6. Blue Streak (RIP)
7. Storm Runner
8. Steel Curtain
9. Fahrenheit
10. Talon
Give Lakemont a call in advance to make sure Leap the Dips is running. It can be finnicky.
Some surprises in the order, but a great ranking video of the country's best coaster state!
Best coaster state. Now that is coming out strong!
@@alantrotter2077 Heh heh. What would you give it to? Ohio? Florida? California?
@@StamfordBridge I think PA has the most unique collection of the Top 4 states. They don't have a bunch of corporate parks like the other 3 states do, and so you will see more unique coasters overall in PA. I think I would probably give it to California, with Ohio and PA in some order as #2 and #3. Ohio really relies on Cedar Point and 3 coasters at KI's for me. I think once Wildcat's Revenge opens it would justify PA as #2. Florida is top loaded with Iron Gwazi, Velcocicoaster, Mako, Montu, and Kumba, but some of the other coasters that people really love (Hagrids and the Disney Coasters), I find overrated. I would have Florida 4th.
@@alantrotter2077 Fair enough!
Thanks!
Love the video. Grew up going to Hersheypark a ton, so I might have some bias here. But I'm going to list my Top 35 for Pennsylvania. I think we differ some, which is kinda cool. Here it goes:
35. Comet - Waldameer
34. Vapor Trail - Sesame Place
33. Trailblazer - Hersheypark
xx. (defunct) Wildcat - Hersheypark
xx. (defunct) Stinger - Dorney Park
32. Flying Turns - Knoebels
31. Leap the Dips - Lakemont Park
30. Merlin's Mayhem - Dutch Wonderland
29. Mountain Coaster - Camelback Mountain Adventure
28. Laff Trakk - Hersheypark
27. Jolly Rancher Remix - Hersheypark
26. Exterminator - Kennywood
xx. (defunct) Hercules - Dorney Park
25. Skyliner - Lakemont Park
24. Kingdom Coaster - Dutch Wonderland
23. SooperDooperLooper - Hersheypark
22. Possessed - Dorney Park
xx. (defunct) Laser - Dorney Park
21. Racer - Kennywood
20. Jack Rabbit - Kennywood
19. Impulse: Knoebels
18. Steel Force - Dorney Park (got good rides in 2022, so probably moving up)
17. Lightning Racer - Hersheypark
16. Oscar's Wacky Taxi - Sesame Place
15. Hydra The Revenge: Dorney park
14. Sky Rocket - Kennywood
13. Thunderbolt - Kennywood
xx. (defunct) Blue Streak - Conneaut Lake Park
12. Comet - Hersheypark
11. Twister - Knoebels
10. Talon - Dorney Park
09. Fahrenheit - Hersheypark
08. Ravine Flyer II - Waldameer
07. Candymonium - Hersheypark
06. Steel Curtain - Kennywood
05. Storm Runner - Hersheypark
04. Great Bear - Hersheypark
03. Phoenix - Knoebels
02. Phantom's Revenge - Kennywood
01. Skyrush - Hersheypark
And a fun note: of my 409 current credits, Roller Soaker from Hersheypark is 409. So that evens out my Hershey bias. LOL!
I wasn't a big fan of Roller Soaker, but you were way lower on the ride than me.
Thank you for covering my state and all its coasters. PA is truly a state with incredible rides and I'm glad to be more or less local to many of them within reason (Hershey, Dorney, and Konobels). they were a huge part of my childhood and Knoebels definitely has some of the best wooden coasters to marathon. Phoenix as described has such great intensity on those last 4 hills and the air time feels unmatched no doubt.
I'm glad this state is just a short drive away for me.
We have the same top 5. It may have been the same top 7 but Storm Runner was closed during my visit to Hershey in 2021. It will be interesting to see where Wildcat's Revenge will fit into the rankings. I look forward to going back to PA in 2023 and getting on some new coasters as well as revisiting certain coasters.
I'm excited for Wildcat's Revenge too.
