Canobie Coaster

The fact that it's listed as TC at least seems to be a sign that they intend to opening it later. I think the most encouraging sign if that this doesn't seem like another long term issue.

Phoenix Phantom's Revenge Cyclone (Coney Island) Lightning Run X2 Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Twister (Knoebels) Full Throttle Magnum XL-200 Space Mountain (Disneyland)

Great photos of the park! I had the same issue during my visit as a lot of rides were down. Fortunately for you all of the coasters were running. Cornball was only running for like 30 minutes total during my visit so I consider myself fortunate to have ridden it. Steel Hawg got stuck on the MCBR. Then Tig'rr and Dragon Wagon never opened. If only they could get everything open this would be one of my favorite parks based on the ride collection they had.

Hersheypark Hersheypark was a sight for sore eyes. After visiting the ghetto train wreck known as Clementon, I got to Hershey right before 5 pm so I could take advantage of their twilight ticket. Going in, I was planning only to hit the two missing credits (Laugh Trakk and Cocoa Cruiser), the three big Intamins, Great Bear, and maybe the drop tower. However, as I walked towards the park gate and opened up the app, I noticed everything was just a 5 minute wait other than Laugh Trakk, which was at an hour. Immediately my plans changed, it was time to hit every coaster in the park despite having only 5 hours. No Chocolate World for me. There's coasters to be ridden! Hershey's NBC style peacock logo. After Knoebels, Hershey is my favorite park in Pennsylvania. The park has a weird feel. Some areas feel corporate such as Midway America when you see the food offerings I'm accustomed to seeing at Cedar Fair parks. Other areas like Comet Hollow and Minetown still have a quaint feel to them despite the roars of Skyrush and Great Bear dominating the airwaves. Thank you Milton Hershey for creating a candy bar so popular that you one day could erect one of my favorite parks. I still hate your candy bars though. Skyrush was my first stop. How could it not? The giant yellow track drew me towards it like a moth into a flame. I had last ridden Skyrush back in 2014 and have yet to find a coaster that can match its intensity. The same has held true even with my coaster count doubling in that time period. This is the one coaster that truly feels like it wants to kill me and I love it. The way the restraints rest on your thighs as opposed to your lap makes the airtime feel ever scarier since you can feel your entire upper body trying to slide out of the restraint. This is the only coaster I can't keep my hands up for the whole ride. Those Stengel Dives, especially in the back wing seats, always make me grab for my restraints. I love how violent those dives are and need to hold on out of fear of wrecking my back. The first drop is still one of my favorite out there. I love how the drop manages to provide two massive pops of ejector air- one as you crest the hill and a second halfway down. I still haven't found another coaster with a drop quite like it. Then the airtime on the 3 main airtime hills is sustained ejector that few coasters can match. I got 6 rides in. Most were in the back, but I got one in the front since it was only a 2 train wait as opposed to the usual 10+ train wait. At the end of the night, the ops let me stay on so I was able to get 4 rides in a row. When people complain about Skyrush, it's always the restraints. For a single ride, I don't have much of a problem with them. However, after riding 4 times in a row, the restraints did start to hurt a bit but that's a small price to pay for this intense beast. On half my rides, the restraints did release on the brake run, but on other rides they remained tight. Not sure if there was a switch an op forgot to throw or something. There was one girl from Canada who had a goal to get 2000 rides on Skyrush in a week. She was on the ride when I got my first ride just after 5 and she was still there riding up until 10. I wonder how much pain her thighs were in after that week . It's still a top 5 steel coaster for me. 10 out of 10 I love the pathway from the park entrance to the ride entrance. Skyrush is a great ride to photograph. Skyrush tries to launch you to the sky on every hill. Still the only coaster I can't keep my hands up for. Note the number of people with their hands up- 0. I call it the Catholic riding position. Sooperdooperlooper is usually one of my go-to coasters at Hershey since its always a walk-on. I only got one ride on it in this visit since everything was a walk-on, but I still enjoyed my ride on the classic Schwarzkopf. The vertical loop is still among the most forceful out there and the ride uses the terrain well. The middle section of the ride is pretty slow, but the final helix regains that speed. With the new trains Hershey added a few years back, thankfully it looks like this ride is here to stay for a while. 