For the next installment of Thrilling Thursday, we are going to journey to the middle of nowhere. No seriously. If you’ve ever been to Knoebels in Elysburg, Pennsylvania you know exactly what I mean. It’s like you’re driving through the mountains of PA and all of a sudden you emerge and there’s this park just kind of sitting there. It is an incredibly unique setting, to say the least.
Before jumping into the coaster lineup, let me mention a couple of things that are really cool features of this park. First, the parking is free. Yep. You do not have to pay to park your car at Knoebels. Secondly, there is no park admission. You only pay if you are going to ride and you can choose a ride-all-day wristband that includes coasters, one that doesn’t include coasters, or you can buy tickets and essentially pay per ride. Lastly, the food offerings at this park are not to be missed. Everything is so good.
Now let’s get down to the coasters.
#6 Kosmos Kurves
This is the park’s kiddie coaster. Let me say, that while it is a kiddie coaster, it was a pleasant surprise. It had a few pretty cool little moments.
#5 Black Diamond Mining Company
Let the debate begin. Dark ride or roller coaster? The answer is actually both. This is one of the most unique rides that I’ve ever been on. It is weird, bizarre, and just strange. That said, it’s really cool. It is about 95% dark ride and 5% coaster, but it’s still a lot of fun. The video doesn’t even do it justice.
#4 Impulse
Impulse is the park’s newest coaster. It was manufactured by Zierer and is very similar to many Gerstlauer coasters. While it’s not huge it is a very good ride. The lack of over-the-shoulder restraints is a huge plus. It crams 4 inversions into less than 2,000 feet of track which is pretty amazing and honestly, at least for someone my age, can be somewhat disorienting. Another unique feature on this coaster is that for kids that fall into a certain height category, there is actually a booster seat that will allow them to ride. This is the only place I’ve seen that. Ranking this at #4 seems kind of low, but it’s not a disrespect to this ride, it’s really a statement as to just how good the top 3 are.
#3 Flying Turns
The infamous Flying Turns. An incredibly unique wooden bobsled coaster that was built in house by the folks at Knoebels. This ride took a really long time to build because they just couldn’t get it quite right. Their patience was rewarded as this is an absolutely amazing ride. I will offer this suggestion to you if you want to ride it. Get to it as soon as the park opens. It is not great on capacity and the operations are slow because they have to weigh riders to properly disperse them onto the trains. Consequently, this ride will always have a line.
#2 Twister
One of the most unique wooden roller coasters I have ever been on. This is a wooden coaster that is going to ride like a wooden coaster should. It is not glass-smooth and it’s going to throw you around a little bit. The unique feature is the split lift hill which I’ve never seen before. The highlight of the ride for me, however, was the massive double helix that wraps around the station. The lateral forces are so crazy during that moment. Phoenix gets all the love in this park, but Twister is definitely not to be missed.
#1 Phoenix
This should be no surprise to anyone to see Phoenix sitting in this spot. For me, this is a flawless wooden coaster. The airtime on this ride is absolutely insane. Couple that with the only restraint being a buzz bar and you will find yourself nearly standing up more than sitting down during the ride. It really has that much airtime. I’ll admit that this ride is sentimental for me as it was my 100th coaster credit, but sentiment aside, this is my all-time favorite wooden roller coaster and if you are anywhere near Knoebels and you have the time, go in and at least spend a few bucks to ride this great ride.
Well, that’s it for Knoebels. What park’s coasters will I rate next? You’ll have to come back next Thursday to see.
Have you been to Knoebels? How would you rank the coasters? Leave a comment down below.
The Journey Of Ascent 