Thanks for the video. I've been on a lot of these coasters. You're knowledge of the Lazer at Dorney Park indicates to me that you live in or have lived in the eastern part of PA. Your knowledge about Hershey Park and Knoebels Grove seem to back up my assumption. One of my favorite coasters that are now gone was Hercules at Dorney Park.
I live in New England. I've just gone on many coaster roadtrips to PA.
Nice to see my home state here
Lucky to live there from a coaster perspective.
We were on the Twister, Flying Turns, and our favorite The Phoenix 3 weeks ago...what great rides.
Nice!
Wow, this brought back so many great memories- Thunderhawk at Dorney Park was my first roller coaster when I was about 8 years old and rode it with my dad. My second coaster was the Coaster at Hersheypark. I ride Sooperdooperlooper at Hershey the first year it opened, and rode Phoenix at Knoebel’s the 19:51 first year it was there. Thank you for making this older “young at heart” woman smile!
I love all the classic coasters in PA.
Love seeing you talk about kingdom coaster, that was my first big coaster!
Nice!
Just an FYI in Pennsylvania a creek is called a "crick"
Yup, I know several people that call it that.
So happy to see Phoenix at 3 I spent every summer going to knoebels for grandparents work picnic and Phoenix was always my favorite just for the raw negative g's on the bumps
Nice!
You should check out the old Rocky Glen coaster (believe it was called the Million Dollar Coaster) & what it use to looked like. Pretty unique IMO. If that was still in operation I think it would have been awesome! I was at Rocky Glen as a kid before it closed, but never had the chance to ride it (I believe my parents did lol) but from the stories I heard about it, it sounded pretty awesome lol.
I'm partial to the Phoenix because we go to Knoebels every year. I've also been on several of the Dorney Park coasters & was on the Superdooperlooper & racers in Hershey. Fun times! Thanks for sharing these fun coasters!
I'll have to look that one up!
I got to ride that coaster several times before the park closed. Yes it was a really good coaster. It was a thrilling ride but ran rather smooth with good air time and a variety of turns. This park was a major loss to the area as they had a good number of rides for the whole family.
@John Chambers It definitely was a loss! We live 10 minutes away - I was still a bit too young to ride it, but I do have memories of going to Rocky Glen with my family & going on the rides with my brother. My parents use to go to the dances they held there. It's a shame to see what became of the park/the land, etc.
ROcky Glen's Million DOllar COaster didn't even cost a million bucks, it was $250k in 1940's dollars. The only reason the ride closed is that the lift hill diag supports where put into the lake and as the lake froze in the winter it compromises the structure, after just 11 years it had to be torn down. As they were dismantling it the good lumber was used to build the comet, which was also named Ghost Town Jet, Mighty Lightning and one other name escaping me. That coaster built and opened in 1959 was designed by JOhn Allen using bluePrints from Schmecks adult Junior comet layouts, adjusted for terrain. The coaster opened with 2 PTC buzz Bar Trains, which were not maintained and were junked for a used single 3 car grab ring train which stayed with it until it was burned down and razed in 1994.
There is video footage of the 1988 auction and Dick Knoebels was seated in the front seat of the ride, he didn't buy it because it needed a lot of work. Stricker's grove bid $3000 for it and got it, but took too much time to get it down and moved and by that time the aeroplane tower collapsed onto the 2nd turnaround and then the local scum of the area tried to burn it down every single year until they finally got lucky burning the right half of the ride. AFter the last fire it was razed 5 days later. A BUlldozer hooked on to what was left of the lift chain and pulled it down. The remains are buried in the same area it stood and if you walk the park you can see portions of the steel road rails and some of the stack sticking out of the ground.
Stricker's luckily still had the blue prints and built their replica (Mirrored) and it still operates today. for a 55ft drop and less than 2100 ft of track, it packs a wallop, some call it a junior phoenix.
i’m so shocked you put ravine flyer ll on this list. You’re a real coaster fan dude!