7 out of 10 Great Bear pretty much dominates this photo, but you can Sooperdooperlooper's loop in the distance. Great Bear is an invert that is hardly ever talked about and I don't quite understand why. It's at a major park in Hershey, has a unique layout, and is quite forceful. I love how the ride dominates the midway when you walk through the Hollow and there's nothing quite like the roar of a B&M. The pre-drop helix is my favorite part of the ride and really pulls some good Gs. The first drop has an excellent whip in the back and all of the inversions are fantastic. My favorite, as always, is the zero-G roll. This one doesn't so much focus on hang-time as much as absolutely whipping you through it. 9 out of 10 One of the cooler logos out there. I love the ride's layout, especially the elevated helix. Best inversion on the ride by far. Hershey's Triple Tower was a polarizing addition when announced. On one hand, it was great to see the park take a unique twist on the drop rides found at other parks. On the other hand, the differences between the towers (particularly the Kisses and Reese's towers) seemed minimal and anytime the tower isn't an Intamin that's bound to cause enthusiasts to whine. I was able to get on all 3 towers, but not without great difficulty. One interesting note is that S&S seems to have new restraints on their drop towers now. These ones were kind of difficult to release after the ride, but didn't feel too much different during the ride. Kisses Tower- The smallest of the three provided the most violent and impressive airtime of the three. The first launch gave airtime stronger than that on any drop tower I've ever experienced. The was expecting more of the same on the second launch, but the second launch did nothing. It's like when you go to take a dump but you only have a tiny little fart squeak out. The second launch peters out halfway up. While technically a double shot, this felt more like a miniature Space Shot. Reese's Tower- This one had a lot of issues and kept breaking down. It broke down as I was about to board twice, but I was finally able to get on it later in the day and I'm glad I did since it was the best of the three. While the air wasn't quite as strong as the Kisses Tower, it was only slightly worse and this one had two legitimate launches. It was also cool looking down on the ride's little brother during the launch. Hershey's Tower- The big boy of the three may have been the worst. The launch felt pretty forceful (maybe because of the larger vehicles). While the two small towers had ejector air at the top, this one had some sustained floater instead. Fun but I prefer the ejector air on drop towers. The drop was pretty meh. I could feel the acceleration when the ride dropped but there was no air or stomach dropping. It's a fun combo tower, but it's not that intense. Overall I'd say the Triple Tower is an 8.5 out of 10. I did see some younger riders progressing their way up to Hershey's Tower, so the concept does seem to be a win for the park. I did like having the flexibility to select between the towers, but I do wish the big one was more impressive. The two smaller towers were amazing and had the best air of any shot tower I've been on. Size doesn't always matter. In this case, the big black one is the worst. I'll get to you next Storm Runner. Looking up. The view at the top was good. Hershey is a really interesting park to see from above with how interwoven all their coasters are. Also is it just me or do Kissing Tower and Kisses Tower seem to have names that are too similar? Going into my visit, I remembered Storm Runner being the worst of the Intamin accelerators. It had the best layout, but the launch felt noticeably weaker than all the other ones I've been on. I'm proud to say I remembered wrong. Storm Runner's launch was shorter but felt almost as powerful as its big brothers and Xcelerator. Then Storm Runner absolutely kicks their butts in terms of the rest of the layout. The top hat gives great air, the funky Immelmann is forceful, and the inline twist/flying snake dive combo gives great hang time and is disorienting. All of my rides were in the front, which is by far the best seat on any of these accelerator coasters. Usually I like to snag a back seat ride to experience some better air on the top hat, but Hershey blocked off the back two rows on Storm Runner. I don't think there was an issue with the train. I just think Hershey wanted to try and keep the trains filled consistently. Kind of frustrating, but even with the front having the longest wait, I never waited more than 10 minutes. I also liked how Hershey replaced the hard OSTRs with straps. Storm Runner was never rough, but it was possible to ding your neck on the part leading up to the brake run. That's gone now. 10 out of 10 Storm Runner is my favorite coaster to photograph in the park. Hydraulic launches are still my favorite type of launch. I've yet to experience one of those face-ripping S&S compressed air launches though. I wish the other accelerators did more with their layout like Storm Runner. Flying Snake Dive is still one of my favorite element names. Usually I end up waiting an hour in the blazing sun for Fahrenheit and only get one ride. Today even Fahrenheit was only a 5 minute wait. I took the opportunity to get a few rides in on the least talked about of Hershey's Intamins. Like Storm Runner, Fahrenheit got the strap restraints so its glad to see Hershey making small improvements like this on some of their older coasters. Any beyond vertical drop (unless you're SFOG and trim it) gives insane air and Fahrenheit is no different. The rest of the layout has some forceful inversions, particularly the snappy two corkscrews, and a powerful ejector air hill near the end. There was some rattle around the cobra roll, but nothing painful. Other than the capacity, Fahrenehit is a nearly perfect coaster with a great flow and its an excellent compliment to Skyrush and Storm Runner. 