We’ve all experienced it — you reach the end of an amazing coaster that ended too soon. Maybe it still had enough momentum for one more element. Or it was simply so fun that you didn’t want it to end.
I recently asked our social media followers which coaster they think needs 1,000 more feet of track in its layout. These were the most popular responses:
Maxx Force at Six Flags Great America
- Length: 1,800 feet
- Ride time: 0:23 (all ride times are approximate)
With only 1,800 feet of track, extending this S&S compressed air launch coaster is a no-brainer. Six Flags Great America is a landlocked park with limited space to expand, so designers have to get creative with how they fit new coasters and other attractions into the park. Unfortunately, often time that means a smaller footprint with less track.
While Maxx Force might be short, no inch of track is wasted. The coaster features the fastest acceleration of a coaster in North America (0-78 in 1.8 seconds) as well as the world’s fastest inversion, a 60 mph heartline roll. In fact, even the bottom half of the coaster’s final inversion — a dive loop – doubles as its brake run.
While I wish this coaster had 1,000 more feet of track, Maxx Force is an amazing ride as is.
Read our review of Maxx Force here.
Orion at King’s Island
- Length: 5,321 feet
- Ride time: 3:00
Orion just barely classifies as a giga coaster, standing right at 287 feet tall with a 300-foot first drop. It’s the shortest of the three Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) giga coasters, behind Fury 325 at Carowinds (6,602 feet) and Leviathan at Canada’s Wonderland (5,486 feet).
However, a “short” B&M giga coaster is still longer than most coasters. In fact, Orion is only around 300 feet away from making it onto the list of ten longest roller coasters in the world (not including alpine coasters). The coaster is packed with airtime and a deceptively intense spiral element. That said, it’s exciting to think what could have been done with 1,000 more feet of track, especially taking into account the hilly terrain of Kings Island.
Read our review of Orion and see photos from our behind-the-scenes walk-back at Coasterstock 2021.
Storm Runner at Hersheypark
- Length: 2,600 feet
- Ride time: 0:50
Storm Runner is another coaster that has plenty of momentum when it reaches the brake run. Like other launch coasters in our list, Storm Runner takes riders through back-to-back inversions and other elements.
However, the coaster would benefit from a couple of more elements to round out its layout — perhaps a snappy inversion or a helix.
Tron Lightcycle Run
Photo © Disney Parks
- Length: 3,169 feet
- Ride time: 2:00
The newest coaster at Magic Kingdom, Tron Lightcycle Run features both an indoor and outdoor segment, although some have said it feels too short. But that short ride time is offset by a unique train, an immersive setting and a futuristic soundtrack.
Aside from its length, Tron Lightcycle Run was a home run for Magic Kingdom. Read our review of the coaster here.
Goliath at Six Flags Great America
Photo © Six Flags Great America
- Length: 3,100 feet
- Ride time: 1:45
I never thought a Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) wooden coaster would occupy a small plot of land at the back of Six Flags Great America, but they did. When it opened in 2014, Goliath broke three world records for wooden coasters: the longest drop (180 feet), the steepest angle of 85 degrees and the fastest speed (72 mph). The coaster still has a lot of energy when it hits the brake run — if only the park had more space for the coaster to take riders through a few more elements.
Regardless, the coaster is an incredible entry on Six Flags Great America’s coaster roster. For more, read our Goliath review from its media preview in 2014 here.
Full Throttle at Six Flags Magic Mountain
Photo © Six Flags Magic Mountain
- Length: 2,200 feet
- Ride time: 1:30
Full Throttle is one of the most unique multi-launch coasters in the country, with its innovative layout and iconic, 160-foot-tall double-track loop.
Full Throttle
The coaster also has a brief backward section, which makes the layout seem a little longer. Still, the ride experience would certainly benefit from a few more elements.
Leviathan at Canada’s Wonderland
- Length: 5,486 feet
- Ride time: 3:28
B&M’s first giga coaster, Leviathan was a game-changer for Canada’s Wonderland. At 5,486 feet, it’s a stretch to call Leviathan a “short” coaster. Rather, the coaster would be elevated to another echelon with a few more camelback hills.
B&M unleashed a masterpiece with Leviathan that paved the way for the company’s other two giga coasters, Fury 325 and the previously highlighted Orion. It’s an incredible feat, even at its current length.
Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa
- Length: 4,075 feet
- Ride: 1:50
The general sentiment around the responses stating that Iron Gwazi needed 1,000 more feet of track wasn’t because people felt it was too short. Many suggested that the ride was so amazing that they didn’t want it to end.
Photo © Busch Gardens Tampa
Like so many RMC creations, the coaster’s trains reach the brake run with so much speed. One can only imagine what more the coaster could do with that pent-up energy.
Iron Rattler at Six Flags Fiesta Texas
- Length: 3,266 feet
- Ride time: 2:30
Iron Rattler is by far the most memorable RMC in regard to the way it takes advantage of the terrain it’s built on. The RMC wood/steel hybrid, perhaps even more so than its all-wood predecessor, Rattler, leverages Six Flags Fiesta Texas’ iconic rock quarry to its full potential.
Photo © Six Flags Fiesta Texas
By nature, RMC coasters built on the structures of the wooden coasters that came before them are somewhat limited in their length, so we’ll give Iron Rattler a pass. But it’s still fun to dream.
Tennessee Tornado at Dollywood
- Length: 2,682 feet
- Ride time: 1:48
Rumors have persisted that Tennessee Tornado, Arrow’s last traditional looping steel coaster, was meant to be longer than what was built. The official Tennessee Tornado press release did describe the coaster as having four inversions and that the double-inversion Iron Butterfly would be followed by “several more loops and turns.”
But according to the longtime Dollywood employees I’ve spoken with over the years, Tennessee Tornado’s layout was never “shortened.” The park gave Arrow a set budget, and Arrow gave the park what they thought was the most efficient use of that budget.
Concept designs for longer layouts may have been produced, but the final design was never reduced in length.
Learn more about Tennessee Tornado in our “19 in 2019” feature. And see rare construction photos of Tennessee Tornado here.
For more, don’t miss our in-depth look at trends in coaster length.
Which coaster do you wish was 1,000 feet longer? What would you add to its layout? Let us know in the comments section below!
Full Throttle needs to be longer.
I suggest after the massive hill, there needs to be a Right Turning Helix that goes straight over the live life gear store and the loaded dog food location, followed by going behind the stage that’s in the plaza as well. Then, a Zero-G Roll followed by a Norwegian Loop coming in sideways, then a Left Turning Helix, then a second Zero-G Roll over the station, then another Left Turning Helix. Finally an Immelmann Loop into the station.