Love that ride!
I rode Skyrush this year for the first time, and even though I had no issues with the restraints, I honestly found it very underwhelming. The first drop gave a pop of airtime on the kink, and the three hills have good semi sustained ejector, but half the ride felt like filler. I honestly prefer Stormrunner, which I think is extremely underrated.
That's odd. I've never had an issue with the ride failing to deliver crazy forces.
Thanks for your count down of Pa roller coasters. I made it a point to visit all the parks except the one with the wacky taxi. We have some of the best coasters in the United Sates. I have ridden many other coasters outside Pa but still rank our collection as some of the best. I prefer wooden coasters so for me the best coaster is the Phoenix coaster at Kenobles. As mentioned in the video you can’t beat the air time you get especially those last small hills on the way back to the station. This park is also highly ranked due to free parking and your choice of either paying by the ride with tickets or on most days an all day ride pass. I recommend viewers visit any of our parks and see how good they are. Many are close enough you could do more than one in a day.
It took years to do everything in this state.
Just bought a Cedar Fair platinum pass this year, so will be hitting up Dorney. Glad to hear some solid reviews on here for their coasters. We did Pittsburgh in 2019, and hit up Idlewild, Kennywood and Conneaut before Blue Streak was brought down.
Dorney is a fine park. Good coasters and minimal lines.
I have been to all these parks and will really miss Conneaut parks Blue Streak. It was old and defiantly needed more updating before the new owner took it down. But it is again another great coaster that was lost due to where it was located and the greed of the new owner not wanting to invest and try to make the park work for the area. So much has been lost at this park it most likely will be permanently shut down.
@@johnchambers8528 Honestly, Blue Streak was REALLY rough. I had more fun on their flat rides (most of which seem they're gone too). Their turtle, witch's stew, trabant were all really fun. My kids went on the kiddie coaster, and my wife was downright scared with how jerky it was in motion. I can't blame her.
We may hit up Lakemont just so I can ride Leap the Dips.
This is Amazing
Thanks!
Apparently the wild mouse at idle wild also has some unique history and is technically a rare rollercoster
It is very unique.
I grew up 10 minutes from idlewild and spent much of my childhood on this ride. Very unique “wild mouse” coaster. Although for years it was a big problem that it would almost never be open
The Keystone State is my home state. There really is a lot to love about it. The coaster lineup is one of the stronger ones. I also enjoy hiking and PA has tons of great choices for hiking.
It's an amazing state.
I rode Possessed for the first time when it still had the hold brake and it was very fun. The feeling of your upper body being pressed against the restraints face down was awesome. Dorney Park, Knoebels, and Hersheypark are my home parks since I am from the Scranton area which used to have popular amusement parks such as Rocky Glen and Angela Park both which have closed down in the late 80s.
I wish that was still used, but I know it's difficult to maintain.
I visited both the parks mentioned and both were good family parks but were lost at a time many parks closed due to the various gas shortages and the higher maintenance and labor costs for these older parks.
My mom has some memories of going to Angela Park on school trips when she was a kid.
Pennsylvania might be my favorite state for coasters. There is such variety with the coasters and the different parks. My favorite is Skyrush. 2nd place is between Ravine Flyer II & Phantoms Revenge. I love both for very different reasons.
I agree the variety is incredible.
Don’t think I realized Pennsylvania even had 35 roller coasters. 😂
They're one of the best states for coasters between quality and quantity.
Someday when I have the time to go on a solo trip dedicated to roller coasters (if I haven't gotten too physically decrepit to ride them), I have this dream of just doing a tour of Pennsylvania. Only it'd almost make more sense to break it into Eastern PA and Western PA trips. And then the eastern trip could incorporate SFGA and the Jersey shore and the western one could extend into Ohio. And and and...
(The less-ambitious version would just be a Knoebels-Dorney Park-Hersheypark three-fer, which seems much easier to do. The western version would be mainly Kennywood and Waldameer.)
