ElloCoaster

  #25 Mako - Sea World Orlando, Florida, USA

Adding to a small but impressive coaster collection, SeaWorld Orlando unleashed the hyper coaster Mako in 2016, further solidifying their reputation as a must-do Orlando destination.

Take a front-seat ride, thanks to our friends at CoasterForce

#24 Wicked Cyclone - Six Flags New England, Massachusetts, USA

Six Flags New England jumped into the wood coaster conversion game by transforming Bill Cobb’s classic Cyclone wood coaster into a whirlwind of steel coaster insanity called Wicked Cyclone. A maelstrom of forces and coaster acrobatics await anyone who dares ride out the storm. Get the whole story here.

#23 Junker - Powerland, Finland

Junker is pronounced (roughly) “yoonker” and it’s an airplane. That’s the theme that prepares you for the crazy, dogfight-like aerobatics you’ll experience once you board this Gerstlauer gem. A speedy launch gets things rocking and an underwater tunnel later on just adds to the fun.

#22 Untamed - Walibi Holland, Netherlands

Even though this wood-to-steel conversion of the Robin Hood coaster just opened a few months ago, it has already got legions of fans. Typical of RMC designs, Untamed offers extreme airtime, butter-smooth inversions, and even throws in a surprise zero-G roll right at the end.

Have a ride, courtesy of our friends at CoasterForce

#21 Intimidator 305 - Kings Dominion, Virginia, USA

Kings Dominion unleashed Intimidator 305 in 2010, instantly dominating the skyline with a massive structure nearly twice as tall as the next-tallest coaster in the park. That insanely steep 300-ft (91.5m) drop leads to an incredibly fast series of turns, humps, and quick direction changes.

#20 Twisted Cyclone - Six Flags Over Georgia, Georgia, USA

Although smaller in stature than many other RMC wood/steel conversions, Twisted Cyclone makes the most of it with intense drops, zero-G moments, and claustrophobic trips through the dense structure.

#19 Shambhala - PortAventura Park, Spain

PortAventura was already home to Dragon Khan (red track in the photo), a fantastic Bolliger and Mabillard design with eight inversions. In 2012, they dwarfed it with a non-looping airtime machine called Shambhala. Themed to a Himalayan expedition, riders may well feel they’re on top of a mountain at the peak of the 250ft (76.2m) first hill.

Have a ride, courtesy of our friends at CoasterForce

#18 RailBlazer - California’s Great America, California, USA

It’s rare to see a completely new type of coaster, but 2018 saw the introduction of the single-rail “Raptor” design debut at two parks in the USA. According to voters, RailBlazer is the better of the two, landing it solidly in the Top 25. The trains feature a tandem seating design, robbing riders of the comfort of having a friend by their side and further upping the freak factor by making the track skinnier than the seats. Throw in an impossibly steep first drop and a spaghetti bowl of twisted track taken at blistering speed, and you’ve got yourself an attention-grabbing new coaster experience.

#17 Nemesis - Alton Towers, England

What do you do when you want a large coaster, but you’re not allowed to build higher than the treetops? You dig a hole, sink the coaster mostly below surface level, and theme it to an excavation site. Oh, then make it more interesting by having the excavation team discover an alien with spindly legs and rivers of blood. Top that off with one of the most cleverly-designed inverted coasters in the world, and you’ve got a massive hit that still easily ranks in top tier, a full 25 years after it opened.

#16 Flying Dinosaur - Universal Studios, Japan

If you’ve ever stuck your arms out in front of you and pretended to fly, then this is right up your alley. Using a track/train design that puts riders in a prone position facing the ground, Flying Dinosaur takes riders on a breathless, acrobatic trip over, under, and through the scenery at Universal Studios Japan.

#15 Twisted Colossus - Six Flags Magic Mountain, California, USA

Two wood coasters became one steel monster when Six Flags Magic Mountain’s iconic Colossus became the racing/dueling Twisted Colossus. Combining the two tracks into a single coaster gives riders a chance to do both halves with only one trip through the queue. And when the trains are timed just right, the interaction between the left and right sides make for a unique, magical experience.

#14 Superman the Ride - Six Flags New England, Massachusetts, USA

In the years since it opened, this massive machine has been known by three different names: Superman: Ride of Steel, Bizarro, and Superman the Ride. No matter what you call it, there’s no mistaking that this airtime-filled fan favourite is a world-class coaster.

#13 Iron Rattler - Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Texas, USA

Perched atop the cliffs of an old limestone quarry, Iron Rattler was the second-ever wood coaster to be transformed into steel by Rocky Mountain Construction. A steep plunge off the cliff wall gets things moving and a perfectly-weightless barrel roll midcourse maneuver might be the very definition of coaster utopia. Crazy banked turns and a surprise drop back over the cliff into a tunnel round out this Texas favourite.