9 out of 10 Going up. I love the snappy two corkscrews. Some rattle here, but not enough to ruin the ride. I never thought I'd see the day where Fahrenheit was just a 5 minute wait. Hershey also has some smaller coasters. Their Wild Mouse is still one of the best out there. Very minimal braking and the final drops give a pop of air or two. 6 out of 10 Trailblazer is a pretty tame Arrow mine train, but it's smooth and has a nice setting. It's also cool to watch Storm Runner fly by. 4 out of 10 Sidewinder...like I rode that. I don't think I've been on that one in almost 10 years. And I'm aware the ride has the vest restraints. I can't justify riding a boomerang in a park with this many great coasters. One of the best mice out there. Minimal braking throughout. The final drops give some pops of air. It's tame, but I do love the ride's setting. The final helix is the only really exciting part. I think Sidewinder was open, but I honestly never saw it run. Guess the GP feels the same about the ride as me. I could justify the kiddie credit though. When I planned this trip (or got sent down to PA for work depending how you looked at it), I realized I could possibly reach 400 credits. That meant making some sacrifices. At the expense of an extra ride on Storm Runner or Skyrush, I shamefully plopped myself down on the second best yellow and blue coaster in the park, Cocoa Cruiser. As far as these kiddie coasters go, this one looked nice and was smooth. 2 out of 10 Yes I rode it. Judge me all you want. I had been putting off Laff Trakk most of the day since the line was still hovering around 45-60 minutes while everything else was at 0-5 minutes. Around 8pm, I noticed the wait at 30 minutes in the app so I decided to bite the bullet and hop in line. I had a feeling the line may shrink closer to closing, but there was no way I'd waste valuable time for Skyrush night rides inside a box. The queue was pretty enjoyable with all the fun house mirrors and lighting. The queue did move, but I still find it disappointing Hershey installed a coaster with this small of a capacity. Since it was enclosed, I figured it would be the best Maurer spinner. The effects were simple, but the glow-in-the-dark elements did add something to the ride. However, the ride itself was toned down due to the number of block brakes actively being used. I understand why they were on to help maximize capacity, but it really slowed the ride down during the second half and caused there to be almost no spinning. Compare that to Waldameer's which I rode later that week that had almost non-stop spinning. Laff Trakk was certainly fun, but I don't think I'd ever wait an hour for it. 7 out of 10 Box the Ride. I liked the glow-in-the-dark effects, but the brakes really mitigated the spinning on Laff Trakk. Hershey also has one of the most impressive collections of wooden coasters out there. Lightning Racer is widely considered the best of the bunch, but I honestly like Comet the best. It's hard to beat a classic wooden coaster for me. Comet has everything going for it- a great setting, buzz bars, a classic station, and a good layout. I took my favorite seat in the back and got a great ride as always. The second drop gives major airtime and the while only a few hills give pops of air, the ride maintains its speed the whole way and is glass smooth despite being 70 years old. 8 out of 10 Comet is a true classic. This drop gives excellent air. The water is lava. All of Hershey's coasters touch the creek as minimally as possible. The chaser lights look amazing. More coasters need them. Lightning Racer was a disappointment for me. The ride is bumpier than it used to be, but it's still overall very smooth. The racing is still fun, but I remembered the coaster section being more thrilling. The front had maybe 4-5 weak pops of air and the back had only half that. The ride also seemed to drag in a few places, particularly near the end. Also when did Lightning Racer get new trains? I was shocked to find the previously cushy upholstered seats replaced with hard foam seats. I wish the ride still had the old seats/trains like Wildcat, but they're still more comfortable than PTCs. 7 out of 10 Lightning Racer may not be the wildest coaster out there, but it's certainly fun to race. Wildcat is the worst of Hershey's woodies, but I still do enjoy it. Thanks to the trains, the ride is still comfortable despite being rather bumpy. Wildcat is noticeably wilder than Lightning Racer with more pronounced air. If Lightning Racer didn't race, I honestly would prefer Wildcat. 7 out of 10 GCI swooping first drops sure at picturesque. Better airtime than Lightning Racer. Coal Cracker is still one of the better flumes out there. Unconventional in almost every way, the ride's layout is elevated and interacts heavily with Sooperdooperlooper and Great Bear. Despite being elevated, the ride still feels close to the ground in some ways because its located adjacent to that hill. The huge final plunge is still one of the best on any flume and the jump afterwards is even better. Thankfully Hershey didn't aim a water jet right into my face like Six Flags Great America during that element since I had a flashback when the boat went airborne. 8 out of 10 The drop. And yes the park actually does use both sides. And the boat goes airborne. Still unnerving and awesome. While walking through, I noticed the Claw had a new paint scheme. I've only ridden the Claw once, but remember it being the best of the Chance frisbees I've been on. I skipped it due to time in this visit, but it did look eye-catching with its new appearance. Freshly painted Claw. I didn't see any markers by Tidal Force when I passed by, but I also wasn't looking too closely. The ride is rumored to be on the chopping block since its older and adjacent to the landlocked water park. It'd be a shame to see Tidal Force go since it's one of the best shoot the chutes out there thanks to its added height, but I would understand why the park may remove it. Is this Tidal Force's last season? It had been 3 years since my last visit to Hershey, but I think my next visit will be sooner. Hershey has one of the strongest coaster collections around and is an overall very well-run park.

