Valleyfair has been on my roller coaster bucket list for years, and when I recently found myself in the Twin Cities area, I knew I had to make a quick trip to Shakopee to visit the park.
Overall, I was impressed by the park’s roster of eight roller coasters (especially the six that I rode). I felt Valleyfair’s coaster lineup was well-balanced and offered something for thrill seekers of all ages and intensity tolerances. The park also had an impressive collection of flat rides. While I anticipated only spending a half day at the park, I ended up staying the entire day from open to close.
Note: Unfortunately, the Excalibur coaster was closed due to flooding, which is a shame as I heard great things about it. I also passed on Cosmic Coaster, the park’s small powered coaster.
Keep reading for my ratings and ranking of the six Valleyfair coasters during my visit:
1. Corkscrew — 2.5/5
The only coaster with inversions at Valleyfair (as of this posting), Corkscrew is a classic Arrow looper that’s rough around the edges but still offers a fun ride, especially for those fans of the increasingly rare Arrow “loop-screw” coaster.
The coaster has a beautiful color scheme, and its location over a lake in the middle of the park allows for multiple vantage points from almost every angle.
I liked that the coaster drops straight from the lift hill, which is less common than the traditional dip, turn, big drop seen on other Arrow coasters.
Corkscrew was one of the first Arrow looping coasters to feature the more minimalistic loop supports rather than the arched trestle-style support, which attached to the majority of a vertical loop.
The same style was incorporated into the double corkscrew.
Corkscrew Stats
- Length: 1,950 feet
- Height: 85 feet
- Speed: 50 mph
- Inversions: 3
- Manufacturer: Arrow Dynamics
Also, I have to give a shoutout to the very brave bird that built its nest under the track outside of the station:
Me if I was a bird… pic.twitter.com/xpfLkhn6tg
— Coaster101.com (@Coaster101) May 21, 2023
Don’t worry — the bird is a longtime resident and flies away each time a train dispatches. It’s not what I would call an ideal living situation, but who am I to judge? I’d probably do the same if I were a bird.
2. High Roller — 3.5/5
High Roller is a classic out-and-back wooden coaster that opened with the park in 1976, the only opening-day Valleyfair coaster still in operation.
The coaster was rougher than expected in sections, but it appears that the park had recently completed some retracking work — hopefully that will continue.
The coaster had some nice pops of air throughout its course and held its momentum fairly well until the brake run.
It’s a great stepping-stone coaster for those who may not be ready for the more intense Renegade (more on that below).
High Roller Stats
- Length: 2,982 feet
- Height: 70 feet
- Speed: 50 mph
- Manufacturer: Opus Group (formerly Rauenhorst Corporation)
3. Mad Mouse — 3.5/5
Mad Mouse was one of the surprise hits of the trip. I have an indifference toward many traditional wild mouse-style roller coasters. I find them rough and jarring, but Mad Mouse was anything but.
The coaster was surprisingly smooth, including the 180-degree turns and zippy drops.
It was my first Arrow wild mouse model, one of only four ever made. Only three of those four are still in operation today. All were built in the late 1990s or early 2000s when Arrow seemed to be experiencing a renaissance of sorts (hello Tennessee Tornado at Dollywood). Sadly, the company went out of business in 2001 — part of its assets were then purchased by S&S Worldwide.
It’s a shame that more of these weren’t built. Assuming the others are this fun, I would much prefer this model over the much more common wild mouse coasters found at parks today.
Mad Mouse Stats
- Length: 1,257 feet
- Height: 50 feet
- Speed: 30 mph
- Manufacturer: Arrow Dynamics
4. Renegade 4.0/5
Renegade is another stellar entry in Great Coasters International’s (GCI) portfolio. The coaster stays relatively low to the ground for much of its 3,100+ feet of track, which allows it to maintain much of its momentum all the way to the brake run.
The 97-foot-tall lift hill provides impressive views of the back half of the park.
I really enjoyed the station fly-by element (it might as well be a station fly-through).
The extended queue (which thankfully was not in use) provides great views of the coaster’s final turn into the brake run.
As much as I enjoyed the layout, speed and transitions, the coaster is showing its age and is fairly rough in sections. It would likely benefit from some new track in spots, but I very much liked my rides on Renegade regardless. It’s a fantastic coaster and a must-ride for fans of wooden coasters that shake you around a bit.
Renegade Stats
- Length: 3,113 feet
- Height: 97 feet
- Speed: 51 mph
- Manufacturer: Great Coasters International
5. Steel Venom — 4.0/5
My ride on Steel Venom will always hold a special place in my heart as it was my 300th coaster credit. I’ve ridden a clone of this coaster, Vertical Velocity (now Flash: Vertical Velocity) at Six Flags Great America countless times, so I more or less knew what to expect.
However, I clearly didn’t do my research ahead of time, as I had no idea this Intamin “Impulse” model still used the elusive “holding brake” on the reverse spike.
My 300th credit — maybe not the most iconic for a milestone like that, but I had no idea it still used the hold brake. Made for a surprise I’ll never forget. 💙 @ValleyfairMN pic.twitter.com/1BV3v3PQao
— Coaster101.com (@Coaster101) May 21, 2023
It came as such a surprise that it quite literally took my breath away.
Steel Venom might not be the most unique coaster in the world, but that pause 18 stories above the ground will stay with me for years to come.
Steel Venom Stats
- Length: 630 feet
- Height: 185 feet
- Speed: 70 mph
- Manufacturer: Intamin
6. Wild Thing — 4.5/5
Standing 207 feet above the ground, Wild Thing is the tallest coaster at Valleyfair. It’s also the longest and fastest, at 5,460 feet and 74 mph, respectively.
This Morgan hypercoaster isn’t drastically different than the others in operation at Cedar Fair parks (Mamba at Worlds of Fun and Steel Force at Dorney Park). You know what you’re getting yourself into — a relatively smooth ride, laugh-out-loud floater air and a fun figure-eight turnaround element.
The classic, boxy (yet very roomy) Morgan trains glide through the sprawling layout with ease.
The Route 67 area of the park provides great views of the coaster. And of course, the coaster offers great views of the park and surrounding area.
It’s thrilling yet “tame” enough to be an up-and-coming thrill seeker’s first hypercoaster.
Wild Thing Stats
- Length: 5,460 feet
- Height: 207 feet
- Drop: 196 feet
- Speed: 74 mph
- Manufacturer: D.H. Morgan Manufacturing, Inc.
Valleyfair Coasters Ranked
This wasn’t easy, but below is my ranking of the six Valleyfair coasters I rode during my visit. Renegade is a very close second to Wild Thing.
- Wild Thing
- Renegade
- Steel Venom
- High Roller
- Mad Mouse
- Corkscrew
Overall, Valleyfair has a modest-yet-respectable lineup of coasters. I do hope the park builds a new coaster in the new future, as it’s been 15 years since the debut of Renegade, the park’s last major new coaster.
Despite many rides being closed during my visit (likely due to staffing issues as well as flooding), I still managed to fill an entire day even with short lines.
How would you rate and rank Valleyfair’s coasters? Let us know in the comments section below!
I don’t think I have ever seen anyone rank Wild Thing over Renegade (I personally prefer the later as it is my current #1). You did miss out on a hidden gem in Excalibur though, I personally think it is better than Wild Thing (not Renegade though).
Renegade was never given a higher ranking than Wild Thing, which is my personal preference as it is currently my top pick. However, you did miss out on Excalibur, which in my opinion is superior to Wild Thing (but not Renegade).
You did forget Excalibur and it is Route 76 not 67 . 🥰