Raging Wolf Bobs was a classic wooden roller coaster that thundered through Geauga Lake amusement park in Aurora, Ohio, for nearly two decades. Built to mark the park’s centennial celebration, it was the park’s first new coaster in ten years when it opened on May 28, 1988, and it quickly became a signature attraction with its rough-and-tumble, out-and-back wooden layout.
Designed by noted coaster engineer Curtis D. Summers and built by the Dinn Corporation for about $2.5 million, Raging Wolf Bobs was deliberately patterned after the famed Bobs coaster at Chicago’s long-shuttered Riverview Park. Marketed with the tagline ‘the legend of terror returns,’ it delivered a fast, twisting ride that riders still remember fondly today.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Geauga Lake
- Manufacturer: Dinn Corporation
- Designer: Curtis D. Summers
- Opened: May 28, 1988
- Closed: June 16, 2007
- Height: 80 feet
- Top speed: 50 mph
- Length: 3,426 feet
- Inversions: 0
The Ride Experience
True to its Bobs-family lineage, Raging Wolf Bobs packed a lot of punch into a compact wooden footprint. Its 80-foot lift led into a series of tightly banked turns and rapid-fire drops that gave the ride an intense, jarring character typical of classic out-and-back wood coasters of its era, with two trains of six cars each carrying 24 riders per cycle through the roughly two-minute course.
The coaster’s reputation for a rough, high-energy ride made it a favorite among wooden coaster enthusiasts, who valued its old-school airtime and relentless pacing over smoother, modern designs.
Closure and Demolition
On June 16, 2007, a train failed to crest one of the ride’s hills and rolled backward, partially derailing the last car with no reported injuries. The coaster never reopened after the incident, and just months later, on September 21, 2007, Cedar Fair announced it would permanently close Geauga Lake altogether.
Raging Wolf Bobs was sold at auction for $2,500 to a machinery mover intending to relocate it, but that plan never materialized. Demolition finally began in 2011 and wasn’t completed until the spring of 2014, closing the book on one of Ohio’s most beloved wooden coasters.
Explore more: Explore more legendary roller coasters.
Raging Wolf Bobs FAQs
Where was Raging Wolf Bobs located?
Raging Wolf Bobs operated at Geauga Lake amusement park in Aurora, Ohio, from 1988 until 2007.
Why did Raging Wolf Bobs close?
A June 16, 2007 incident in which a train rolled backward and partially derailed ended the ride’s operating days. Geauga Lake itself closed permanently later that year.
What coaster inspired Raging Wolf Bobs’ design?
It was patterned after Bobs, a famous wooden coaster at Chicago’s Riverview Park, which closed decades earlier.
Get More from Raging Wolf Bobs
Log the coasters, stadiums, and venues you’ve experienced, rate Raging Wolf Bobs, and see what your friends thought. Get the ThrillZing app.
Photo: IronGargoyle / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.