GhostRider is a wooden roller coaster in the Ghost Town section of Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. Designed by Robin Hall and built by Custom Coasters International at a cost of about $24 million, it opened to the public on December 8, 1998, quickly becoming one of the park’s signature attractions.
Laid out in a double out-and-back pattern across roughly 4,533 feet of track, GhostRider held the title of the longest wooden coaster on the West Coast of the United States. In 2015 and 2016, Great Coasters International carried out a major renovation, retracking most of the ride, adding banked turns and airtime hills, removing the mid-course brake run, and replacing the original trains with Millennium Flyers, all while preserving the coaster’s original layout and Old West theming.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park, California
- Manufacturer: Custom Coasters International (1998 structure); retracked by Great Coasters International (2016)
- Opened: December 8, 1998
- Height: 118 feet
- Top speed: 56 mph
- Length: about 4,533 feet
- Inversions: 0
The Ride Experience
Riders board in a station themed as a mining building in Knott’s Ghost Town before climbing the 118-foot lift hill. The double out-and-back layout sends trains through a long sequence of drops, turns, and airtime moments across the wooded course, with a top speed of about 56 mph and a ride lasting around two minutes and forty seconds.
The 2015-2016 renovation reshaped much of the track profile, adding banked turns and extra airtime hills while removing the original mid-course brake run, giving the ride a smoother, faster-feeling experience than its original 1998 layout without changing its overall footprint.
Records and Recognition
GhostRider is recognized as the longest wooden roller coaster on the West Coast of the United States. Since opening, it has been repeatedly ranked among the world’s top wooden coasters in Amusement Today’s annual Golden Ticket Awards, cementing its reputation as one of Knott’s Berry Farm’s most celebrated rides.
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GhostRider FAQs
Is GhostRider still open at Knott’s Berry Farm?
Yes, GhostRider operates today in the Ghost Town section of the park, following a 2015-2016 renovation that retracked most of the ride.
How tall and fast is GhostRider?
GhostRider stands 118 feet tall and reaches a top speed of about 56 mph.
Who built GhostRider?
It was originally built by Custom Coasters International in 1998 and designed by Robin Hall; Great Coasters International later retracked and retrained the ride in 2016.
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Photo: METRO96 / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.