USA TODAY 10Best
Get your coaster fix this year with the 10 best roller coasters across the US
Best Roller Coaster (2023)
While theme park rides come in all shapes and sizes these days, nothing beats the adrenaline rush of a well-designed roller coaster. A panel of theme park experts chose 20 coasters, then our readers voted for their favorites. Here are the 10 best roller coasters in the United States.
Photo courtesy of SeaWorld San Diego
No. 10: Emperor - SeaWorld San Diego
The Emperor Dive Coaster at SeaWorld San Diego provides the sensation of a thrilling boogie board ride – or, more in line with the ride's theme, the underwater acrobatics of an emperor penguin – with its face-first, 14-story vertical drop, barrel rolls and Immelmann turns. California's first floorless dive coaster rises to 153 feet high and features speeds approaching 60 mph.
Photo courtesy of SelectStock // Getty Images
No. 9: Kingda Ka - Six Flags Great Adventure
Kingda Ka is "the true king of coasters," says expert Nikky J, especially going by the numbers: it's both the tallest roller coaster in the world and the fastest in North America. The main hill on this steel coaster rises a mind-boggling 456 feet high and the ride hits 128 miles per hour in a 3.5-second launch to get you to the top. From there, it's a 90-degree drop back down, but not straight down – the track actually spirals on the descent.
Photo courtesy of Kennywood
No. 8: Phantom's Revenge - Kennywood
The 3,365-foot track of Phantom’s Revenge in Kennywood brings visitors frighteningly close to another of the park's coasters, Thunderbolt. A hair-raising highlight is the second drop – a 230-foot thriller at 85 miles per hour.
Photo courtesy of Six Flags Over Georgia
No. 7: Goliath - Six Flags Over Georgia
If bigger, faster and taller is better, then Goliath is the roller coaster for you. This steel "hypercoaster" at Six Flags Over Georgia has some giant-sized thrills starting with a 200-foot climb to the top. From there, though, it's not one-and-done: the first 170-foot drop is followed by plunges of up to 175 feet at 70 mph, pulling a face-compressing 4G in turns.
Photo courtesy of Hersheypark
No. 6: Skyrush - Hersheypark
A ride on Skyrush – Hersheypark's tallest and fastest coaster – takes just a little more than a minute but packs a lot of thrills into those precious seconds. The big yellow steel coaster starts with a 200-foot hill climb before a 75-mph descent into a series of four high speed turns and five zero-G airtime hills. Skyrush is considered the scariest ride in the park, especially for riders who sit on the "wings" of the coaster cars that dangle them in the air far from the coaster track.
No. 5: Steel Vengeance - Cedar Point
When Steel Vengeance debuted at Cedar Point in May 2018, it was the world's tallest and fastest hybrid coaster with the steepest drop (90 degrees), longest drop (200 feet) and most inversions (four). At 5,740 feet, it remains the world's longest hybrid coaster and coaster with the most airtime (27.2 seconds), as well as a guest favorite.
Photo courtesy of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
No. 4: Iron Gwazi - Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Combining the best elements of steel and wooden roller coasters, the hybrid Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is named for a mythical half-lion, half-tiger beast. Taking the place of the park's Gwazi dual-track wooden coaster, the Iron Gwazi packs in a lot more adrenaline-pumping thrills than its predecessor, leading off with a 91-degree drop from its 206-foot-tall peak, followed by corkscrews, inversions and top speeds of 76 miles per hour.
Photo courtesy of Six Flags Over Texas
No. 3: Titan - Six Flags Over Texas
Hang onto your hat – and maybe your lunch, too – on this "hyper twisted coaster" where an initial 255-foot drop leads into a tunnel before emerging to endure a pair of 540-degree spirals, with the ride hitting 85 mph over a mile-long track. They say everything is bigger in Texas, but no coaster in the Lone Star State is taller than Titan.
No. 2: Phoenix - Knoebels
This classic wooden roller coaster at Knoebels proves that newer, taller and faster aren't always better. Phoenix offers panoramic views of the surrounding hills, as well as thrills in the form of a double out and back layout and speeds of 45 miles per hour.
Photo courtesy of SeaWorld Orlando
No. 1: Mako - SeaWorld Orlando
Guests looking for thrills at SeaWorld Orlando will find them aboard one of the park's roller coasters, Mako. Orlando's tallest and fastest coaster gets its name from one of the world's fastest sharks – appropriate for a thrill ride reaching speeds of 73 miles per hour.
