First Disneyland trip this decade!

[Phroobar]

All right, that’s it. When this storm is over I’m going to Knotts. The Chicken restaurant, log ride, mine train ride and Ghost rider sound like a good time. Can’t believe I haven’t been there in 20 years. I’ve drove by it over a hundred times to go to DL.

Knott's Boysenberry festival starts March 10. Saturday is the last day for Peanuts celebration.

 

[PiratesMansion]

All right, that’s it. When this storm is over I’m going to Knotts. The Chicken restaurant, log ride, mine train ride and Ghost rider sound like a good time. Can’t believe I haven’t been there in 20 years. I’ve drove by it over a hundred times to go to DL.

Allow plenty of time to park and get to the gates (parking at Knott's is always a little weird). Get there before opening and go immediately to Ghostrider (just inside the entrance to the left)-the wait is typically measured in hours if the park is at all busy otherwise and it's easily the best coaster there-and one of the best in the area, bar none-which is one of the reasons I always splurge for Fastlane.

They are currently redoing the Fiesta Village area, so most of that area is currently closed.

Don't forget about Independence Hall across the street too!

 

[mickEblu]

Allow plenty of time to park and get to the gates (parking at Knott's is always a little weird). Get there before opening and go immediately to Ghostrider (just inside the entrance to the left)-the wait is typically measured in hours if the park is at all busy otherwise and it's easily the best coaster there-and one of the best in the area, bar none-which is one of the reasons I always splurge for Fastlane.

They are currently redoing the Fiesta Village area, so most of that area is currently closed.

Don't forget about Independence Hall across the street too!

Thanks! Ghost Rider isn’t one of the extreme coasters right? I haven’t done any extreme coasters in about 10 years and I’m honestly not sure how I feel about them anymore. Might just need to dust myself off and hop on one.

Am I missing anything with Fiesta Village being closed?

 

[BuzzedPotatoHead89]

Thanks! Ghost Rider isn’t one of the extreme coasters right? I haven’t done any extreme coasters in about 10 years and I’m honestly not sure how I feel about them anymore. Might just need to dust myself off and hop on one.

Am I missing anything with Fiesta Village being closed?

If memory serves you can handle Incredicoaster and Matterhorn you should be okay on Ghost Rider. I haven’t been to Knotts in a while, but I do remember GR as one of the best wooden coasters I’d been on.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Thanks! Ghost Rider isn’t one of the extreme coasters right? I haven’t done any extreme coasters in about 10 years and I’m honestly not sure how I feel about them anymore. Might just need to dust myself off and hop on one.

Am I missing anything with Fiesta Village being closed?

I wouldn't call GhostRider extreme, but I've also been on a ton of coasters, so it can be hard for me to gauge how others will feel about rides. What I will say is that it's pretty much a straightforward out and back wooden coaster in an L shape that doesn't do anything super radical, just has a lot of hills mostly. It's not entirely dissimilar from something like Incredicoaster (without the launch and loop) on paper, but a little bit more aggressive. Additionally, it's impressively smooth for a wooden coaster (and definitely smoother than the Matterhorn or Sky School), so roughness isn't really a factor IMO.

I think it's a lot of fun, and it's one of those rides that seems to please most everyone-I haven't seen or heard of anyone coming off GhostRider since its big refurbishment in 2016 that didn't seem to have a good time. You can always check out a video and see if it might be something you feel comfortable jumping into or if you want to come back to it a bit later. Here's a POV that you can check out so you know what to expect.

If you're looking a tamer coaster to start out with, Jaguar is indisputably a coaster but is only slightly more thrilling than the monorail IMO. Pony Express is pretty basic too, with the only radical thing about it being the Tron-esque riding position. Coast Rider is comparable to, but slightly more intense than, Sky School (but with a dumb knee restraint that might make it harder to ride comfortably). Montezuma is pretty tame, but is closed for refurbishment. Xcelerator is a bit intense, but has been closed for awhile, so probably won't be open any time soon. But ultimately there's nothing at Knott's that, from my perspective, is super extreme, with HangTime probably being the most frightening-looking from ground level, but even that is very smooth.

It's a Cedar Fair park, so expect pretty much everything to have a seatbelt in addition to whatever the primary restraint is, usually, but not always, fastened first. They have loose item storage in every coaster station on the exit side of the platform.

