Standing in line for Orion, the first thing that hits you is the scale. Kings Island’s giga coaster climbs 287 feet into the Ohio sky, and from the crest of that lift hill you can see the entire park spread out below before the train tips over the edge and falls 300 feet in under two seconds. Orion opened on July 2, 2020, following a media soft-opening on July 1, as the seventh giga coaster in the world and the single largest investment in Kings Island’s history at roughly $31 million.
Built by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard and themed around a sci-fi mission to reach the Orion constellation, it instantly became the defining landmark of the park’s skyline. Below is every stat riders search for, plus how Orion stacks up against its closest B&M giga rivals, which seat to pick, what stood on this footprint before the coaster arrived, and the awards it has picked up since opening.
Quick Answer
Orion is a 287-foot-tall Bolliger & Mabillard giga coaster at Kings Island with a 300-foot first drop at 85 degrees, a top speed of 91 mph, and a 54-inch height requirement. It opened July 2, 2020, becoming the seventh giga coaster in the world and the third built by B&M, joining Leviathan (2012) and Fury 325 (2015). Its giga classification comes from the 300-foot drop measurement, not the 287-foot structure height.
Orion Stats at a Glance
Park: Kings Island, Mason, Ohio, in the Area 72 section. Manufacturer: Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), Switzerland. Model: B&M Hyper Coaster, marketed as a giga coaster. Opened: July 2, 2020, with a media and pass-holder preview on July 1, 2020. Cost: approximately $31 million, the largest single investment in Kings Island’s history at the time. Lift hill height: 287 feet. First drop: 300 feet at 85 degrees. Top speed: 91 mph. Track length: 5,321 feet. Ride duration: approximately 3 minutes. Total hills: 8. Inversions: 0. Train configuration: 3 trains, 8 cars each, 4 riders across, 32 riders per train. Height requirement: 54 inches. Hourly capacity: approximately 1,650 riders. Replaced: Firehawk and the Dinosaurs Alive attraction, which previously occupied the site.
How Tall Is Orion? Height vs. Drop, Explained
Orion’s structure, the physical lift hill riders climb, stands 287 feet tall. That’s the number to use when someone asks how tall Orion is as a structure. But the coaster’s defining stat is different: its first drop measures 300 feet, 13 feet more than the lift itself.
The discrepancy is intentional. The drop track descends into an excavated valley below the surrounding grade, so the train falls further than the lift climbed. That extra distance is also why Orion qualifies as a giga coaster even though its tower height alone would fall just short of the 300-foot giga threshold.
When Did Orion Open?
Orion opened to the public on July 2, 2020, after a media and season-pass-holder preview on July 1. The coaster had originally been slated for a spring 2020 debut, but Kings Island’s entire season was pushed back by several months due to COVID-19 closures affecting parks nationwide, delaying Orion’s opening alongside the rest of the park’s.
When it finally opened, Orion became the seventh giga coaster built anywhere in the world and the third built by B&M specifically, joining the manufacturer’s short list of coasters with drops of 300 feet or more.
The 287-Foot Chain Lift Climb
From the moment the train engages the lift chain, the ascent is steady and deliberate. B&M chain lifts are designed to build anticipation rather than rush it, and the climb takes roughly 30 to 40 seconds, long enough to take in sweeping views of the park, the surrounding Mason, Ohio landscape, and on clear days, the Cincinnati skyline to the south.
The chain is a continuous loop of interlocked metal links running in a trough beneath the track; a catch dog on the train’s undercarriage grabs the chain and is pulled upward until the train reaches the crest. At 287 feet, you’re at the highest vantage point in the park, with views of the Eiffel Tower replica, The Beast winding through the trees, and the full footprint of Kings Island below. Then the front of the train tips past the crest, and everything changes.
Chain Lift, Not Cable: Getting the Record Straight
Some sources describe Orion as using a cable lift. That’s incorrect; Orion uses a traditional chain lift, standard across B&M’s entire coaster lineup. Cable lifts, which replace the metal chain with a lighter wire rope, are primarily found on Intamin coasters such as Millennium Force at Cedar Point and Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion.
The practical differences are real: cable systems run faster and handle steeper inclines, while chain lifts provide the smooth, controlled ascent B&M builds into its large-scale designs. There’s no engineering reason to use a cable system at this angle and height on Orion; the chain does the job as intended, and the slower, deliberate pace is part of the ride experience.
Orion’s Drop: 300 Feet at 85 Degrees
Orion’s first drop measures 300 feet, 13 feet more than the 287-foot lift hill, because the valley at the bottom is excavated below the surrounding terrain. The train doesn’t fall to ground level; it plunges into a low point carved into the earth, and those extra feet are what push Orion into giga coaster territory.