#12 Maverick - Cedar Point, Ohio, USA

Cedar Point has (as of 2019) an incredible seventeen coasters - many of them record-breakers. And even though Maverick is less than one-fourth as tall as the Point’s tallest coaster, it is often cited as one of the best, if not the best coaster in the lineup. Several voters ranked this dual-launched insanity machine as their #1 steel coaster.

#11 DC Rivals HyperCoaster - Warner Bros. Movieworld, Australia

Bright magenta track makes this massive hyper coaster really stand out against the Australian Gold Coast backdrop, the non-inverting twisted loop thing is as disorienting as it sounds, and the last row of seats is turned around to face backward. If that’s not enough for you to book a ticket down under, I don’t know what is.

#10 Skyrush - HersheyPark, Pennsylvania, USA

Skyrush is one of the most extreme coaster experiences anywhere. Soul-crushing positive G forces, thigh-crushing negative-G forces, blistering speed, and twisting directional changes make even the most seasoned rider wonder if they’ll still be in the train when it returns to the station. Get the whole experience in the ElloCoaster article.

#9 Lech Coaster - Legendia Śląskie Wesołe Miasteczko, Poland

Vekoma’s new track and train style premiered in Poland in 2017 and it was an instantaneous smash hit. A near-vertical twisting first drop into a tunnel, a surprise barrel roll inside a building, strong moments of airtime, and a glass-smooth ride experience all combine to force you into rethinking what a Vekoma coaster can be.

#8 Flying Aces - Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Opening in 2016, Flying Aces took several cues from Skyrush and upped the ante with a non-inverting heart-shaped element and a zero-G roll.

#7 Expedition GeForce - Holiday Park, Germany

Set in and around trees, water, and a queue area themed to an expedition camp, this airtime-filled beast has been thrilling riders in Germany for nearly two decades. Overbanked turns, vicious bunny hops, and one of the most perfectly-designed twisting drops on earth keep fans racing around for another ride.

#6 Twisted Timbers - Kings Dominion, Virginia, USA

One of the smaller RMC wood/steel conversions is also one of the best, according to our voters. Landing right in the middle of the Top Ten, Twisted Timbers takes riders on an action-packed trip filled with surprises. And who doesn’t love those old jalopy-themed trains?

#5 Fury325 - Carowinds, North/South Carolina, USA

What more can be said about this incredible machine that hasn’t already been said? Fury325 is an experience that demands you divide your life into two parts labeled “before I rode this” and “after I had my mind blown by this.” A falling-off-the-earth first drop leads to cheek-rippling speeds and one of the best turnaround maneuvers anywhere. Get the whole story in the ElloCoaster article.

#4 Hyperion - Energylandia, Poland

When you think of great destinations with great coasters, you might not think of Poland… but you should. Recent years have seen a massive boom in coaster building there - and many of those (including this one) are bucket-list worthy. Hyperion is just one of 15 coasters at Energylandia (and two more are scheduled to open in 2020) - which is impressive, but even more impressive when you realize that the park has only been open for five years!

#3 Helix - Liseberg, Sweden

It’s as good as you’ve heard.

That could easily be the entire write-up on this Swedish monster… or maybe we could just link to that viral video where the drone chases the train around the whole layout. Regardless, if you haven’t been to Liseberg to experience this for yourself, start making plans right now. You won’t be disappointed.

#2 Taron - Phantasialand, Germany

At almost a mile long, Taron’s twisted track layout makes it impossible to fully predict what will happen once you board. Even after you ride, you still might have a hard time deciphering it all. An intense “zero-to-holy crap” launch starts things off with a bang and a midcourse booster launch keeps things rocking. Have a ride courtesy of our friends at Theme Park Videos

#1 Steel Vengeance - Cedar Point, Ohio, USA

If you were on social media at all in 2018, your feed was likely dominated by breathless reports of “the best coaster ever built, period.” Even the most skeptical nay-sayers were eating crow after their first ride, admitting that they’d been wrong. If there are any negative reviews still out there, they probably include the words, “too intense.” And that might be true for some. A ride this extreme simply isn’t for everyone - but for those who love their thrills taken to levels never before attempted, Steel Vengeance is the best of the best.

You can see ALL the rankings here, along with observations about the voters and other fun stuff.

You can see the 2019 Top 25 Wood Coasters here.

Want to vote in the next poll? Download a ballot and get started. When the voting goes live again November 1st, an updated ballot will be released along with instructions on how to use your current ballot as the starting point.