Top 5 Fastest Roller Coasters In The United States

Last updated on February 8, 2014

Are you an adrenaline junkie like myself? Love going on fast roller coasters? If the answer is no, well, then this might not be the article for you. If the answer is yes, then you have just opened your guide to your new bucket list. In this article I will be going over the five fastest roller coasters in the United States. After reading this you may want to start a savings account, as you will be itching to head across the country to take on these lightning fast rides. Lets start with the absolute fastest coaster in the states.

Kingda Ka

Kingda Ka, located at Six Flags Theme Park in Jackson, New Jersey is Americas fastest roller coaster. It definitely will leave your stomach hanging 456 feet in the air that is for sure. Yes 456 feet is how high you are shot up into the air while riding Kingda Ka. This ride reaches a top speed of 128 MPH as you head to the top of the tower. Once you reach the top of the 456 foot tower you will sit for a split second and then free fall back down the other side and over a small hill to where the ride began and its over in the blink of an eye. Well, from start to finish the ride is 50 seconds to be exact. Talk about a takeoff.

Top Thrill Dragster

The second fastest coaster in America is located at one of the worlds most popular theme park for roller coasters, Cedar Point. Cedar Point is located in Sandusky, Ohio and is home to a wide variety of roller coasters. The fastest in the park being the Top Thrill Dragster. This ride is absolutely wild only lasting a grand total of 30 seconds. Your shot up a 90 degree angle, sit atop the 420 foot peek of the ride for a couple seconds, and then fall directly down the other side which is also a steep 90 degrees at a whopping 120 MPH. I wouldn’t eat anything too heavy before this one ladies and gentleman.

Superman Escape From Krypton

The number three coaster on our list is located at Six Flags Magic Mountain in beautiful Valencia, California. Superman is a pretty steep drop off from Top Thrill Dragster and Kingda Ka speed wise reaching a top speed of 100 MPH. It was however the first coaster to ever reach a speed of 100 MPH. This coasters will take you up to a max of 415 feet in the air.

Millennium Force

This is the second coaster on the top 5 list that is located at Cedar Point in Sandusky ,Ohio. Therefore if you can only hit one spot this will be the one to go to if you want to kill two birds with one stone. Millennium force reaches a peak height of 310 feet, and maxes out at a top speed of 93 MPH.

Intimidator 305

Finishing our top 5 list is probably my favorite all around coaster that I have ever rode. This ride is located at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. Lasting a whole 3 minutes this coaster has it all. It reaches a top peak of 300 feet and a top speed of around 90 MPH. The views are also incredible. If you want a long lasting ride that is going to keep you traveling at speeds of above 70 MPH throughout, this may be your top choice as well.

After reading about all these wonderful coasters scattered throughout the United States there is only one thing left to do, head out and ride them! It clearly would be hard for anyone to make a trip around the country at one time to hit all five of these. But at least two of them are located in one park. Pick a couple that are appealing to you and go check the parks out. If you are anything like me you will literally have a blast!

Colin Quinn is an huge theme park enthusiast and loves to visit the fastest and most terrifying rides across America. Due to his expertise in the field, he has been contributing content to Heil-Law for the past 6 months in regards to their theme park injury personal law practice.