RE missing things in Fiesta Village: though I love Montezuma, in reality you're not missing anything super significant.

 

[mickEblu]

If memory serves you can handle Incredicoaster and Matterhorn you should be okay on Ghost Rider. I haven’t been to Knotts in a while, but I do remember GR as one of the best wooden coasters I’d been on.

Yeah I do all the DLR coasters easily. Well, unless I’m on the wrong side/ seat on Matterhorn. That’s good to hear. I just need my coasters to have some drops and decent speed. I don’t need all the inversions. And loops do nothing for me.

 

[BuzzedPotatoHead89]

Yeah I do all the DLR coasters easily. Well, unless I’m on the wrong side/ seat on Matterhorn. That’s good to hear. I just need my coasters to have some drops and decent speed. I don’t need all the inversions. And loops do nothing for me.

Agree with you on the inversions. The toughest 6 Flags style coasters for me to “stomach” at Knotts for me are probably Silver Bullet and Hangtime because of the inversions. Of the two I would say Hangtime is a uniquely thrilling coaster if you can handle it but I would consider it pretty intense these days.

Excellerator is super fun but unlikely to open anytime soon. Coast Rider is mediocre and uncomfortable. Jaguar is okay. Honestly both Pony Express and Sierra Sidewinder are both unique family coasters with the latter packing a punch.

As others have notes though - Timber Mountain Log Ride, Calico Mine Ride, and Ghost Rider are probably the top 3 flagship attractions in the park. Though you can’t go wrong with sticking to anything in the ghost town area including the train, stage coach, rapids, and various live shows.

 

[mickEblu]

I wouldn't call GhostRider extreme, but I've also been on a ton of coasters, so it can be hard for me to gauge how others will feel about rides. What I will say is that it's pretty much a straightforward out and back wooden coaster in an L shape that doesn't do anything super radical, just has a lot of hills mostly. It's not entirely dissimilar from something like Incredicoaster (without the launch and loop) on paper, but a little bit more aggressive. Additionally, it's impressively smooth for a wooden coaster (and definitely smoother than the Matterhorn or Sky School), so roughness isn't really a factor IMO.

I think it's a lot of fun, and it's one of those rides that seems to please most everyone-I haven't seen or heard of anyone coming off GhostRider since its big refurbishment in 2016 that didn't seem to have a good time. You can always check out a video and see if it might be something you feel comfortable jumping into or if you want to come back to it a bit later. Here's a POV that you can check out so you know what to expect.

If you're looking a tamer coaster to start out with, Jaguar is indisputably a coaster but is only slightly more thrilling than the monorail IMO. Pony Express is pretty basic too, with the only radical thing about it being the Tron-esque riding position. Coast Rider is comparable to, but slightly more intense than, Sky School (but with a dumb knee restraint that might make it harder to ride comfortably). Montezuma is pretty tame, but is closed for refurbishment. Xcelerator is a bit intense, but has been closed for awhile, so probably won't be open any time soon. But ultimately there's nothing at Knott's that, from my perspective, is super extreme, with HangTime probably being the most frightening-looking from ground level, but even that is very smooth.

It's a Cedar Fair park, so expect pretty much everything to have a seatbelt in addition to whatever the primary restraint is, usually, but not always, fastened first. They have loose item storage in every coaster station on the exit side of the platform.

RE missing things in Fiesta Village: though I love Montezuma, in reality you're not missing anything super significant.

From the sound of it, I may skip HangTime and probably Xcelerator if it was open. I have some vertigo that comes and goes occasionally. It’s also just been a while since I ve been on an extreme coaster and I’m not sure they’re for me anymore. For reference if I went to Magic Mountain I’d definitely skip X2. I’d skip Viper because it was so damn rough the last time I went on. I’d want to skip Goliath for the G Force (I’m a slight hypochondriac) and Tatsu because it’s scary AF (not great with heights) but I’d probably end up doing them. I’ve never been on the new Colossus or any of the newer coasters. My favorite coaster ever used to be Riddlers Revenge when it was smooth in the late 90s/ early 2000’s.

 

[mickEblu]

Agree with you on the inversions. The toughest 6 Flags style coasters for me to “stomach” at Knotts for me are probably Silver Bullet and Hangtime because of the inversions. Of the two I would say Hangtime is a uniquely thrilling coaster if you can handle it but I would consider it pretty intense these days.