Great report of a rarely covered park. Cliff's has always looked intriguing to me, but I can't see myself in New Mexico anytime soon. Glad to hear New Mexico Rattler is still running well after all these years. That Galaxi looks extra good since it has the two car trains. The one at Palace Playland always gives good air in the back row while the one car galaxis I rode at Canobie and Funtown growing up moved noticeably slower. I also don't get all the hate for Windseekers. I really enjoy those rides and honestly would take them over a star flyer.

Apex- Cornball Express Cedar Fair- Fury 325 Disney- Space Mountain (Disneyland) Herschend- Tennessee Tornado Independent- Phoenix Parques Reunidos- Boulder Dash Premier- Ride of Steel SeaWorld- Apollo's Chariot Six Flags- Twisted Colossus Universal- Dragon Challenge- Hungarian Horntail

Great report! Of Zumanjaro and Lex Luthor, I think the latter is more terrifying since if you time it right, Superman roars by and violently shakes the tower.

Yeah I agree. Though with the location of the new markers it seems the rapids ride with the same theme likely isn't in the cards next year. I noticed Matterhorn/Equinox's old pad had a construction fence and a sign saying something was coming, so maybe they'll add a ride back in that spot mid-season? That was hinted at during a regional event. I just hope they get new rides since the last 2 used rides they've bought have had major mechanical issues.