Hersheypark was a regular visit and my favorite theme park when I was a coaster-phobic kid, but between one thing and another, the only coasters I've ridden there (and in PA in general) are Fahrenheit, sooperdooperLooper and Trailblazer. It's enough of a taste that I want to ride the rest.
The northeast is a great region for coasters.
I305 was my number one since I rode it until 2019, but when I rode Skyrush back in August, it became my number 1. I was genuinely shocked by how good it was. The only coaster I could see beating it in my rankings is Ride to Happiness.
All those rides are elite.
I work right across from Kennywood Park in West Mifflin. What a view all summer.
Nice!
Got a coaster trip planned to Pennsylvania at the end of June sweet timing
Enjoy!
Phoenix is an all time favorite. Jolly rancher at Hershey is AMAZING!!!
Jolly Rancher looks cool, but I hate candy so the smell tunnel is a negative for me.
Grew up with Conneaut lake park and Waldameer. Visited Kennywood for the first time in 2017 I believe (went in 2019, 2021 and 2022) and I don’t remember when I went to Hershey for the first time but I did go back in 2021. I am so thankful that I live in Pennsylvania with these amazing amusement parks.
(Never been to any amusement park outside Pennsylvania so maybe I’m being a bit biased lol)
At least Pennsylvania is one of the best states for coasters and parks.
@@CanobieCoaster Agreed
Great list! As a frequent Kennywood guest, I would put Thunderbolt ahead of Sky Rocket, though.
I was close to flipping those 2.
So far I've only ridden the roller coasters at Kennywood. It sucks how Pennsylvania is one of those states where all its great parks are on opposite ends of the states.
It is a big state, but I find it easy to drive.
My fav coaster from Pennsylvania is Phantom Revenge
Same
I really like this series. Hoping you’ll eventually do one on coasters in Texas.
Already made that one. May do an update in a few years once all the new coasters come out.
Great video
Thanks!
This is my my home state so here are my top 15
15:Impulse Knobels
14:Hydra The Revenge Dorney Park
13:Sky Rocket Kennywood
12:Fahrenheit Hershey Park
11:Talon Dorney Park
10: Ravine Flyer II Waldaneer
9:Twister Knoebels
8:Steel Force Dorney Park
7:Steel Curtain KennyWood
6:Storm Runner Hershey Park
5:Candymonium Hershey Park
4:Wildcats Revenge Hershey Park
3:Phoenix Knoebels
2:Phantoms Revenge KennyWood
1:Skyrush Hershey Park
Nice list!
Out of the handful of roller coasters I had ridden from your list, I would say Phoenix at Knoebels is my favorite. Steel Force and Hydra are on my top list, too.
Phoenix is amazing.
I go to Hershey Park a few times a year. Candymonium is insane; i don’t think my butt ever touched the seat. The entire time you’re in line there is an automated message reminding you that you cannot take anything at all on the ride that could be lost - glasses, hats, sandals. You’d literally lose it on the first hill. It’s especially cool at night because most of the ride is out of view of the park, so you are the dark for most of the ride. Being in front for that first drop is more heart-pounding than the front of Storm Runner
That's why I always wear a glasses strap.
My only suggestion would be that Comet at Hersheypark should have been maybe closer to the top than it was rated. This is a 75 year old coaster that has a good first drop and fun bunny hops on the return that you can hear the top wheels of the train leave the track.
I'm assuming that trailblazer and sidewinder both at Hersheypark were just outside the list.
Trailblazer was the first coaster I went on as a kid and the first "real" coaster I took my daughter on. It is a very smooth ride with a good hillside corkscrew at the end.
Other than that, this was a great list. Thank you for putting it together.
It's a classic, but I think the rides ahead of Comet are funner for me.
Phoenix is the best coaster of all time. I spent my childhood riding that over and over. Nothing like the last ride of the night. They would turn the lights off and send you through 2-3 times.
I love when they do that!
I'm hoping to do a coaster road trip across Pennsylvania with my family someday!