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Jamie Davis Smith
Jamie is an attorney, writer and photographer. She... Read More
Jamie is an attorney, writer and photographer. She was born with deeply ingrained wanderlust and has visited 45 countries and counting. She often brings her children along for the adventure and is passing her love of travel on to the next generation. Jamie has written for Insider, Fodor's Travel, Yahoo, the Huffington Post, the Washington Post, Viator and Reviewed among many other publications. Jamie is from Philadelphia and now lives in Washington, DC, where she takes advantage of everything the region has to offer. Jamie can be reached at jamiesmithwrites@gmail.com and can be found on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
Jamie Davis Smith
Jamie is an attorney, writer and photographer. She was born with deeply ingrained wanderlust and has visited 45 countries and counting. She often brings her children along for the adventure and is passing her love of travel on to the next generation. Jamie has written for Insider, Fodor's Travel, Yahoo, the Huffington Post, the Washington Post, Viator and Reviewed among many other publications. Jamie is from Philadelphia and now lives in Washington, DC, where she takes advantage of everything the region has to offer. Jamie can be reached at jamiesmithwrites@gmail.com and can be found on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
Jason Leppert
Jason Leppert is a San Diego-based cruising expert... Read More
Jason Leppert is a San Diego-based cruising expert with more than 140 sailings under his belt and a fresh, millennial perspective on the industry. He has been cruising since before he was two years old, thanks to his parents’ shared passion for traveling and their desire to experience all journeys together as a family. Now, he regularly sails and writes “he said, she said” cruise columns with his wife Heidi. He is the founding editor of Popular Cruising, producer of the successful Popular Cruising YouTube channel and Cruise Editor for TravelAge West.
Jason Leppert
Jason Leppert is a San Diego-based cruising expert with more than 140 sailings under his belt and a fresh, millennial perspective on the industry. He has been cruising since before he was two years old, thanks to his parents’ shared passion for traveling and their desire to experience all journeys together as a family. Now, he regularly sails and writes “he said, she said” cruise columns with his wife Heidi. He is the founding editor of Popular Cruising, producer of the successful Popular Cruising YouTube channel and Cruise Editor for TravelAge West.
John Stevenson
John Stevenson is the founder of Coaster101.com, a... Read More
John Stevenson is the founder of Coaster101.com, a roller coaster and amusement industry website featuring in-depth articles about the fundamentals of roller coaster design, theme park guides, roller coaster reviews, interviews with industry experts, the latest coaster news and more. In 2017, John authored Libertyland: Images of Modern America, a book detailing the history of the former Libertyland amusement park in Memphis, Tennessee, which operated from 1976 until 2005 and was home to the Zippin Pippin, Elvis Presley's favorite roller coaster. John has traveled from coast to coast riding over 230 roller coasters in the US.
John Stevenson
John Stevenson is the founder of Coaster101.com, a roller coaster and amusement industry website featuring in-depth articles about the fundamentals of roller coaster design, theme park guides, roller coaster reviews, interviews with industry experts, the latest coaster news and more. In 2017, John authored Libertyland: Images of Modern America, a book detailing the history of the former Libertyland amusement park in Memphis, Tennessee, which operated from 1976 until 2005 and was home to the Zippin Pippin, Elvis Presley's favorite roller coaster. John has traveled from coast to coast riding over 230 roller coasters in the US.
Kyle McCarthy
Kyle McCarthy is the co-founder and editor of... Read More
Kyle McCarthy is the co-founder and editor of Family Travel Forum, the trusted resource for family vacation planners since 1996. FTF’s award-winning publications: MyFamilyTravels.com, America’s Most Popular Family Vacations and The Family Vacationist e-newsletter provide destination reviews, tips and seasonal roundups for all aspects of travel. Ms. McCarthy, author of a dozen Frommer’s guidebooks, also contributes to US News, CNN and other publications. She can be found on most social networks @familytravelforum.
Kyle McCarthy
Kyle McCarthy is the co-founder and editor of Family Travel Forum, the trusted resource for family vacation planners since 1996. FTF’s award-winning publications: MyFamilyTravels.com, America’s Most Popular Family Vacations and The Family Vacationist e-newsletter provide destination reviews, tips and seasonal roundups for all aspects of travel. Ms. McCarthy, author of a dozen Frommer’s guidebooks, also contributes to US News, CNN and other publications. She can be found on most social networks @familytravelforum.