I can somewhat justify the two flats since by their definition a 5 is typically multiple changes of direction while a drop tower only has 1 big drop. But there's absolutely no rationalization I can even think of why Mystic Timbers is a 4 while the mine train is a 5.

Silver Dollar City Six Flags Over Texas Six Flags Fiesta Texas Europa Alton Towers Liseberg PortAventura Tokyo Disney Universal Japan

It's old news at this point, but unfortunately Canobie cancelled plans for their rapids ride after Dreamworld's accident. It's pretty frustrating since Canobie hasn't added anything in a while and their last addition (Equinox) didn't even last a year. The Xtreme Frisbee has been down for a year at this point. The vehicle is still covered so it doesn't look like it will open anytime soon. That's a big hit for the park since it's one of their more popular rides. But on the bright side, there are a lot of construction markers on a patch of land next to the Corkscrew and Castaway Island. I know it has been a popular rumor that the Corkscrew may be removed, but I think the ride will be around for quite some time. The trains received a fresh new paint job and the park has added some signs about the ride's history in the queue. I doubt they do that if it were on the chopping block. I have a hunch they plan to open a water slide complex there and slowly start building a water park like Quassy. Both parks started with just a water play structure. And the marker location makes sense for slides because of their proximity to Castaway Island. Also it's a great day to be at the park. No lines anywhere since there was a threat of rain earlier. Setting a new personal best for Cannonball rides in a visit. Corkscrew's newly painted train. Survey markers.

Great report! I'm used to rides at Cedar Point having trouble due to wind not rain. But that's absolutely priceless they let you on Power Tower while other rides closed due to the chance of lightning.

Whoa I can't imagine actually seeing the park packed after my visit, but if they are typically pulling crowds then good for them. Hellcat if properly maintained has all the makings of a great coaster. However, only one seat was ridable on that coaster due to the constant jackhammering. Gold. I'd bet that riding in an otherwise-empty Hellcat train probably contributed to the awfulness of the ride -- i.e. if filled with guests, the back might not have been as awful. True, it would have been enjoyable hearing everyone else's reaction as the ride assaulted them too. I love hearing good things about parks but reading the negative ones always do put a smile on my face. Happy to contribute. I heard the park was ghetto but wasn't expecting it to be on that level.

I didn't think a park could get worse than Lakemont. Though how you found Hellcat ridable in the back amazes me. If I lived nearby, I'd be tempted to get a pass just to have that drop tower at my fingertips but then I'd remember Morey's is close enough nearby.

So you're saying you'll never ride Superflip again?

I would highly recommend doing the coasters in the order of priority in case any close for whatever reason. I'd recommend Cornball first, then Steel Hawg, then Hoosier Hurricane. Lost Coaster only has one 8 person train so that line is going to move painstakingly slow (full queue is an hour wait). It could very well break down but it's super fun. Due to the line, I'd save it after you've gotten on all the other coasters.

Great report! Those little galaxi/zyklon coasters can give a solid pop of air on the first two drops if there are two cars attached like Python. I've never been to Coney Island Ohio, but it looks particularly nice. If you want a Super Flipping Arm, Gillian's just added one. Maybe it was from Funland?

I've been on some Hopkins ones that are tamed down on cooler days. The one I most recently rode at Lake Compounce was definitely toned down in late May. The final rapid always sends a massive wall over the seat but in this visit the wave was only enough to soak you from the pants down. And this was with a full raft.

And based on what I saw, it looks like Funplex still has a decent amount of space to expand. Only bad part about going to Clementon with other enthusiasts is that we know to avoid Hellcat in any seat for the front. Unless you secretly enjoy pain.

