Tallest Roller Coasters

The Tallest Steel Roller Coasters in the World

Roller coasters are often the central part of any theme park. These thrilling rides have been around since the 16th century. Of course, these old roller coasters featured wooden sleds and slides made of ice. Later, in France during the 1800s, the first roller coaster with a track was built. These roller coasters were, of course, still made out of wood and were not very durable. While some roller coasters are still made from wood today, there are many that are made out of steel. Here are some of the tallest steel roller coasters in the world and where you can go to find them.

The Kingda Ka

The Six Flags Great Adventure and Safari park in Jackson, New Jersey, is home to the Kingda Ka, the current tallest roller coaster in the world as of 2015. This steel accelerator roller coaster opened in 2005, and in addition to being the tallest roller coaster in the world, it’s also the second-fastest. It uses a hydraulic mechanism to accelerate riders to 128 miles per hour and then drops them down 456 feet. The roller coaster is a total of 3,118 feet long.

Top Thrill Dragster

The second-tallest roller coaster in the world is the Top Thriller Dragster, which is located at the Cedar Point amusement part located in Sandusky, Ohio. When built in 2003, the Top Thrill Dragster was the first roller coaster to contain a drop of more than 400 feet (420, to be exact). Roller coasters of this height are classified as strata coasters, and currently, only the Top Thrill Dragster and the Kingda Ka fall in this category.

Superman: Escape from Krypton

Located at the Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park in Valencia, California, the Superman: Escape from Krypton steel roller coaster is based on the popular DC Comics character. Superman uses a steel shuttle to take riders up to 415 feet before dropping them down. When it opened in 1997, it was the tallest roller coaster in the world and tied for the fastest. Because of the way the roller coaster is designed and laid out, it’s not considered a strata coaster even though it is taller than 400 feet. It does not technically make a full circuit, and while the coaster itself is 415 feet tall, the actual drop is only about 328 feet. While these three are the tallest steel roller coasters in the world, there are many others out there. Australia is home to the Tower of Terror, while Spain features a tall roller coaster at Ferrari Land.