Hope you can!
Defiantly worth doing. PA is a big state and it took me several trips to visit all the parks in the state. But if you want to do it you could most likely break it up by visiting the western Pa parks and then the ones more in the middle of the state and finally an eastern trip to finish visiting them all. I don’t think you will be disappointed in both the variety and relatively low cost compared to going to Disney or Universal type of parks. Plus I will tell you other than the busiest days the lines are shorter than any of the big national parks.
Can't wait for your Texas list. I've got a list of my own. I'm interested to see how it compares to yours
That one is already out. Will update it after all the new ones open.
@@CanobieCoaster Yeah realized that after commenting. Beyond a few places our listings were pretty similar. I think the Texas coasters are pretty easy to rank. There's a clear hierarchy
Great list!! I wonder if Wildcat Revenge would take 1, 2, or 3. My guess, It will knock out Skyrush for #2.
I don't expect it to beat 1 or 2. I think it will slide in 3 or 4.
I love the costers at Kennywood and Waldarmeer. Sadly do to my size, I can't ride some of them anymore. The last time I went one the Ravine Flyer 2, the seat were so narrow, they hurt my hips.
PTC trains are super narrow sadly.
As I was looking around on a used ride website I found a Schwarzkopf double looper with a picture of laser and saying it was refurbished in 2013 which is when testreke was refurbished. I think it’s for sale. Just looked and it’s sold. Wondere where it’s going
Interesting. Hope it has more life left.
You left off a decent runawwy mine train coaster.. Trailblazer at Hersheypark.
Scenic, but I find it boring.
Phantoms revenge used to be steel phantom and had inversions after coming up out of the ravine. That ride was much more intense!
I never rode Steel Phantom, but I doubt it could beat Phantom's Revenge for me.
We definately have very different lists. I would put Skyliner in my top 10 in PA, being that the violent airtime it has really appeals to me. It reminds me of Phoenix to some degree. Yea it has some rough spots but the ride quality is so good that I don't care about the roughness. I also would rank Candymonium very low, with how loaded the state is perhaps outside the top 20 even. I see its airtime as very weak in comparison to other B&M hyper/giga coasters. I agree with the top 2 but I'd probably flip them (I'll admit both coaster con bias with Skyrush and that ride playing a big part in my enthusiast arc due to riding it its opening year and feeling it was too much for little 11 year old me so it was actually something to conquer on revisits), so I have a soft spot for it).
I can see the rationale for putting Skyliner up there. My rides just weren't strong enough start to finish to go that high
Skyliner is nowhere near what it used to be. PLus it operates with PTC Junior trains instead of the stad PTC coaster Train. I was lucky enough to ride it when it stood at ROseland in Rochester, NY. By the time Roseland closed the coaster was in such bad shape. WHen it was moved to Altoona, the park reached out to Dick Knoebels to give them insight on the logistics and the cost involved with the move.
Knoebels pulled phoenix from Texas, which is quite a distance... Rochester, NY is much close so the cost wasn't as intense as Phoenix. 900k for SKyliner versus 1.3 million for phoenix
Funny though when Knoebels built Twister it cost $3,000,000 USD and that was added 14 years later. Had knoebels built a ground up new version of Phoenix back in 1985, it would have cost them 700k more than doing the relocate, but they had the benefit of getting one of the Herbert Schmeck Comet Triplets.
Skyliner is doomed, as the current owners of lake mont do not have the money to do a restoration and the coaster is getting very rough and showing signs it may need to be shut down. They cannot afford a re-tracking and it needs new trains which is another cost they cannot take on as PTC won't build the original Juniors anymore and the newer juniors are too heavy for the current support structure.. A retracking plus new trains would cost as much as it would to build a new Gravity Group basic out and back ($3.7 million).
However, should lakemont close, I know from working at Knoebels, that DIck Knoebel was offered the ride if it was ever to be torn down/closed. I don't know if they would take it today, or where they could put it, but it is his to take as long as they bare the cost of relocation.
