MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress stands in Fiesta Village at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, as the reinvented version of Montezooma’s Revenge, the shuttle loop coaster that first opened on the site on May 21, 1978. Built originally by German manufacturer Anton Schwarzkopf and designed by engineer Werner Stengel, the coaster helped define the shuttle-loop genre of the late 1970s, blasting a single train forward through a 76-foot vertical loop before letting it roll backward through the same loop again.
Montezooma’s Revenge closed for refurbishment in February 2022, beginning what became a four-year rebuild. The ride returned on August 6, 2026, rebranded as MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress, with a new treasure-hunter storyline, Aztec-inspired theming, and a modern linear synchronous motor launch system engineered by the Dutch firm Kumbak in place of the original flywheel drive, as part of a reported $20 million makeover.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park, CA
- Manufacturer: Schwarzkopf (1978); launch system by Kumbak (2026)
- Opened: May 21, 1978 (reopened August 6, 2026)
- Height: about 148 feet
- Top speed: about 55 mph
- Length: about 800 feet
- Inversions: 1 (76-foot vertical loop, ridden forward and backward)
The Ride Experience
Riders board a single train that launches from a standing start, racing up the 148-foot-tall structure and through a 76-foot vertical loop before the whole sequence reverses and sends the train backward through the same loop. The out-and-back shuttle format means every rider feels the launch and the loop twice, once forward and once in reverse, within a ride that lasts well under a minute.
The 2026 rebuild kept that signature forward-and-backward shuttle loop but replaced the original flywheel launch with a computer-controlled LSM system capable of varying launch intensity between cycles, while new restraints and reworked trains updated the experience for modern safety standards.
History and Theming
As Montezooma’s Revenge, the ride was one of the first shuttle loop coasters in the United States and became a signature attraction of Knott’s Fiesta Village for over four decades before its 2022 closure.
The reimagined version introduced a new narrative about treasure hunters pursuing a cursed Aztec fortress, with themed queue elements and trains redesigned around that story, turning a classic late-1970s thrill ride into a fully reworked dark-themed attraction.
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MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress FAQs
What was MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress before its current name?
It was known as Montezooma’s Revenge from its 1978 debut until its 2022 closure for refurbishment.
How fast does MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress go?
The coaster reaches a top speed of about 55 mph during its launch.
When did MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress reopen at Knott’s Berry Farm?
It reopened on August 6, 2026, after a four-year rebuild that added new theming and a modern launch system.
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Photo: Brent Schmidt / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.