Trip Report: Goliath, Fog and Coasters After Dark

Working mere yards from Six Flags Great America means that the temptation to make a dash to the park after work always exists — especially when the park is open daily.

This was also “Coasters After Dark,” meaning that the park would be open for three extra hours, from 9 p.m. until midnight, for season passholders.

Of course, this being Goliath’s only second full-ish day of operation, I knew the crowds were going to be plentiful.

And they were.

Goliath’s line seemed to fluctuate between 90 minutes and three hours throughout the afternoon.

Load and dispatch times are still on the longer side.

But the wait is worth that drop alone.

Goliath is not the easiest coaster to photograph, especially the overbank-turn portion of the coaster. The park train’s eventual reopening should alleviate that problem.

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Dispatch times are still averaging about two or three minutes. I’m sure that will decrease as crews (and guests) get more accustomed to the loading and safety check procedures.

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I wish there was a way for larger guests to know whether or not they will be able to ride before they wait two or more hours to ride.

The inverted drop is a very difficult element to photograph, thanks to the mass of wooden beams the train maneuvers through.

While the wait may be lengthy, most riders seem to be quite happy when the train returns to the station.

Crews have been very diligent in checking for loose articles. I haven’t seen one phone, bag, etc. fall out yet during the zero-g stall.

Batman and basketball. That seems like a good combination to me.

I’ve been living in the Chicago area for over a month now, and I still haven’t been able to figure out Chicago weather.

As I was attempting to get aerial photos of Goliath in operation (not likely with the slow dispatch times), I noticed a wall of fog approaching.

While the cabin rotated, I tried to ignore the fog and refocused my efforts on catching a Goliath train climbing the lift hill.

This was the best I could do.

A Goliath train speeds through the very fun twist-n-shout element.

By the time the cabin began its descent, the blue sky had turned grey.

I made a run to my car to pick up my jacket, because with the fog came a rapid decrease in the temperature.

Goliath’s lift hill is just barely visible from the other side of the park.

Batman is still one of my favorite B&M coasters.

This was some dense fog, as seen in the photo above. I’ve never seen fog overtake an area so quickly.

It’s hard to see with so much natural fog in the shot, but artificial fog has been added to Goliath’s tunnel, which is a really nice touch.

Goliath was down periodically throughout the day as crews work out the opening-week kinks.

Flying through the fog on X-Flight was a fun experience.

Goliath’s lift hill looks even more awesome in the fog. I cannot wait for Fright Fest.

If you ever have the chance, I highly recommend riding Giant Drop in the fog. It was one of the creepiest rides of my life, as I could barely see Raging Bull, let alone the ground. It was a very strange experience.

As the night drew on, the area around Goliath was bustling with guests. The queue line was closed around 10:30 p.m.

The attention-to-detail on Goliath’s train is really impressive for a Six Flags park.

Batman was a walk-on. It was a great way to end the night.

When I left around midnight, most of the park was quiet except for the coasters dispatching the last trains of the night. I love walking around parks when they’re empty (or just about empty).

Despite the unseasonably cool weather, fog and mist, I had a great time at Coasters After Dark.

See even more photos of Coasters After Dark and Six Flags Great America in the fog on our Facebook page.