Excellerator is super fun but unlikely to open anytime soon. Coast Rider is mediocre and uncomfortable. Jaguar is okay. Honestly both Pony Express and Sierra Sidewinder are both unique family coasters with the latter packing a punch.

As others have notes though - Timber Mountain Log Ride, Calico Mine Ride, and Ghost Rider are probably the top 3 flagship attractions in the park. Though you can’t go wrong with sticking to anything in the ghost town area including the train, stage coach, rapids, and various live shows.

Oh I forgot about Silver Bullet. That may get a pass from me too. For the record I’m not scared of the physical motion of the roller coasters. I‘be developed a fear of having a stroke or something of the sort on these extreme coasters. It may be irrational but I went on Supreme Scream once in my early 20’s and when I got off there was a vibration at the back of my head every time I talked. It was like someone playing a talk box in unison with my words. It was inexplicable but thankfully went away. So I thought to myself if that could happen, what else could happen?

 

[BuzzedPotatoHead89]

Oh I forgot about Silver Bullet. That may get a pass from me too. For the record I’m not scared of the physical motion of the roller coasters. I‘be developed a fear of having a stroke or something of the sort on these extreme coasters. It may be irrational but I went on Supreme Scream once in my early 20’s and when I got off there was a vibration at the back of my head every time I talked. It was like someone playing a talk box in unison with my words. It was inexplicable but thankfully went away. So I thought to myself if that could happen, what else could happen?

Trust me, I feel you there. As someone who has vertigo/migraines and has had prior surgery on my abdomen I simply can’t do these coasters in my mid-30s like I did as a teenager.

The good thing about Knotts is you do still have a decent balance of things to do. Unlike Magic Mountain which has single handedly made itself as unappealing to non-adrenaline junkies as possible.

 

[mickEblu]

Ah shoot just looked at some of the height requirements. Might have to delay this Knotts trip a few months. I figured my son could do Pony Express, Jaguar and Ghost Rider but you have to be 48 inches tall. We have a couple inches to go. Looks like 48 inches is the next milestone for him/us. Opens up a few coasters at Knotts, Incredicoaster at DCA and The Mummy (and Forbidden Journey) at USH.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Oh I forgot about Silver Bullet. That may get a pass from me too. For the record I’m not scared of the physical motion of the roller coasters. I‘be developed a fear of having a stroke or something of the sort on these extreme coasters. It may be irrational but I went on Supreme Scream once in my early 20’s and when I got off there was a vibration at the back of my head every time I talked. It was like someone playing a talk box in unison with my words. It was inexplicable but thankfully went away. So I thought to myself if that could happen, what else could happen?

Having a stroke or other major medical event happen on a roller coaster is very very rare, though not impossible. But then I don't know your health history/situation or how vertigo would impact riding a coster, so it's ultimately your call.

RE: Inversions-when you say they do nothing for you or you don't need them, does that mean they don't make you feel well, that they aren't something you're interested in, or something else?

I will say that Supreme Scream and Silver Bullet/Hangtime have opposite sorts of forces. Supreme Scream would probably lean more towards negative G's and SB/H more towards positive G's. The Silver Bullet main drop is sort of rampy and not that thrilling-most of the intensity from my perspective comes from the ending helix, unless inversions really mess with you. If you would feel comfortable doing Batman at Six Flags, you'd be fine with Silver Bullet, which I'd say is a ultimately less intense ride by comparison.

Hangtime-its bark is worse than its bite. If the drop doesn't wig you out, you should be ok. It's VERY smooth.

But ultimately it's up to you, and as was said, there's plenty to do without feeling like you need to do coaster coaster coaster and nothing else all day long.

Ah shoot just looked at some of the height requirements. Might have to delay this Knotts trip a few months. I figured my son could do Pony Express, Jaguar and Ghost Rider but you have to be 48 inches tall. We have a couple inches to go. Looks like 48 inches is the next milestone for him/us. Opens up a few coasters at Knotts, Incredicoaster at DCA and The Mummy (and Forbidden Journey) at USH.

Looks like Cedar Fair strikes again. Basically you need to be 48 inches to ride anything more intense than a train or a dark ride at any of their parks. Weirdly, they're WORSE than Six Flags with the height requirements.