I had no clue Funplex even existed until I saw it on RCDB last year. There were a lot of random little credits I didn't know existed in the northeast, particularly with regards to mountain coasters. Funplex and Clementon can both easily be done the same day (I think they were 30 minutes apart). I could very well see Clementon closing in the near future. I have never seen a park that dead on a weekend with weather that perfect. It probably doesn't help that they have the balls to charge $8 for parking on top of a $45ish dollar admission. All I can say is thank goodness for that TPR discount. Haha like I said all I've ever heard is how much of a dump it is and how awful Hellcat is. Not much to inspire a trip. The fact that I'd have to get someone to drive me (and pay for both our admissions) or take public transit (almost 2 hours, compared to a half hour car ride) only compound my non-desire to make the effort. One day, maybe, but I'm in absolutely no rush. I'd say the drop tower alone is worth admission, but Morey's has a taller version just a bit further down the road and is a significantly better all around park. Hell Cat in the very front is a decent ride just don't try any other seat or you're going to have a very bad time.

^ I have absolutely no clue what you're talking about with this nut tingle.

That's why you call them twisties instead of twists

I could have while I was in Chicago last month, but I chose to visit Indiana Beach and Holiday World instead. Based on all accounts I've heard about Mt. Olympus, I think I made the right call. I do want to visit Mt. Olympus someday but I'll make sure I'm in good standing with the man upstairs first. You're welcome lol. I am shocked you've never made it there to try Hellcat at least once though. Bowcraft was good for what it was until it closed. Based on my one visit, it seemed like a decent kids park with plenty of tamer rides. It was a ghost town while I was there so I'm not shocked it closed though. Keansburg I have heard some horror stories about, particularly with regards to their opening times and number of rides that will be down on a given day. There's a reason I omitted that park in my trip. I completely missed that the drop tower had only a 42" height requirement! That's crazy considering that ride's intensity. It always puzzles me when rides with the same restraints have different height requirements. For example, Great America's Demon has a 42" height requirement while almost every other Arrow looper has a 48" height requirement. Even Knoebels which has really low height restrictions relative to most parks has a 48" height requirement on their drop tower of the same manufacturer. As a kid, Thunder Drop would have absolutely terrified me since I didn't get over drop towers until I was older and it was on a much tamer S&S one.