The drop angle is 85 degrees, five degrees short of vertical. At that pitch, riders in the front row get significant ejector airtime over the crest before the train rockets through the valley at 91 mph. The overbanked turn that immediately follows hits with substantial positive g-forces, a sharp contrast to the weightlessness of the plunge itself.
Is Orion a Giga Coaster?
Yes. A giga coaster is defined by a drop between 300 and 399 feet, and Orion qualifies because its first drop is exactly 300 feet, even though its lift hill stands only 287 feet. It’s the drop measurement, not the structure height, that places a coaster in the giga class.
When Orion opened in July 2020, it was the seventh giga coaster in the world, joining Millennium Force (Cedar Point, 2000), Intimidator 305 (Kings Dominion, 2010), Leviathan (Canada’s Wonderland, 2012), and Fury 325 (Carowinds, 2015). Among B&M-built giga coasters specifically, Orion is the third, following Leviathan and Fury 325, and it is the smallest of the three by structure height.
Orion vs. Fury 325 vs. Leviathan: How the B&M Giga Coasters Compare
B&M has now built three giga coasters, and Orion is routinely compared to the other two by enthusiasts. Fury 325 at Carowinds, which opened in 2015, is the largest of the trio at 325 feet tall with a 320-foot drop at 81 degrees and a top speed of 95 mph across 6,602 feet of track, and it has repeatedly topped the Golden Ticket Award rankings for Best Steel Coaster.
Leviathan at Canada’s Wonderland, which opened in 2012, stands 306 feet tall with a drop that nearly matches its height at roughly 80 degrees and a top speed of 92 mph. Orion, at 287 feet tall with a 300-foot drop at 85 degrees and a 91 mph top speed, is the shortest and slightly slower than both, but its steeper drop angle and shorter, punchier 5,321-foot layout give it a more intense, ejector-airtime-heavy character over its 8 hills, compared with the sprawling, high-speed pacing of Fury 325.
Best Seat on Orion: Front Row or Back Row?
The front row gives the clearest sightline down the 300-foot drop and the most open, unobstructed view of the surrounding landscape at 91 mph, with the front-right seat in particular showcasing the ride’s signature overbanked turn with nothing blocking the view. It’s the seat most riders want for photos and video of the drop itself.
The back row delivers a different sensation: more aggressive, whip-style airtime on the drop and the smaller hills, since the rear cars snap over each crest faster than the front. Riders chasing the strongest negative-g floating feeling generally prefer the back. Both are worth experiencing if wait times allow more than one ride.
What Was There Before Orion?
Orion’s footprint in the Area 72 section of the park was previously home to Firehawk, a flying coaster that operated at Kings Island from 2007 through October 2018, and the walk-through Dinosaurs Alive attraction. Both were removed to make way for Orion’s excavated valley and expansive layout, and the surrounding area was rethemed around the coaster’s sci-fi storyline.
Awards and Rankings
Orion won USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice award for Best New Amusement Park Attraction in 2020, the year it opened. In the annual Golden Ticket Awards from Amusement Today, which polls thousands of enthusiasts on the world’s best steel coasters, Orion has placed 31st (2021), 20th (2022), 27th (2023), 43rd (2024), and 45th (2025), a respectable but not top-tier showing as newer giga and hyper coasters have opened at other parks. Fury 325, by contrast, has held the number one steel coaster spot in the same rankings for multiple consecutive years.
Orion Kings Island stats FAQs
How tall is Orion at Kings Island?
Orion’s lift hill stands 287 feet tall, and its first drop measures 300 feet because the drop track descends into an excavated valley below the surrounding grade.
How fast does Orion go?
Orion reaches a top speed of 91 mph during its 300-foot first drop.
Is Orion a giga coaster?
Yes. Giga coasters are defined by a drop of 300 to 399 feet, and Orion’s 300-foot drop qualifies it, even though its structure height alone is 287 feet.
When did Orion open?
Orion opened to the public on July 2, 2020, after a media and pass-holder preview on July 1, 2020. The debut was delayed from spring 2020 due to nationwide COVID-19 park closures.
How much did Orion cost to build?
Orion cost approximately $31 million, making it the largest single investment in Kings Island’s history at the time it opened.
What was on Orion’s site before it was built?
Orion’s site in the Area 72 section previously held Firehawk, a flying coaster that ran from 2007 to October 2018, and the Dinosaurs Alive walk-through attraction.
Is Orion the tallest coaster at Kings Island?
Yes. Kings Island markets Orion as the park’s tallest, fastest, and longest steel roller coaster.
How does Orion compare to Fury 325?
Fury 325 at Carowinds is taller (325 feet), faster (95 mph), and longer (6,602 feet) than Orion, and it consistently ranks higher in enthusiast polls. Orion’s drop angle is slightly steeper at 85 degrees versus Fury 325’s 81 degrees, giving it a punchier, more ejector-airtime-focused ride.
What is the height requirement for Orion?
Riders must be at least 54 inches tall to ride Orion.
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