As of December 2023, I have ridden 153 roller coasters throughout North America and Europe. New Jersey has many of my favorite roller coasters, and in this article, I’m going to share my picks for the ten best roller coasters in the state.
Here are five coasters that didn’t quite make the list that I still enjoy:
• Alpine Mountain Coaster- Mountain Creek Park
• Batman: The Ride- Six Flags Great Adventure
• Crossbow- Bowcraft Amusement Park
• Fly the Great Nor'Easter- Morey’s Piers
• Superman: Ultimate Flight- Six Flags Great Adventure
10. Great White- Morey’s Piers
Great White is a fun wooden coaster located in Wildwood, NJ. It has a long ride duration for a coaster on the Jersey Shore, but my favorite part of this coaster is when it goes beneath the boardwalk briefly.
9. Medusa- Six Flags Great Adventure
Medusa opened in 1999 as the world’s first floorless coaster, and it is still a great ride today. I like the seven inversions and that Great Adventure restored its original theme back in 2022 because in my opinion, the former Bizarro theme did not fit in with the area of the park named Frontier Adventures.
8. TMNT Shellraiser- Nickelodeon Universe
TMNT Shellraiser is famous for having the world’s steepest drop on any coaster at a record breaking 121.5°, and it has an amazing layout because of it’s seven inversions and launch. However, the next few coasters are easier to re-ride on this list.
7. Hydrus- Casino Pier
Hydrus is a much smaller than TMNT Shellraiser; however, I find it easier to re-ride this coaster than Shellraiser because it has lap bars, and it is very smooth. In my opinion, this is the smoothest coaster on the Jersey Shore.
6. Sandy’s Blasting Bronco- Nickelodeon Universe
Sandy’s Blasting Bronco is my favorite roller coaster at the Nickelodeon Universe because of it’s insane backward launch. All riders experience the coaster both forward and backwards with four inversions in each direction.
5. El Toro- Six Flags Great Adventure
El Toro used to be my favorite roller coaster in New Jersey for many years, but in 2023 I found this coaster difficult to ride multiple times. Nevertheless, El Toro still has one of my favorite first drops of all time, and the ejector airtime is still amazing.
4. Galeforce- Playland’s Castaway Cove
Galeforce is the most intense roller coaster on the Jersey Shore, and it is also the only coaster of its kind in the world. All riders on Galeforce experience four launches and a 110° drop which is crazy for a boardwalk coaster. I also love how Playland’s Castaway Cove managed to build another coaster named Wild Waves around the structure which makes this an engineering masterpiece.
3. Jersey Devil Coaster
Jersey Devil Coaster opened as the tallest, fastest, and steepest single rail coaster from Rocky Mountain Construction which is one of the best roller coaster manufacturers. My two favorite aspects of this coaster are the theme, and the zero-G stall which is one of my favorite inversions in the world. For the best experience, I recommend sitting in the back and in the afternoon for this coaster.
2. Nitro- Six Flags Great Adventure
Nitro is an old-school hyper coaster that still gives wonderful rides today. It has over a mile of coaster track, an intense helix in the middle of the ride, and the best operations you will ever find at a Six Flags Park. Nitro holds the record for the most riders per year out of any roller coaster in the Six Flags chain, and I’m curious if it will continue to hold its record with the recent Six Flags and Cedar Fair merger.
1. Kingda Ka- Six Flags Great Adventure
As of 2023, Kingda Ka is still the world’s tallest coaster and the fastest coaster in North America. All riders are launched from 0-128 mph in 3.5 seconds over a 456 ft. hill. The launch on Kingda Ka is my favorite part of the coaster because it is one of only a few hydraulic launch coasters that can be experienced in the United States, and the launch is really intense. Another aspect I love about Kingda Ka is the when the riders can duel Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom, the world’s tallest and fastest drop tower attached to the structure of Kingda Ka. If you are lucky, it’s possible to race Zumanjaro while both attractions are falling from the tower. Hopefully this roller coaster will continue to have its signature hydraulic launch for many years, and its speed, height, and dueling aspect make it my favorite coaster in New Jersey.
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