Clementon Park As a theme park enthusiast, you never want to see a park fail. There's nothing like the energy of an amusement park. Seeing the coasters fly by, hearing the screams of riders, and seeing the excitement on everyone's faces. However, if someone put a gun to my head and said that one park needed to be eliminated, I may very well pick Clementon. Everything about the park seemed ghetto and off. Is that a first aid symbol above the T? Maybe that was a sign... Usually when you approach parks, there's plenty of signage. Whether it be billboards or signs off the highway. For Clementon, there was zilch, nothing, nada. As my GPS took me through town, I was getting a little worried whether or not my GPS brought me to the right place. But after a quick turn, I finally saw the water slides and entered into what may be one of the worst parks I have visited. Splash World had way more people than the ride section. And as you can see Splash World wasn't exactly bustling. This was on a 90 degree, sunny weekend day too. The park almost felt like the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. Actually I think it was the aftermath of the zombie apocalypse. When I visit parks, I never want to deal with lines. But there's also something unnerving when you can look down the entire midway of a park on a sunny weekend day and see no one. I honestly thought all of the rides were closed when I arrived, but they were really that empty that the rides didn't even have riders to start them up. I honestly think the park had a 2-3 employee to park guest ratio on the day I visited. Anyone in green is an employee. I think the park had a 3:1 employee to park guest ratio. I'll start with the park's saving grace, Thunder Drop. Despite only being 90ft tall, Thunder Drop is one of those crazy ARM/Larson towers that are more terrifying than S&S towers that are 2-3 times this ride's height. This one was extra terrifying since I wasn't sure if the brakes would engage after seeing the state of everything else in the park. As usual the drop was intense and provided fantastic ejector air the whole way down. On some of the larger towers, I can't notice too much of a difference after a certain height, but in this case I could. Still this was easily my favorite ride in the park. As a side note, I love how the ride still says Super Shot above each and every seat even though it's called Thunder Drop. 9 out of 10 What a cute little drop tower. Don't let the cuteness fool you, this ride is intense. The sign says it's Thunder Drop. The vehicle says otherwise. Along with the woodie and the drop tower, the other ride I was looking forward to was the flume since it was built over the lake. Unfortunately like Zoom Phloom I was greeted with a sign "No Single Riders". Usually that just means I have to awkwardly ask a family to join them. However, Clementon saved me that awkward moment since there wasn't a single soul to ask. I watched empty log after empty log float down the trough. After about 10 minutes I saw a guy stroll into the queue. The dude was alone and smelled like booze, but desperate situations call for desperate measures and that guy became my new best friend for all of 3 minutes. We had a jolly ole time on the flume. I enjoyed the scenic views of the brown lake while my good friend sat in back rapping to himself. King Neptune's Revenge (cool name but zero theming with it) was cool in the fact that a majority of the layout situated over the water. I still prefer flumes that hug the terrain but it's nice to have a change of pace every once and a while. The ride had two drops with the first one being so short that it barely qualifies as one in my book. While flumes are usually relatively smooth other than some bumps around the turns, Clementon somehow managed to get their logs to jackhammer as you crest the lift hill. How every other flume gracefully crests the lift and Clementon's butchers this transition is a true feat. Maybe it was intentional to distract you from the brown water that you plunge into? The second drop was decently tall but the angle of descent wasn't very steep. One ride was enough since I had to break off my newfound friendship, but it was a solid flume outside of the weird vibrating thing before the drops. 7 out of 10 The flume is built almost entirely over the crystal clear water of Lake Clementon. Note the excited riders. These were the only other riders I saw on the flume all day. Now the primary reason any enthusiast would visit this dump of a park would be for the S&S woodie, Tsunami. Sorry I mean J2. Actually I mean Hell Cat. When I arrived, at the park and didn't see the ride run, I figured it just had slow dispatches. When I still didn't see it run after 10 minutes, I was worried the ride was down. Surely the park wasn't that empty that its only roller coaster had no one in the queue? Actually it was exactly that. Is it even open? The park's star attraction surely can't have no one riding it, can it? Actually that's precisely it. I was greeted by a laughably long queue line. I am going to go off on a limb and guess that line has never been filled once in the entire time the ride has been there. Atop the stairs right before the station is a wonderful little sign warning riders that Hell Cat is riding "extremely aggressive today." The only other park I have heard having a sign like that is Mt. Olympus. Anytime you can be compared to Mt. Olympus is probably a red flag. Nothing blocking the queue, so I guess it's open. It's funny the park thinks they need that many switchbacks. In hell cats are half feline, half plane. The next minute was probably the weirdest experience I have ever had boarding a coaster. When I reached atop the stairs, I walked over to the front row. What few reports I have heard about the park warned how violent the ride was, so I sure as heck wasn't going to mess with the back for my first ride. The employee