Great Bear is a steel inverted roller coaster at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania, built by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard with track design assistance from Werner Stengel’s engineering firm. When it opened on May 23, 1998, it became the first inverted looping coaster in the state of Pennsylvania, marking a $13 million investment that was the largest project Hersheypark had undertaken up to that point.
The ride’s name pays tribute to the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear, whose seven prominent stars are echoed by the coaster’s seven distinct thrill elements. Riders dangle with feet dangling free as the trains wind through a tightly packed layout in the park’s Minetown section, threading past the SooperDooperLooper, over Spring Creek, and around the Coal Cracker log flume.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Hersheypark
- Manufacturer: Bolliger & Mabillard
- Opened: May 23, 1998
- Height: 90 ft
- Top speed: about 60 mph
- Length: 2,800 ft
- Inversions: 4
The Ride Experience
Because Great Bear’s station sits atop a hill, its 90-foot lift hill is deceptive; the actual first drop plunges riders about 124 feet, giving the ride more punch than its height figure suggests. From there, the inverted trains, seating passengers in a single row with feet hanging free, race through a vertical loop, an Immelmann loop, a zero-g roll, and a corkscrew across roughly 2,800 feet of track.
The layout is known among enthusiasts for its tight, terrain-hugging footprint, weaving between and over several other park attractions and Spring Creek. A full circuit takes riders through the four inversions in quick succession before returning to the station near the park’s Minetown area.
History and Legacy
Great Bear debuted in 1998 as a milestone for Hersheypark, representing the park’s largest capital investment to that point and its entry into the modern inverted-coaster era alongside other B&M installations popping up across the country in the 1990s. It held the distinction of being Pennsylvania’s first inverted looping coaster.
More than two decades later, Great Bear remains a mainstay of the Hersheypark lineup, valued by enthusiasts for its smooth B&M trains and compact, high-intensity layout even as the park has added taller, faster coasters around it.
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Great Bear FAQs
Who manufactured Great Bear at Hersheypark?
Great Bear was built by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), the Swiss firm known for inverted coasters, with additional track design work from Werner Stengel’s engineering office.
How fast does Great Bear go?
Great Bear reaches a top speed of about 58 to 60 mph during its run.
How many inversions does Great Bear have?
Great Bear has four inversions: a vertical loop, an Immelmann loop, a zero-g roll, and a corkscrew.
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Photo: Coasterman1234 / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.