All 12 Kings Dominion Roller Coasters Ranked

There are currently 12 amazing roller coasters at Kings Dominion, but which ones are the best?

The mileage might vary from person to person, but I’ve ranked all of the Kings Dominion roller coasters as objectively as humanly possible. Even though Flight of Fear is clearly the best coaster at Kings Dominion.

And, that is unbiased!

The highest scores of the Kings Dominion roller coasters ranked are Pantherian, Twisted Timbers, Dominator, and Flight of Fear.

The proof is in the pudding below.

KD was my first park and is home to my first roller coaster (Avalanche at age 3), so stacking some of my favorite rides against each other was a little painful. But, hopefully this will be helpful for those of you planning your next visit to Kings!

Without further ado, here’s the ultimate ranking of Kings Dominion roller coasters. (Thrill junkies, debate me in the comments below!)

Related Reading: Best Hotels Near Kings Dominion

Kings Dominion Roller Coasters Ranked

I’m basing these rankings on the ride’s comfortability, thrill, uniqueness, smoothness, capacity, reliability, and popularity.

• Comfortability: enjoyable forces and re-rideability (10 = comfortable)
• Thrills: speed, height, and inversions (10 = most thrilling)
• Uniqueness: noteworthy features (10 = most unique)
• Smoothness: …smooth versus rough (10 = smoothest)
• Capacity: riders per hour (10 = quicker line)
• Reliability: will it be open likelihood (10 = often open)
• Popularity: by what park guests flock to (10 = popular)

Let’s get to it!

Flight of Fear

Unashamedly my favorite roller coaster at Kings Dominion (because how can you not love indoor launch coasters?), I’ll still keep Flight of Fear’s ranking objective nonetheless.

Flight of Fear is the world’s first LIM launch coaster, opened in 1996. It’s located indoors and is themed to the Doswell version of Area 51. The ride coasts through 4 inversions at a top speed of 54 mph, yielding 4.5Gs within its 2,700-foot run.

Comfortability: 7/10
Thrills: 9/10
Uniqueness: 7/10
Smoothness: 6/10
Capacity: 9/10
Reliability: 8/10
Popularity: 8/10

Notes: I docked the uniqueness for Flight of Fear on account of the coaster having three other clones of it. One of which, is another Flight of Fear in Kings Island. So, while the ride itself is unique and holds a world record, our Flight of Fear is not the only of its kind. But you won’t see me complain about that, the more the merrier!

PS – brace yourself after the final corkscrew at the end. In recent years, it will stop abruptly right after that on the second break run and it’s merciless on the ribcage.

TOTAL RANKING: 8/10

Related Reading: Exploring The Outer Limits: Flight of Fear

Reptilian

Avalanche, it will always be Avalanche. But Reptilian is a bobsled roller coaster rethemed to a fearsome reptile said to be terrorizing the Jungle X-Pedition area of Kings Dominion. It has been in operation since 1988, features a 41 mph speed, and is one of only 8 bobsled coasters in the world.

Comfortability: 8/10
Thrills: 6/10
Uniqueness: 9/10
Smoothness: 6/10
Capacity: 6/10
Reliability: 7/10
Popularity: 6/10

Notes: If being one of less than ten of its kind in the world doesn’t count as unique, nothing does.

TOTAL RANKING: 7/10

Apple Zapple

Originally named Ricochet, Apple Zapple is the park’s wild mouse roller coaster located in Candy Apple Grove. Standing at 50 feet tall, the ride’s hallmark element is the hairpin turn segment that whips riders through switchbacks around 35 mph.

Comfortability: 7/10
Thrills: 6/10
Uniqueness: 2/10
Smoothness: 8/10
Capacity: 3/10
Reliability: 7/10
Popularity: 4/10

Notes: Despite its lack of uniqueness, Apple Zapple is still a fun coaster to ride!

TOTAL RANKING: 5/10

Pantherian

Pantherian–in a post Volcano park–is probably Kings Dominion’s most visually iconic roller coaster. It’s a giga, meaning it stands at over 300 feet tall (305 to be exact), and is themed to panthers. Its height, 85 degree drop, 90 mph speed, and 5,100 span of track is both the intimidation and allure of the ride.

Comfortability: 5/10
Thrills: 10/10
Uniqueness: 7/10
Smoothness: 7/10
Capacity: 6/10
Reliability: 8/10
Popularity: 9/10

Notes: The comfortability for Pantherian is based on if the average person could enjoyably ride this coaster five times in a row. While coaster enthusiasts would jump at the chance, regular people would balk at binge riding after the first time they grey out on it.

