Indiana’s coaster scene comes down to two real destinations: Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari in Santa Claus, built around a run of acclaimed wooden coasters, and Indiana Beach in Monticello, a lakeside midway park with an older, scrappier lineup of steel and wood rides. The best ride in the state is The Voyage at Holiday World, a wooden coaster built for sustained airtime rather than a single big moment.
This ranking is based on actual ride experience — airtime, pacing, how rough or smooth a coaster feels, and how it holds up against other rides of its type — not just height or speed. Below you’ll find the full order, a side-by-side comparison table, advice on which park fits different kinds of groups, and a road-trip plan for visiting both.
Stats at a Glance
- Top Pick: The Voyage — Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari
- Tallest: The Voyage, 159 ft (48 m)
- Fastest: The Voyage, 67 mph (108 km/h)
- Best Park for Coasters: Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari
- Best Time to Go: June and September weekdays
The Ranking: Best Roller Coasters in Indiana
Twelve coasters across Indiana’s two coaster parks, ordered from the ride worth planning a trip around to the gentle one you ride with a toddler.
1. The Voyage — Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari
The Voyage is a wooden roller coaster designed by The Gravity Group, opening in 2006. It stands 159 ft (48 m) tall, hits a top speed of 67 mph (108 km/h), and covers 6,442 ft of track through five underground tunnels. Its defining element is a back-to-back run of hills across the second half that add up to about 24.3 seconds of total airtime over the course of the ride, the most of any wooden coaster measured to date.
It opens with a steep first drop and barely lets up for two minutes after that, throwing riders out of their seats hill after hill until the final brake run. It’s rough in the way older-style wooden coasters tend to be, and the airtime is strong enough that loose items go flying, so it suits riders who already like wood coasters more than first-timers looking for something gentle. It has held a top spot among wooden coasters for most of the two decades since it opened, which is why it leads this list.
2. Thunderbird — Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari
Thunderbird is a steel launched wing coaster built by Bolliger & Mabillard, opening in 2015 as the first launched wing coaster in the United States. Riders sit in pairs on either side of the track with nothing overhead or underneath them. It stands 140 ft (43 m) tall, launches to 60 mph (97 km/h) in about 3.5 seconds, and its defining element is a 125-foot vertical loop, the tallest loop on any wing coaster.
The launch snaps riders back into the seat immediately, and the loop and subsequent inversions come with almost no lift-hill pause to recover between them. It’s short and intense rather than long and sustained, which makes it good for riders who want a hard, fast ride without an endurance test. It ranks second as the park’s most physically forceful coaster and its most distinct type of ride experience.
3. The Raven — Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari
The Raven is a wooden roller coaster built by Custom Coasters International, opening in 1995. It stands 80 ft (24 m) tall and reaches 48 mph (77 km/h). Its defining element is a fifth drop hidden from the queue line, followed by a low, fast finish that runs alongside the park’s lake.
It’s compact and relentless, with drop after drop and almost no flat sections, closing with a skim across the water that feels closer than it looks. It suits riders who want strong pacing without the length or roughness of The Voyage. It ranks third because enthusiasts have long rated it among the best smaller wooden coasters anywhere, even if it doesn’t set the records The Voyage does.
4. The Legend — Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari
The Legend is a wooden roller coaster built by Custom Coasters International, opening in 2000. It stands 99 ft (30 m) tall with a 113 ft (34 m) drop and a top speed of 59 mph (95 km/h). Its defining element is a spiral first drop into a themed dark section, inspired by Washington Irving’s ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.’
It runs longer in the middle than The Raven, with a themed tunnel stretch that breaks up the hill-after-hill pacing of the park’s other wood coasters. It suits groups who want a full-length wooden coaster without The Voyage’s intensity. It ranks fourth because it’s a strong, well-regarded ride that still lacks the one standout moment that defines the three coasters ahead of it.
5. Steel Hawg — Indiana Beach
Steel Hawg is a steel El Loco model coaster built by S&S, opening in 2008. It stands 96 ft (29 m) tall, reaches 41 mph (66 km/h), and has two inversions. Its defining element is a beyond-vertical 111-degree first drop that briefly held the record as the steepest drop on any coaster.
