Reach new heights on Missouri roller coasters.
Unexpected nosedives, curves that cause screams to spontaneously emit from throats, loops with a crushing amount of G-force, and spins that make eyes cross are all attributes of the alluring thrill of roller coasters.
Undoubtedly, Missouri offers feats of engineering unlike any other with its iconic roller coasters. Our state is home to three world-class amusement parks: Silver Dollar City in Branson, Six Flags in St. Louis, and Worlds of Fun in Kansas City. I decided to ride the three biggest roller coasters at each park, then compared them on a scale I created, at right, for various aspects. Traverse the tracks alongside me as I describe this daring assignment.
Wildfire
Silver Dollar City-Branson
WildFire is a stereotypical modern roller coaster. Barreling at 66 miles per hour, WildFire does a full loop and a corkscrew and then drops 15 stories. It also has a unique feature of a double inversion “cobra roll,” which is a loop resembling a cobra head.
This is a perfect ride for those wanting to try out their first big coaster. It has smooth loops and traditional front-facing drops. While it is thrilling, it is not truly frightening. Each row seats four people, so it would be a great opportunity for children over 52 inches tall to ride with their parents or friends as their first ascent —or is it descent?—into the carnival of speed and screams.
Rating
Drops: 7
Screams: 5
Dizziness: 5
Family Friendly: 7
Roughness: 2
Outlaw Run
Silver Dollar City-Branson
Outlaw Run is a classic wooden roller coaster. It is characterized by its late 1800s appearance, complete with interwoven wooden beams and steel tracks, but with modern engineering, allowing for a corkscrew spin. In fact, this coaster is the only wooden coaster in the world to twist upside down three times. Rhythmic and suspenseful clicking sounds mark its first uphill climb before it sends riders diving down more than 16 stories at 68 miles per hour, making it one of the fastest wooden coasters in the world. I didn’t expect the corkscrew toward the end of the ride. But the moment I was suddenly hurtling upside down through a tunnel of timber with only a lap bar holding me in place, I threw my hands up in both fear and jubilation. I left the exhilarating ride feeling impressed, wobbly, and wide eyed.
Rating
Drops: 9
Screams: 6
Dizziness: 6
Family Friendly: 5
Roughness: 8
Time Traveler
Silver Dollar City-Branson
While traveling over 50 miles per hour, riders of the Time Traveler will spin in their clock-themed cart styled with gears and gold and plummet 10 stories next to the Ozark hills. This coaster, which is 100 feet tall, includes a 95-foot-tall vertical loop and a 90-degree vertical drop. With the cart spinning, I couldn’t get my bearings. At some points, I was moving backward while spiraling straight down, while at others, I was twisting upside down. Unable to anticipate what was next, my stomach dropped at the slightest move and bump. As if the spinning cart wasn’t enough to catch me off guard, the roller coaster paused abruptly during the ride. For a moment, I felt genuine terror that the ride had broken. But in the blink of an eye, I was jerked forward again and tossed into the next loop. If you are a thrill seeker searching for a ride that has mastered the art of suspense, then the Time Traveler is the coaster for you.
Rating
Drops: 8
Screams: 7
Dizziness: 8
Family Friendly: 3
Roughness: 1
Mr. Freeze Reverse Blast
Six Flags-St. Louis
In the early summer heat, the theme of Mr. Freeze: Reverse Blast is what I loved most about the ride—the theme is ice. Chilled air blows on riders, and blue lighting accents the scene. Right out of the gate, the light blue coaster blasts riders backward from zero to 70 miles per hour. I couldn’t even process what had happened before the ride spun me into a 150-foot loop then spit me out. The ride zips through curves and loops and finally shoots riders up a 218-foot-tall vertical tower and then … freezes.
When I was hanging like a rag doll frozen in mid-air, a scream ripped through me. Looking straight down at the pavement below while simply hanging was terrifying. After a few heartbeats, the coaster nosedived headfirst, which caused my stomach to drop and my head to snap backward. This short and chilling ride packs a punch. Be ready to get blasted away.
Rating
Drops: 9
Screams: 8
Dizziness: 4
Family Friendly: 3
Roughness: 2
The Boss
Six Flags-St. Louis
With a track spanning almost 5,000 feet, The Boss is known for its iconic wooden structure and large drops, including a 150-foot double drop. Hidden on the edges of the park, this coaster is known as a “terrain twister” because it covers 12 acres of land and follows the natural topography of the Missouri hills. This can make the rider feel like a bird, rising and falling with the earth. But be warned, this wooden coaster is deceptively intense.