I am hoping it makes it to 2024 so I can get another ride on it when I make my cross state trek to Kennywood with my kid to introduce him to Phantom Revenger and Thunderbolt.
@@Whatchamawhozit No way Skyliner runs juniors. Its trains are a lot bigger than Sea Dragon or Waldemeer's Comet (which I know are juniors). And from what I understand it isn't in bad shape, it just is at the point where it would need a repaint for the aesthetic. The park would rather spend that money on other things. Something will ultimately need to be done about it in the future (repaint or chemically treat the wood) but as of now it is not in bad shape. And when I rode it this past year I could tell trackwork had been done in the first valley. Also, from what I understand, the Curve/Pirates have invested money in the ride over the years since it is used as an element of their games. I know they've gotta have spare paint lying around somewhere, would be nice if they'd use it for Skyliner.
I've been on some defunct coasters from zyklon( it changed names several times during its lifetime- ended up last in Florida and hurt some people but could of been worse- at del Frisco it may have caused chills and excitement but no one got hurt on it during the time there...tho I can't say much about other parks it was in..del grosso knew how to keep upkeep besides pa has stricter restrictions in safety then other states) del grosso(blands park at the time) the coaster was razed last year in 2022, and high speed thrill coaster, jet star (whirlwind is still in use today but under different name) and this one at dorney a wet log gloom type ride called journey to the center of the earth, so I liked coasters a lot.
Tho you had phoenix at 3 I'd say I would put it at two flipflopping your 2 to 3 well that would be mine feeling.
Anyways the black diamond(golden nugget at Morey's pier in new jersey) the Knoebels built indoors coaster(New Jersey it was a outdoor coaster) showing the area where miners and the on fire town of Centralia well underground I've been there several times is up there if rank this one way above the flying turns I really don't like it , I've only been on it 3 times since it was built , I don't like the one area on it so avoid it like the plague , the twister at Knoebels would drop to around 25 cause if the area before the tunnel that throws a twist which caused my back to hurt and how heavy rickety around those turns it has, the one coaster in Knoebels that I dislike and if I had a list would be last on any coaster list is the Cosmo Curve which is a purple tragedy(oops) I say it may be for children the meter if many people liking it is low(this replaced the better coaster called high speed thrill coaster)
I liked this video it was fun watching all these coasters
The blue streak should been called mean streak or something wicked this there came for that one was a torture rack of hurt getting on it,
I went at the park while the 13 floors of fear, and got on the blue streak and wow going thru pitch black night time through the valleys of death oops meant fear it was one wicked rude of pain to me and it was a great yearning not to go it again and I didn't.
To bad the tide was tore down I would of thunk it could've been fixed yet the cost would of been outrageous for the park that barely is striving today.
Based on the Zyklon I liked at Wonderland, there's a chance that ride could have been in the top 25. I love the 3 car models.
Yes, the Blue Streak was a rough ride but due to its age and lack of major repairs it still was a great coaster to ride. I loved the fact that you went through 3 big hills before the turn back to the station. It is a shame the new owner of the park choose not to upgrade it rather than tare it down. However due to his continuing removing old rides I don’t think he has any intention of keeping the park running. This park is also not close to any major city so it would be hard to get enough people to come and keep the park in good condition. At least I got to ride it several times and have to add it to my list of dead coasters I have ridden in the past.
So many memories. I was on Great Bear the day it opened
So cool!
Phantoms revenge and skyrocket are my favorites...jackrabbit is my wildcard pick...
Phantom is my favorite at Kennywood by far.
My good friend lives in Honesdale, PA and after seeing this, methinks a trip out for a visit is now a Bucket List! What a collection this state has...I always think of CA or OH, but man...Besides Dorney, Hershey, what are the 'must' parks (no kids, so could skip Sesame Place) and how many days total for 2 adults to hit them all? Thx, all, for any recommendations!!