The ride is dominated almost entirely by that drop, a near free-fall sensation before a quick inversion and a short finish. It’s built for riders who want a concentrated hit of intensity in well under a minute, not for anyone uneasy about steep drops or restrained seating. It sits mid-list because the drop is most of the ride; everything after it is brief.
6. All American Triple Loop — Indiana Beach
All American Triple Loop is a steel looping coaster originally built by Anton Schwarzkopf in 1984 and relocated to Indiana Beach, where it reopened in 2024. It stands 111 ft (34 m) tall, reaches 53 mph (85 km/h), and runs through three vertical loops. It has operated under several other names at parks in Germany, Malaysia, England, and Mexico before coming to Indiana.
It rides like an old-school multi-loop steel coaster: forceful, clattering, and loop after loop with little pacing between them. It suits riders who enjoy classic looping coasters and don’t mind rough, dated trains. It ranks here because it’s genuinely intense but less comfortable than the wooden coasters ranked above it.
7. Cornball Express — Indiana Beach
Cornball Express is a wooden roller coaster built by Custom Coasters International, opening in 2001 as one of the manufacturer’s final designs. It stands 55 ft (17 m) tall, reaches 46 mph (74 km/h), and runs 2,100 ft of track. Its defining element is a layout woven tightly through and under the support structure of the neighboring Hoosier Hurricane.
It feels faster and more disorienting than its modest size suggests, since the track threads between support beams close enough to feel like near-misses. It suits families who want a real wooden coaster without the length or roughness of the bigger ones on this list. It ranks mid-table for a clever layout built on fairly modest stats.
8. Hoosier Hurricane — Indiana Beach
Hoosier Hurricane is a wooden roller coaster built by Custom Coasters International, opening in 1994 as the first wooden coaster built in Indiana in fifty years. It has a 77 ft (23 m) lift hill, a 98 ft first drop, and a top speed of 53 mph (85 km/h).
It’s a straightforward out-and-back: one big first drop followed by a handful of smaller hills, rougher in the seat than Cornball Express next door. It suits riders who want a traditional big wooden coaster without much of a wait. It ranks here for a strong opening drop but a less interesting back half than its newer neighbor.
9. Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain — Indiana Beach
Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain is a wooden roller coaster built by Custom Coasters International, opening in 2002, using an elevator lift that raises the train about 35 ft (11 m) straight up instead of a chain hill. It reaches a top speed of 20 mph (32 km/h). Its defining element is that most of the ride runs inside an enclosed mountain structure, hiding the lift and several turns from view.
It’s slow rather than fast, relying on sudden darkness and tight blind turns instead of height or speed to get a reaction. It suits families or riders looking for a novelty ride rather than a thrill. It ranks here for originality, not for intensity.
10. Good Gravy! — Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari
Good Gravy! is a steel shuttle coaster, a custom version of Vekoma’s Family Boomerang model, opening in 2024 as the first of its kind in North America. It stands 72 ft (22 m) tall and reaches 37 mph (60 km/h), pulled up its lift by drive tires rather than a chain. Its defining element is a kitchen-themed layout that sends the train through oversized props forward, then repeats the circuit backward.
It’s mild compared to the park’s bigger rides, built around theming and the back-and-forth gimmick rather than force or height. It suits younger riders and families who want something coaster-shaped without real intensity. It ranks here as a family ride rather than a thrill ride.
11. Tig’rr Coaster — Indiana Beach
Tig’rr Coaster is a steel Jet Star model built by Anton Schwarzkopf, opening in 1984. It stands 44 ft (13 m) tall and reaches roughly 31 mph (50 km/h). It’s one of only a few Schwarzkopf Jet Star coasters still operating anywhere and the only one still running in North America.
It rides like the small, portable-style steel coasters common at fairs in the 1970s and ’80s: quick drops, tight curves, over in a couple of minutes. It suits riders curious about a rare, old-design coaster more than anyone chasing a thrill. It ranks here for rarity rather than ride experience.
12. The Howler — Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari
The Howler is a steel family coaster built by Zamperla, opening in 1999. It stands 13 ft (4 m) tall and reaches 16 mph (26 km/h), with a train styled after the park’s mascot, Holidog. A short chain lift hill carries the train to its only rise before a low, oval-shaped circuit of gentle drops and turns.