PS – I really had to be impartial on this one. Yes, I think that Pantherian would rank one notch higher than it does. But after factoring these variables, this is what the math said.

TOTAL RANKING: 8/10

Tumbili

Tumbili is Kings Dominion’s replacement for the also flip happy Crypt ride, having opened in 2022. It is Virginia’s first 4D spin roller coaster, an attraction that seats riders on either side of the track and flips them as the car runs about the course. It stands at 112 feet tall and goes 34 mph.

Comfortability: 5/10
Thrills: 7/10
Uniqueness: 7/10
Smoothness: 6/10
Capacity: 3/10
Reliability: 7/10
Popularity: 7/10

Notes: Comfortability and smoothness on this, I feel, are relative to whether folk have a strong tolerance for being flipped around a lot. So, those two categories are ranked accordingly.

TOTAL RANKING: 6/10

Rapterra (coming soon)

Rapterra is the upcoming launched wing coaster that will be the world’s tallest and longest for its ride type when it opens later this year. The coaster will stand at 145 feet tall, traverse about at 65 mph, and complete 3 inversions during its run. Rapterra is themed to a mythological jungle hawk.

Comfortability: x/10
Thrills: x/10
Uniqueness: x/10
Smoothness: x/10
Capacity: x/10
Reliability: x/10
Popularity: x/10

Notes: Godspeed to Rapterra because it has some big shoes to fill.

TOTAL RANKING: x/10

Racer75

Racer75 is an opening day (1975) attraction and classic wooden roller coaster that spans the length of Kings Dominion’s midway. It has two tracks that mirror each other, so two trains can run at once and race each other–hence the name.

Comfortability: 8/10
Thrills: 7/10
Uniqueness: 6/10
Smoothness: 6/10
Capacity: 7/10
Reliability: 7/10
Popularity: 6/10

Notes: For its age and type of coaster, Racer75 is smoother than you’d think it’d be!

TOTAL RANKING: 7/10

Grizzly

Kings Dominion’s Grizzly is a wooden roller coaster tucked into the woods of Old Virginia. Opened in 1982, the coaster is based on the defunct Coney Island Wildcat. It runs through its 3,150 feet of track at a speed of 51 mph. Grizzly has been retracked for the 2023 season.

Comfortability: 8/10
Thrills: 8/10
Uniqueness: 6/10
Smoothness: 7/10
Capacity: 6/10
Reliability: 8/10
Popularity: 7/10

Notes: Grizzly’s rankings have been updated now since it has reopened with its new updates. And in short, it’s a lot better now in smoothness and comfortability! Definitely back in its prime again!

TOTAL RANKING: 7/10

Twisted Timbers

You can’t convince me that Twisted Timbers is not themed to Angry Orchard. The coaster was formerly Hurler (purely wooden) from 1994-2015. It was refitted with steel track and new inversions before reopening as Twisted Timbers in 2018. The coaster now sports 3 inversions, 3,300 feet of track, and a 54 mph speed.

Comfortability: 7/10
Thrills: 9/10
Uniqueness: 7/10
Smoothness: 8/10
Capacity: 5/10
Reliability: 8/10
Popularity: 9/10

Notes: This is definitely worth the line!

TOTAL RANKING: 8/10

Dominator

Dominator is the world’s longest (4,200 feet) floorless coaster that Kings Dominion scooped up from the closed Geauga Lake Park in Ohio. It has one of the largest vertical loops in the world too, with the loop standing at 135 feet tall. The coaster also includes 5 inversions, runs at 65 mph, and hits nearly 4Gs.

Comfortability: 7/10
Thrills: 9/10
Uniqueness: 6/10
Smoothness: 7/10
Capacity: 7/10
Reliability: 9/10
Popularity: 8/10

Notes: Thank you, Geauga Lake!

TOTAL RANKING: 8/10

Woodstock Express

A hair older than the park itself, Woodstock Express is a wooden family coaster that opened in 1974 to promote the under-construction Kings Dominion. It’s only 35 feet tall and goes 35 mph, but it’s still a fan favorite of many park goers.

Comfortability: 8/10
Thrills: 5/10
Uniqueness: 4/10
Smoothness: 7/10
Capacity: 6/10
Reliability: 8/10
Popularity: 6/10

Notes: Scooby Doo (original name) will always be a Kings Dominion classic!