Linda Laban
Linda Laban is a London-born freelance arts and... Read More
Linda Laban is a London-born freelance arts and travel writer, currently bi-coastal-plus – Linda drives coast to coast, exploring the bits in between.
Linda Laban
Linda Laban is a London-born freelance arts and travel writer, currently bi-coastal-plus – Linda drives coast to coast, exploring the bits in between.
Nicky Omohundro
Nicky Omohundro is the founder and editor of Read More
Nicky Omohundro is the founder and editor of LittleFamilyAdventure.com, the popular family travel & lifestyle website that inspires families to leave no child left inside. Since 2013 LFA has been providing inspiration to get families outdoors, eat well, and travel everywhere from their own backyard to around the world. Always up for a family adventure, she has traveled to 37 states and 6 countries to zip-line through a Costa Rican rainforest, see Finland’s Northern Lights, and go camping throughout the US. Nicky is the co-founder of Tourism WorX a travel consultancy group. Connect with her Twitter and Instagram.
Nicky Omohundro
Nicky Omohundro is the founder and editor of LittleFamilyAdventure.com, the popular family travel & lifestyle website that inspires families to leave no child left inside. Since 2013 LFA has been providing inspiration to get families outdoors, eat well, and travel everywhere from their own backyard to around the world. Always up for a family adventure, she has traveled to 37 states and 6 countries to zip-line through a Costa Rican rainforest, see Finland’s Northern Lights, and go camping throughout the US. Nicky is the co-founder of Tourism WorX a travel consultancy group. Connect with her Twitter and Instagram.
Nikky J
NikkyJ is a theme park super fan, Author of The... Read More
NikkyJ is a theme park super fan, Author of The Solo Theme Park Traveler’s Guide, the founder and owner of ThemeParkHipster.com, a wishful Food Critic, coffee enthusiast, and a lover of life! She currently resides in Orlando, Florida where she enjoys spending time with her husband and two little girls while discovering the beautiful attractions of Florida. You can watch her on YouTube or listen to her podcast.
Nikky J
NikkyJ is a theme park super fan, Author of The Solo Theme Park Traveler’s Guide, the founder and owner of ThemeParkHipster.com, a wishful Food Critic, coffee enthusiast, and a lover of life! She currently resides in Orlando, Florida where she enjoys spending time with her husband and two little girls while discovering the beautiful attractions of Florida. You can watch her on YouTube or listen to her podcast.
Robb Alvey
Robb Alvey is the owner of ThemeParkReview.com,... Read More
Robb Alvey is the owner of ThemeParkReview.com, started in 1996 and one of the longest running and largest theme park fan sites with over 3 million followers. Robb travels to theme parks all over the world each year including Europe, Asia, Australia, and all around the Americas, has visited hundreds of different parks and ridden about 2,000 different roller coasters. His background in theme parks started as a cast member for Disneyland when he was 17 years old and has continued more than 30 years later.
Robb Alvey
Robb Alvey is the owner of ThemeParkReview.com, started in 1996 and one of the longest running and largest theme park fan sites with over 3 million followers. Robb travels to theme parks all over the world each year including Europe, Asia, Australia, and all around the Americas, has visited hundreds of different parks and ridden about 2,000 different roller coasters. His background in theme parks started as a cast member for Disneyland when he was 17 years old and has continued more than 30 years later.
Robin Raven
Robin Raven is an author and journalist who covers... Read More
Robin Raven is an author and journalist who covers such topics as travel, culture, and vegan dining. Her work can be seen in The Washington Post, Travel + Leisure, Reader’s Digest, and many other publications. Robin is the author of Santa's First Vegan Christmas, The Kindness Workbook: An Interactive Guide for Creating Compassion in Yourself and the World, and The Little Book of Self-Soothing. She also blogs about travel and life at Robin Raving.
Robin Raven
Robin Raven is an author and journalist who covers such topics as travel, culture, and vegan dining. Her work can be seen in The Washington Post, Travel + Leisure, Reader’s Digest, and many other publications. Robin is the author of Santa's First Vegan Christmas, The Kindness Workbook: An Interactive Guide for Creating Compassion in Yourself and the World, and The Little Book of Self-Soothing. She also blogs about travel and life at Robin Raving.
Victoria Wade
Victoria is a writer for the esteemed theme park... Read More
Victoria is a writer for the esteemed theme park hipster and has been visiting theme parks for over 20 years. Sharing updates on all the thrills is her one true love. You can find her opinions of all things theme park related on her Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original,... Read More
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.