It’s slow and gentle, built for a child’s first coaster ride rather than for anyone with prior coaster experience. It suits families with young kids; adults will find it over almost before it starts. It closes the list as the mildest ride among Indiana’s operating coasters.
Quick Comparison
Same ranking, side by side.
| Rank | Coaster | Park | Type | Height | Top Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Voyage | Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari | Wooden | 159 ft (48 m) | 67 mph (108 km/h) |
| 2 | Thunderbird | Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari | Steel launched wing coaster | 140 ft (43 m) | 60 mph (97 km/h) |
| 3 | The Raven | Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari | Wooden | 80 ft (24 m) | 48 mph (77 km/h) |
| 4 | The Legend | Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari | Wooden | 99 ft (30 m) | 59 mph (95 km/h) |
| 5 | Steel Hawg | Indiana Beach | Steel (El Loco) | 96 ft (29 m) | 41 mph (66 km/h) |
| 6 | All American Triple Loop | Indiana Beach | Steel looping coaster | 111 ft (34 m) | 53 mph (85 km/h) |
| 7 | Cornball Express | Indiana Beach | Wooden | 55 ft (17 m) | 46 mph (74 km/h) |
| 8 | Hoosier Hurricane | Indiana Beach | Wooden | 77 ft (23 m) | 53 mph (85 km/h) |
| 9 | Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain | Indiana Beach | Wooden (dark-ride style) | 35 ft (11 m) | 20 mph (32 km/h) |
| 10 | Good Gravy! | Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari | Steel family shuttle coaster | 72 ft (22 m) | 37 mph (60 km/h) |
| 11 | Tig’rr Coaster | Indiana Beach | Steel (Jet Star) | 44 ft (13 m) | 31 mph (50 km/h) |
| 12 | The Howler | Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari | Steel family coaster | 13 ft (4 m) | 16 mph (26 km/h) |
Which Indiana Park Should You Pick?
Serious riders should go to Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari. Four of the state’s five best-regarded coasters are concentrated there, the wooden coasters are well maintained, and the park’s reputation with enthusiasts has stayed strong for years.
Families with younger kids may prefer Indiana Beach. Its lakefront, midway-style layout moves at a slower pace, and its lineup leans toward smaller, gentler rides alongside a couple of intense ones that older kids can grow into.
For a mixed group spanning ages and risk tolerance, Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari is the easier single-park day: a wooden-coaster lineup for thrill seekers, Good Gravy! and The Howler for younger riders, an included water park, and a long-standing policy of free soft drinks, sunscreen, and parking that keeps day-of costs predictable.
Planning a Indiana Coaster Road Trip
Holiday World sits in Santa Claus in the far south of the state; Indiana Beach is in Monticello, in the north-central region near Lafayette. The drive between them is about 4 hours, with Indianapolis in between: about 1 hour 40 minutes from Indiana Beach and about 3 hours from Holiday World. Treat the two as separate anchors rather than one tight loop — visit whichever is closer to home first, and use Indianapolis as a stopover or a second stop if you’re also sightseeing in the capital.
Both parks run a full schedule from Memorial Day through Labor Day, with lighter crowds on weekdays in June or after mid-August; Holiday World trims its operating days in the shoulder season, so check the calendar before planning an early or late visit. A season pass at either park tends to pay for itself in two visits, and at Holiday World the included soft drinks, sunscreen, and parking cut out costs that add up fast at parks charging for each separately.
Explore more: Roller Coasters guide.
Best Roller Coasters in Indiana FAQs
What is the best roller coaster in Indiana?
The Voyage at Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari in Santa Claus. It’s a wooden coaster built around a long, relentless run of hills that add up to roughly 24 seconds of total airtime over the ride rather than one big drop, and it has held a top spot among wooden coasters for most of the two decades since it opened in 2006.
What is the tallest roller coaster in Indiana?
The Voyage, at 159 ft (48 m), also at Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari.
Which park in Indiana has the most roller coasters?
Indiana Beach in Monticello has the broader lineup, mixing modern and vintage steel models with several wooden coasters on one lakefront site. Holiday World’s smaller lineup is more tightly curated around its wooden coasters.
When is the best time to visit Indiana theme parks?
June weekdays before school lets out, or weekdays after mid-August, give the shortest lines while both parks are still on their full operating schedule. Avoid July and holiday weekends if you can.
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Photo: Sjh123 at English Wikipedia / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.