TOTAL RANKING: 6/10

Backlot Stunt Coaster

Admittedly, I always forget about Backlot Stunt Coaster. Not to slight the coaster, but it’s placed just out of sight and isn’t the most noteworthy attraction. So, I often forget about it when I’m thinking about Kings Dominion roller coasters. But, bias aside…

Backlot Stunt Coaster is a small launch coaster that opened in 2006. It is themed to the climatic action scene in The Italian Job, with special effects and sets along the ride. The coaster features a max height of 45 feet and speed of 40 mph.

Comfortability: 7/10
Thrills: 6/10
Uniqueness: 6/10
Smoothness: 6/10
Capacity: 4/10
Reliability: 7/10
Popularity: 6/10

Notes: Like Flight of Fear, a clone of this coaster exists at Kings Island. If its special effects were maintained and worked regularly, its uniqueness rating would have been higher but alas.

TOTAL RANKING: 6/10

Boneyard

So, I used to have a summary of honorable mentions at the tail end for the park’s defunct coasters. But, enough time has passed since first publishing this that some of the ranked coasters have closed.

As such, I’m throwing in a boneyard segment now and it’ll have two kinds of rankings:

• Full Rankings: For coasters that were previously ranked but have since closed, their original section will move here. Also, for coasters that weren’t ranked because they closed before this post was published, they’ll get a full ranking if I rode them before they bit the dust.
• Summary Rankings: For coasters that closed a hot second ago and I never rode, they’ll get a summary ranking based on what the general consensus is from those who did ride them.

These rankings will be more like reviews in that I’m not going to conclusively rate/place them in a list 1-10 since some won’t even have any numerical score.

This is more so a one last toast to them and dialogue on what they were like.

Cheers!

Anaconda

The first roller coaster in the world to dive underwater, Anaconda was an Arrow Dynamics looping coaster residing over Lake Charles from 1991-2024. The coaster boasted 5Gs, 4 inversions, and a speed of 50 mph. It was loosely themed to the coiling experience of its namesake, an anaconda.

Comfortability: 4/10
Thrills: 7/10
Uniqueness: 8/10
Smoothness: 2/10
Capacity: 6/10
Reliability: 8/10
Popularity: 6/10

OG Notes: While I feel like Safari Village/The Congo/Jungle X-Pedition wouldn’t be the same without Anaconda atop Lake Charles, this ride has not aged well at all. Sorry, Ana, but you’re a neck breaker.

TOTAL RANKING: 6/10

Boneyard Notes: It was lowkey sad af changing Anaconda’s brief to past tense. And, I do feel like the Thanos moment of “Perhaps I was too harsh on you,” with that really being on account of pitying how Ana went out.

Yes, Anaconda was rough, particularly from the MCBR to the start of the corkscrews, and it would’ve benefited from a Loch Ness retrack treatment. But…

Six Flags’ Kings Dominion could’ve done the attraction better with a proper send off, even if that was a curt Facebook post, “Anaconda will be closing November 3rd,” so that the fans it did have would know to give Ana its flowers before the wrecking ball hits.

I’m not surprised by Anaconda’s closure by any means (although I did think Backlot would go before it), but a trendsetting attraction that spent over three decades creating memories, serving as coaster milestones, and being the most photographed ride in the park deserved better than an obscure Christmas Eve demolition permit.

No warning before it closed, no announcement until after the permit made the news, essentially every intention on quietly demoing it during the off season to let park fans show up in the spring to an empty Lake Charles…

Maybe I should give Six Flags credit where it’s due–on brand with Anaconda’s theme, they decided to be snakes.

Volcano: The Blast Coaster

One of the most unique roller coasters there ever was, Volcano was an inverted launch coaster erupting from the Lost World mountain from 1998-2018. The Blast Coaster stood at 155 feet tall, launched at 70 mph, and tore through 4 inversions. Dedicated to its volcano theme, fire shot out of the top of the mountain with each train’s eruption.

Comfortability: 7/10
Thrills: 8/10
Uniqueness: 10/10
Smoothness: 7/10
Capacity: 4/10
Reliability: 3/10
Popularity: 9/10

Boneyard Notes: Volcano’s dormancy was a rogue curveball, and it’s reliability and popularity scores tell the full story of it: the ride was a fan favorite but it tore itself apart. From day one, even.

I didn’t want to zero out its reliability score because it did operate and was open often enough, however it did do an off and on coin toss as to whether or not it’d go down during a day.

And then, you’d hit the periods where the ride would check out for months at a time. Literally from its delayed opening until its premature closure, Volcano’s prototype life was a fiery, fleeting one.

On account of its mechanical failure, the park couldn’t save it to allow for last ride opportunities, try as they did. But, Volcano still made its impact, took the mountain down with it on the way out, and now blasts on down memory lane.