Dorney, Hershey, and Knoebels are all really close to each other (and SFGAdv is not far away, either). Then on the other side of this rather large state are Kennywood and Waldameer. I’d say those should be top of your list - especially Hershey, Knoebels, and Kennywood.
As for days, I’d say Hershey, Dorney, and Knoebels can be done in three straight days - they can easily be done using the same lodging as a base even. Then it’s a long drive across the state, so maybe that drive could be combined with a half-day at Waldameer, which is a very small park. And then a full day at Kennywood. So that’s five days in total (not including travel days to and from PA).
@@StamfordBridge Thank you, those answer my questions PERFECTLY!!
@@smeagolbeagle2316 Glad it’s useful! Last minor suggestion: if you do the trio of Dorney, Hershey, and Knoebels, I’d suggest starting with Dorney. It’s the least impressive of the three (not everyone is amazed by Knoebels, but most are), so you’ll have the feeling of working your way up, instead of having Dorney feel like a disappointment after a better park the day before.
Hershey, Knoebels, and Kennywood are my 3 favorite parks in the state, but there are other ones well worth visiting.
My hot take: I liked Twister more than Pheonix at Knobels. Got the chance to marathon Phoenix on opening day last year. Unfortunately flying turns didnt have enough people to run when we were there. Knobels is a special place. Wonderful atmosphere. Also, I really miss Conneaut Lake Park. Grew up very close to it, and spent a lot of time getting beat up by Blue Streak. It's the coaster responsible for my love of coasters to this day. It's also probably partly responsible for one of the herniated discs in my back lol.
That stinks Flying Turns was closed. At least it could run again most days in 2022.
@@CanobieCoaster yeah it does. That's alright though. Just more incentive to go back to that great park. I'll give them a pass there though, as like I said, it was opening day, and they hadn't gotten fully staffed yet. We got ERT on Phoenix though, and that was awesome!
Literally first!
Oh, and jsyk, Busch Gardens Williamsburg was closed on the scheduled day Mach Tower would operate for the last time. So its last day of operation was January 7, 2023 since the park confirmed its closing date wouldn't be pushed.
I heard Busch Gardens didn't open yesterday. That's weird for that park to not even open even with inclement weather.
Have you ever ridden The Steel Phantom? The first coaster to break 200 feet…and 4 inversions…I assumed you didn’t but thank for putting phantoms revenge as number one!
I only rode Phantom's Revenge, not the original.
The Sooperdooperlooper was the first adult coaster that I was ever on as a kid. : )
Nice!
1-10. The Phoenix.
11-13. FlyinTurns. Not having a track is….amazing.
A lack of track is what makes Flying Turns special.
@@CanobieCoaster To be honest, once the novelty of the ride wears off, It isn't worth the hour to hour and a half to wait in line for it. That's just me though.
Skyrush is king of pennsylvania for me. The raw intensity is unrivaled
I prefer Phantom, but it was close.
I live in Pennsylvania, So I love this!
Nice!
Funny enough Kingdom coaster was my first woodie and I got a night ride
Nice!
Six flags is right next to PA over in Jersey too, they have great coasters there along with the biggest roller coaster in the world
That's a great park too.
This video makes me glad to be Pennsylvanian
An awesome state!
Wow can't believe skyrush wasn't #1... but I agree with phantom's
It was close.
Twister at Knoebels will be running even smoother in 2023. 900 feet of the double helix is being retracked. Hopefully the complete aerial shot of Flying Turns in action will make an appearance in one of your future videos . 😏
I should have some Flying Turns videos in February.
@@CanobieCoaster Hopefully the park can get enough help to run it fulltime in 2023. I believe it takes a crew of seven or nine to run it
Hi! Admittedly I only watched this because it's of my home state, and I'm not a fan big of coasters. I was however impressed with the shear number of them, as I have not been to all the parks mentioned. I live a short drive from Dorney, and the only coaster I've ever been on, made your list...Comet, at Hershey. Thank you for the informative video.
