The Longest Wooden Roller Coasters In America

For generations of American kids, being made to stand next to a post at a fairground or theme park to measure their height was a rite of passage. Reach the 48-inch mark, and a whole new world of thrills opened up as they rode their first big roller coaster. And probably a wooden one at that.

To honor the tradition, we've ranked the longest wooden roller coasters in America based on the length of a single circuit of track, in feet. Figures used are those the parks themselves publish, with the Roller Coaster DataBase (RCDB), the enthusiast-run census of the world's coasters, used where no numbers are available. So, hold onto your ball caps: here are the eight longest wooden roller coasters in America.

1. The Beast in Mason, Ohio

At 7,361 feet, The Beast at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, is America's longest wooden roller coaster. It's a figure the park publishes, and one that Guinness World Records recognizes. It opened on April 14, 1979, and while modern steel rides took over the fastest roller coaster lists decades ago, The Beast has clung to that length title like a rider clutching a coaster's grab bar.

The track covers 35 acres of woods, so most of the ride is hidden from the rest of the park. A 137-foot drop leads into a 125-foot underground tunnel, and a 141-foot drop feeds a 540 degree helix tunnel near the end of a ride that lasts more than four minutes.

The length grew by two feet in 2022 when the first drop was rebuilt, and crews replaced more than 1,600 feet of track for the 2025 season.

2. The Voyage in Santa Claus, Indiana

Second place belongs to The Voyage at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari in Santa Claus, Indiana. It clocks in at 6,442 feet of track, or 1.2 miles. Designed by The Gravity Group, a Cincinnati firm that specializes in wooden coasters, it opened on May 6, 2006, with a theme based on the Pilgrims' crossing of 1620.

The lift hill rises 163 feet, three drops exceed 100 feet, and the train reaches speeds of up to 67.4 miles per hour (mph). Holiday World also claims two records for the ride: five underground tunnels and 24.3 seconds of airtime, the moments when riders lift off their seats.

A full circuit takes two minutes, 45 seconds. Trade Publication Amusement Today named The Voyage Best Wooden Coaster at its Golden Ticket Awards in September 2026.

3. Shivering Timbers, Muskegon, Michigan

Michigan's Adventure in Muskegon, Michigan, doesn't publish a track length for Shivering Timbers, describing it only as a half mile out and a half mile back. RCDB lists it at 5,383 feet, which puts it third on our list. Custom Coasters International, the builder behind three coasters on this list, completed it in 1998.

The park gives a 125-foot peak, a 122-foot first drop at 55 degrees, and a ride time of two minutes, 30 seconds. Sources differ on top speed: the park says 65 mph, while RCDB lists 57 mph.

The ride changed hands in 2026 when Six Flags sold Michigan's Adventure and five other parks to EPR Properties in Kansas City, Missouri, and Enchanted Parks now operates it. The park's president says recent retracking has the coaster running faster and smoother.

4. TIE: Hades 360 in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin and Boulder Dash in Bristol, Connecticut

Two coasters share fourth place at 4,725 feet. Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, publishes that length for Hades 360, although other sources point to slightly longer tracks: a park announcement from 2013 gave 4,726 feet, and RCDB lists 4,746. We've gone with the park's own current figure.

The ride opened in 2005 as Hades, designed by The Gravity Group. Its 140-foot first drop falls at 65 degrees into an underground tunnel, and the track passes beneath the parking lot twice. In 2013, the turnaround was rebuilt with a 360-degree barrel roll, which the park says made it the first wooden coaster to turn riders upside down, hence the new name.

Lake Compounce, located in Bristol, Connecticut, can trace its history all the way back to 1846 when it opened up as a picnic park. Fast forward to 2000, and it became the home of Boulder Dash, a wooden coaster that's pegged at 4,725 feet. It's set on a wooded hillside at the edge of the park, where the track stays close to the ground and passes between trees and boulders at more than 60 mph.

Since 2023, the park has been replacing sections of the original wooden track with steel Titan Track, a product from Great Coasters International. According to Amusement Today, 1,735 feet of steel was in place for the 2026 season, more than a third of the circuit.

The structure itself is still wood, so RCDB still classifies it as a wooden ride. Amusement Today has also given the coaster Golden Ticket Awards for the world's best wooden coaster five times.

5. American Eagle in Gurnee, Illinois

American Eagle at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois, is a racing coaster, with two parallel tracks that send trains out side by side. The park estimates each run at 4,650 feet, so we count only one track, not both. Built by the Liechtenstein manufacturer Intamin, it opened in 1981 with a 127-foot lift, a 147-foot drop, and a top speed of more than 66 mph.

Six Flags promotes it as the tallest and fastest racing wooden coaster on the planet. The park brought back racing from June 20 to August 9, 2026, as part of its 50th anniversary, the first time the trains had raced in nearly ten years.

6. Twister III: Storm Chaser in Denver, Colorado

Colorado's entry is Twister III: Storm Chaser at Elitch Gardens in downtown Denver. With 4,640 feet of track, it's the longest coaster on the property and a larger version of Mr. Twister, a wooden coaster that opened in 1964 at the original Elitch Gardens. When the park moved downtown in 1995, they rebuilt the ride as Twister II.

The current name dates to 2023, when the coaster reopened after a year of refurbishment, this time sporting a storm-chasing theme. The structure stands ten stories tall with a 90-foot drop, and a 100-foot unlit tunnel plays the sounds and wind of a tornado.

Closed again for the first part of 2025 for maintenance, it reopened that September.

7. The Boss in Eureka, Missouri

The Boss rounds out the list at 4,631 feet, the figure published by Mid America Adventure in Eureka, Missouri. Built by Custom Coasters International, it opened on April 29, 2000, and follows the hills at the edge of the park, starting with a 150-foot drop and reaching speeds of 66 mph.

The ride originally had more than 5,000 feet of track, but its final helix, a 570 degree spiral, was removed before the 2018 season, cutting 420 feet. The park was part of the same April 2026 sale to EPR Properties as Michigan's Adventure, and it dropped the Six Flags St. Louis name in August.

Still Measuring Up

While that 48-inch height restriction is still in place (sorry, kids!), the parks themselves, and their roller coasters, have evolved... even the wooden ones.

Steel now replaces some sections of track, and lengths change as sections are added or removed. The coaster at the top of our list is the exception: at 7,361 feet, The Beast has gone 47 years without any other wooden coaster coming within 900 feet of it.