opened the air gate, watched as I buckled my seat belt and pulled down my restraint, and then poked my lap bar almost as if he was testing whether or not a pot on the stove was hot or not. At this point, I came to the realization that the employees were totally silent and hadn't even read off the standard safety spiel. Actually I couldn't recall hearing a word uttered by any employee at the park thus far. This furthered my thoughts I was experiencing a zombie apocalypse. Before dispatching, the two ops looked at each other, gave a thumbs up, and I was off on my journey to hell. The first drop is still one of the steepest on any wooden coaster, a fact that becomes even more impressive when you realize most of the woodies ahead of it are RMCs or Intamins. As the train crested the hill, I felt a trim hold the train back with all its might. "Uh oh. Trims on the first drop usually mean the ride is rou..." Before I could finish that thought, the train shuffled as it ascended the large second hill. This hill did give a good pop of air and gave a nice view of the lake. It's probably the most photogenic feature of the ride. The middle of the ride is much like the Voyage's turnaround only it tracks as well as scooter over a cobblestone road. There was one hidden drop that gave a powerful moment of ejector air, but the turns shuffled pretty badly. In front, it was tolerable but in the back...well I'll get to that. The finale had 2-3 hills that gave solid pops of air and this was actually really smooth since it's the one part of the ride that doesn't push the envelope in terms of intensity. It wasn't painful and did have some good air sprinkled throughout. I would have loved to ride this the opening year pre-trim brake since I could have seen this easily being a 9/10 or 10/10 kind of ride if it was smooth at the start. From my front seat ride, I'd give Hell Cat a 7 out of 10. When I got back to the station, I asked the ops if I could ride again. They looked at the queue line, which was empty so I figured I could stay on. They then shook their heads. Why look back at the queue line then ? Anyway I walked down the exit ramp and was greeted with a bag check station? Hell Cat's queue causes you to leave the ride park and it dumps you off in the picnic grove area. So in order to re-enter the ride area, you need to pass through the bag check area again. Really Clementon, you couldn't have routed the exit to actually be inside the park? This is truly something special here. Being an idiot, I decided to try Hell Cat in the second to back seat. I may be stupid, but I wasn't going for the holy grail of torture in the back seat. I figured I could give myself the luxury of avoiding a wheel seat. Again the ops silently and daintily checked my restraint and then I was off. The first drop, even though it was braked the first half, gave a pretty good pop of air once the trim disengaged. I really wish I could have experienced that drop unaltered. Then the pain began. I have been on some bad coasters such as Predator and Mean Streak in the very back, but Hell Cat passed all of them. After the first drop, there wasn't a single moment where the train wasn't violently shaking. When I finally hit the brake run, there was great relief. Other than the worst SLC, I honestly can't think of a single coaster ride I have had that comes close to rivaling Hell Cat. Most rough woodies don't sustain their speed like Hell Cat, which just amplified the roughness. I shudder to think how bad the very back would have been, but if you want to find that out you're a braver man than me. From my back seat ride, I'd give Hell Cat a hellish rating of 1 out of 10 Oh how I wish I could have experienced this drop pre-trim brake. The second hill is really picturesque and gives a great view of the lake. The return leg had some good air. Is this a mirage? It's actually a train. The only one I saw dispatched without myself in the hour I was there. I would have cried if I had mistimed this photo. This ride is absolute hell if you aren't in the front. It tracks about as poorly as any woodie I've ridden. The park has a few other standard flats such as a Wave Swinger, Sea Dragon, and Ring of Fire. It was tricky to get their flats in action since each of them probably ran once every 15-20 minutes. I didn't try any rides other than the 3 listed above, but managed to grab a few photos. I think this is what constitutes a full load for Clementon. I had to look hard to spot the rider. Sorry I forgot, Clementon had two coasters. I'm glad I got an amazing discount for this park through Club TPR/Tickets at Work (it was half off!) since I would have felt ashamed paying full price for the park. I didn't go into the water park since I wanted to get out as soon as possible to ensure I was at Hershey for the start of the twilight ticket at 5. I always love Hershey, but after Clementon, Hershey looked even better. I think there's a good park hidden somewhere in Clementon. Hellcat could be a really good wooden coaster with some TLC based on the accounts I remember hearing during its initial year. The park just needs to improve their operations and overall friendliness in order to take the next step.

Great report! I ended up visiting Holiday World the day after you so I missed out on the apocalyptic weather by a day. Meanwhile it was all clear up at Indiana Beach that day. That's disappointing you weren't a fan of Raven or Legend. I didn't get the Raven after my first ride, but that was more-so because I was expecting the ride to have crazy air. After I re-rode it later, I finally got the ride since it had a little of everything. I am still shocked it was once number 1 in the world, but it's a good ride. It was bumpy in spots but far from rough. Thunder Run was way rougher when I rode it last year. Legend was perfectly smooth, but the laterals were so aggressive to the point where I could see it becoming painful.