Michigan’s Adventure blossomed from a small petting zoo with a couple of rides to the largest amusement park in the state of Michigan during the late 1980s and 90s. By the mid 90s, the park had 3 roller coasters, a decent sized water park, and a collection of flat rides. Then-park owner Rodger Jourden wanted something that its competition at the time, Cedar Point, could never build. In collaboration with Custom Coasters International, they came up with the largest roller coaster that CCI ever built, Shivering Timbers.
Opened in 1998, this mile-long, airtime filled wooden roller coaster was a hit with the public and the roller coaster enthusiast community. Ever since, it has been ranked one of the top wooden roller coasters in the world. It has been on the Golden Ticket Awards wooden roller coaster Top 10 list for the past 15 years, except in 2011 where it was 11th. It was also one of the top three wooden roller coasters on the Mitch Hawker’s Best Wooden Roller Coaster Poll from 1998 to 2004 where it was 1st for 1998, 2002, and 2004.
The location where Shivering Timbers was built was no coincidence. From the moment you pull into the parking lot, the first thing you see is the massive wooden structure that stretches to the end of the property line. From its first drop to hitting the final brake run, Shivering Timbers never lets up.
Starting out at the station, you turn left into the 125 foot tall lift hill, plummet down the 120 foot drop at 65 MPH, down and over the first 100 foot tall camelback hill and down and over the second 95 foot tall camelback hill. The train then travels over a bunny hop, another camelback hill, and then a double up into the turnaround. Coming out of the turnaround, you hit another bunny hop, another double up, and then comes the unique trick-track, where the track banks right then left on what would be otherwise a flat section of track. After the trick-track comes 5 more bunny hills, then the grand finale, a 670-degree helix before hitting the brake run, bringing the total ride time to 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
All photos © Larry Treece
Shivering Timbers will celebrate its 15th anniversary this year along with Wolverine Wildcat, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary.
– Larry Treece
That looks like a great coaster!