You're welcome!
great ride steel curtain
When it's open.
You listed Phantom's Revenge at #1. This is the correct answer.
Yes it is.
I loveee the phantoms revenge we go to kennywood all the time it goes super fast and if you go through the tunnel at the right point the thunderbolt goes right above you and you think your going to crash but you don’t and it’s super cool
Such an amazing ride.
My first ever coaster was Great Bear. I've also been on Twister, and Phoenix, but my number one pick..... Velocicoaster! I wanna go back to Universal !!!
That's one heck of a first coaster.
I'm blessed to live in eastern PA, where I have so many wonderful coaster options (in this state, as well as NJ).
That really is a great region for coasters.
To paraphrase Homer: "He who is tired of the Phoenix is tired of life." If you get off this roller coaster and you're not laughing, I question whether you have a soul.
Phoenix is incredible.
Easily one of the best states for coasters. ESPECIALLY old coasters. My god they have so much old stuff that still runs so good. Dorney looks like an ok but overated Cedar Fair Park. Knoebels is absolutely amazing for its size and rides. Kennywood is also super great to have, and then Hersheypark probably has the most diverse variety of any park. Diversity is everywhere in this state.
I love how strong the mix is.
I grew up going to kennywood, it's Hella sketchy bc there's ALWAYS a shooting there but the exterminator is the BEST. But it hurts to ride the older you get I've come to realize. Feels like you got into a highway pile up after you get off but worth it
I find most of their rides smooth, especially considering their age.
Unrelated question… I’m sure you can help me… I’m planning on a trip to New England this spring, and I need to know if Six Flags New England and lake Compounce open for weekday operation starting on memorial day… Thanks for any help. Always love the videos.
Traditionally Six Flags is open daily between Memorial Day and Labor Day, but they were closed a few Mondays and Tuesdays in early summer last year. Lake Compounce did something similar.
@@CanobieCoaster thank you sir!
When I was young, I didn't realize how spoiled I was by having half these parks and then all of NJ around me.
I thought the whole country was like that lol
PA is so stacked.
You were very lucky.
funny you mention laughing after getting off the phoenix well my first time on the phoenix i was young and the whole ride all i did was laugh like a mad man and yeah phoenix is special been in service sine if i recall 1972
It opened in the 1940s in Texas. It came to Pennsylvania in the mid 1980s.
@@CanobieCoaster thank you for correcting me also i have rode all the coasters at knobles
Jack Rabbit is a top 10 PA coaster. That one trick is a phenomenal 1 trick. An insane 1 trick.
I prefer more well-rounded rides, but I appreciate that element.
Konobles is great! Never got to ride the flying turns. Remember it being built years back. Also remember there was i white coaster that was torn down. Also didn't know there was a newer one there
Love Knoebels
@@CanobieCoaster as a kid i always loved that place. Went almost every summer with my family. As life goes on we stopped going. Father had a pa house that's currently selling. One day I'll go there again and maybe have a family of my own and pass on the Konobles experience. I still remember the sounds of the rides. Great memories
Sky rocket’s first overbank looks like it kills you 😂
It's intense.
@@CanobieCoaster hah yea i figured
Thunder hawk used to have much less aggressive braking before the return half and some crazy negative gs
I can imagine.
PA is honestly underrated in general
I think it gets plenty of love from a theme park perspective.
Was that all costers or just top 35? I didn’t see DelGrosso’s park mentioned
Just the top 35. DelGrosso's coasters weren't good enough to make it.
@@CanobieCoaster fair point. I’m old enough to remember it being Blands Park. Thoughts on those to introduce the kiddos to coasters?
My favorite coasters our Candy Monium and Phoenix at Knoebels.
Nice!
I live close to Dutch Wonderland but i've only ever been there once when I was 3 (15 years ago).
It is great for kids. I didn't go for many years until Merlin’s Mayhem opened.
2005 was when I rode my first looping coaster on this lister (number 30 on this list) the super dooper looper
Nice!