TOTAL RANKING: 7/10

Hurler

Hurler was a paperclip style wooden roller coaster that operated from 1994-2015. Themed to Wayne’s World, it stood at 83 feet tall, traveled at 50 mph, and pulled 4Gs during its run. Its Carowinds counterpart is still in operation.

Comfortability: 5/10
Thrills: 6/10
Uniqueness: 6/10
Smoothness: 3/10
Capacity: 5/10
Reliability: 6/10
Popularity: 5/10

Boneyard Notes: Hurler was a pretty average coaster, not horrible but not the best. And, even though it was only two decades old, its final years were rough. It was a rib cracker.

TOTAL RANKING: 5/10

Shockwave

Shockwave was a TOGO stand-up roller coaster that stood in Candy Apple Grove from 1986-2015. It featured a height of 95 feet, speed of 50 mph, and 1 inversion. Shockwave didn’t have a theme, but it looked better in periwinkle than it did neon green.

Comfortability: 4/10
Thrills: 7/10
Uniqueness: 7/10
Smoothness: 5/10
Capacity: 3/10
Reliability: 5/10
Popularity: 4/10

Boneyard Notes: In the coaster industry, a TOGO stand-up is the quintessential 1980s.

Also, literally everyone hated Shockwave’s ride experience by its end and no one was sad to see it go. Even still, for that coaster Kings Dominion did a summer long campaign to mark its impending closure, “Shockwave’s Last Stand.”

TOTAL RANKING: 5/10

Hypersonic XLC

Hypersonic was a compressed air launch coaster that operated intermittently between 2001 and 2007. It was a one trick pony, cresting a 165 foot top hat after an 80 mph launch (in 1.8 seconds) and before descending at 90 degrees to then circle back to the station.

It was an extremely popular coaster, favored for its punchy launch. So, its thrills and popularity score would’ve been on the higher side.

Its uniqueness would’ve been another strong factor, being a prototype and the first compressed air launch coaster in the world.

Hypersonic’s downfall was its reliability, with extensive downtime and maintenance hurdles on account of its prototype nature.

King Kobra

King Kobra was a shuttle loop coaster that sat alongside Lake Charles from 1977 to 1986. It stood at 138 feet tall, went 53 mph, and featured 1 inversion. It was themed to the king cobra snake.

There’s not much dialogue about this coaster beyond the casual nostalgia photo of its existence at the park. The only account of it during its time at KD that I’ve heard described it as being really cool at the time for its loop.

As such, I can’t really comment on too many categories for this coaster. But as for its reliability, I reckon it has to say something that its still kicking in Brazil as Katapul.

The Results

Kings Dominion does have an excellent collection of roller coasters! One that is always… evolving…

For a brief summary of the Kings Dominion roller coaster rankings:

If you have any thoughts about this ranking of the Kings Dominion roller coasters, let me know in the comments! I’m curious what other riders rate them by.

Bonus: Gold Mine For Kings Dominion Fans

Remember the Yogi Bear Cave? And, the aforementioned Volcano or even the Lost World?

So, I couldn’t conclude a Kings Dominion post without linking to these end-all be-all gems for KD diehards.

Kings Dominion (Images of Modern America): This book is a comprehensive history of Kings Dominion from the 70s through its 40th anniversary. There are scores of rare pictures ranging from concept art to construction shots, KECO era and the Paramount years. It highlights a lot of lesser-known tidbits about KD too. Maybe you know the Singing Mushrooms, but do you know Ruby the Carousel Horse?

You can preview a sample of the book to see for yourself how fascinating it is! It includes a foreword from the park’s original General Manager. Plus, it’s free if you have Kindle and is available in paperback too.

Theme Park Babylon: A blog by ex-Kings Dominion employee Dale Brumfield, it has a lot of posts containing behind the scenes stories, tales from the construction site, and oddball fun facts of different attractions. Trinkets like details on Flight of Fear’s ability to hit 6Gs at 70+ mph and an account of the time a boulder fell into the White Water Canyon’s trough. This blog is a KD enthusiast’s dream!

Odds are, you’ll find a neat insider story about your favorite KD coaster on Dale’s blog. So, give it a scroll!

What’s your favorite roller coaster at Kings Dominion?

For more KD content, you can also check out:

• Kings Dominion Rides Guide
• Get $25 Off Of Kings Dominion Tickets
• How To Visit Kings Dominion On A Budget
• The Best Hotels Near Kings Dominion
• Exploring The Outer Limits: Flight of Fear

Thanks for reading!