It flung me in sharp turns, lifted me from my seat during drops, squished me into my fellow passenger, and rattled my brain with its rough rails. Riders fly 66 miles per hour through wooden shafts with only a lap bar to keep them from soaring off into the trees. Looking up while in the catacombs of crisscrossing wood, riders can see layers of overlapping tracks— either tracks they just traversed or tracks lying ahead. The Boss would be a great coaster for those who don’t like loops, but it could be overwhelming to some due to the bumpy ride and whiplash turns.
Rating
Drops: 8
Screams: 7
Dizziness: 6
Family Friendly: 8
Roughness: 10
Batman: The Ride
Six Flags-St. Louis
Before visitors even get in the park, they can hear the roar of Batman: The Ride foreshadowing their upcoming adventure. While waiting in line, I walked through Gotham City in pipe tunnels lined with ominous red lights while dogs barked and police sirens pierced the air. Once riders are seated, four to a row, they climb 11 stories in the air and are immediately flung into a 360-degree loop. Then the 55-mile-an-hour coaster embarks on a second loop that presses 4 Gs of force onto passengers. I couldn’t even lift my arms. My favorite part of the ride was the feeling of my feet dangling, left exposed, making the experience feel dangerous and thrilling.
After disembarking, I overheard a teenage boy tell his friend, “I’m never leaving the ground after that. I’m kissing the ground.” I would highly recommend this ride to roller coaster connoisseurs who enjoy loops, the ambience of a themed ride, and a huge adrenaline rush.
Rating
Drops: 4
Screams: 7
Dizziness: 8
Family Friendly: 4
Roughness: 2
Patriot
Worlds of Fun-Kansas City
At the start of Patriot, an Americana-themed coaster, I was met with a warm announcement that said, “Fly high, patriot.” Flashes of the red, white, and blue rail system painted the sky as I soared through the air and dropped more than 120 feet. I circled a 90-foot loop upside down, launched into a zero-G roll, and flipped around in a corkscrew. During the 65-mile-per-hour ride, this coaster unexpectedly lifted me from my seat, making me feel weightless as I zipped through its loops. I was pleasantly surprised by every twist and turn, but my favorite part of the ride was when it came to an end as we coasted up to the boarding platform. Underneath us, there was a sprinkling of bracelets and hair ties dropped by previous riders. It felt like a unique bonding experience, connecting past, present, and future people, reminiscent of the melting pot that is America.
Rating
Drops: 6
Screams: 4
Dizziness: 6
Family Friendly: 5
Roughness: 5
Mamba
Worlds of Fun-Kansas City
Don’t be fooled by the lack of loops on this ride. It was the scariest roller coaster I rode in all three parks. This neon green steel coaster, known as the Mamba, slowly inches riders higher and higher up the first incline, which gave me plenty of time to anticipate what was coming and regret hopping on. Then it dropped me 200 feet at the speed of 75 miles per hour.
I had naively planned to have my hands up the entire ride, but on my way down that first drop, I clawed at my lap bar, trying to prevent myself from being lifted off my seat. I couldn’t even scream or take a full breath before being dropped again more than 180 feet. This time I couldn’t control myself from floating off the seat.
When our ride was finally over, a boy at the back of the ride got sick. I didn’t blame the poor kid—I felt sick from terror myself. I fled from the ride with trembling hands, promising myself I would never do that again.
Rating
Drops: 10
Screams: 5
Dizziness: 6
Family Friendly: 0
Roughness: 6
Prowler
Worlds of Fun-Kansas City
Screeching metal-on-metal is the call of the Prowler, a wooden coaster with steel tracks. Going up to 50 miles per hour, this coaster takes a drop of 85 feet, which leads to sharp turns. This coaster was satisfyingly thrilling, and seeing as there was no one in line, I went on to ride it two more times. I became friends with the ride attendants, and they joked and cheered as the carts flew in and out of the station with me and only a few other passengers inside them. This was a rough ride, although relatively smooth for a wooden coaster. I recommend the Prowler for younger riders over four feet tall or those wanting to conquer their fear of coasters and experience a fun rush.
Rating
Drops: 3
Screams: 3
Dizziness: 4
Family Friendly: 8
Roughness: 7
This article was originally published in the July/August 2025 edition of Missouri Life magazine.
