Skyrush doesn’t look like it should be this intense from the midway, but the numbers back it up: 200 feet tall, a 212-foot first drop, and 75 mph reached in the first three seconds. It’s the ride most Hersheypark enthusiasts name as the park’s best, and its height-versus-drop numbers confuse enough people that they’re some of the most-searched stats about the coaster.
Below is the exact answer to how tall Skyrush is, why its drop is actually taller than the ride itself, and every other stat, design detail, and 2024 update worth knowing before you ride.
Quick Answer
Skyrush is 200 feet (61 m) tall, but its first drop measures 212 feet (65 m) — taller than the lift itself — because the track plunges past ground level into the ravine cut by Spring Creek. Riders take that 212-foot drop at an 85-degree angle and hit a top speed of 75 mph almost immediately.
Skyrush Height vs. Drop: Why the Numbers Don’t Match
Skyrush’s cable lift hoists the train 200 feet into the air — that’s the ride’s official “height.” But the first drop is measured differently: it’s the vertical distance from the top of the drop to the lowest point of the track, and Skyrush’s layout dives into a low-lying ravine above Spring Creek that sits below the base of the lift. That extra descent pushes the drop measurement to 212 feet, 12 feet more than the ride’s stated height.
The discrepancy isn’t a typo — it’s actually tied to local zoning. Derry Township’s height limit for structures was 200 feet, so Hersheypark and Intamin engineered the lift and drop crest to top out exactly at that limit, then let the track dip lower than ground level on the way down to add extra drop distance without adding extra height. The result is a first drop that’s deeper than the ride is tall, taken at a steep 85 degrees — just 5 degrees off vertical.
Skyrush Stats at a Glance
Park: Hersheypark, Hershey, Pennsylvania. Manufacturer: Intamin. Opened: May 26, 2012. Construction cost: roughly $25 million. Height: 200 ft (61 m). First drop: 212 ft (65 m) at 85 degrees. Top speed: 75 mph (121 km/h). Length: 3,600 ft (1,100 m). Ride duration: 63 seconds. Inversions: 0. Max G-force: 5.0. Capacity: about 1,350 riders per hour across two 32-passenger trains.
For comparison, Hersheypark’s tallest and fastest coaster overall is Candymonium at 210 feet and 76 mph, with its own 210-foot drop. Skyrush’s 212-foot drop is actually deeper than Candymonium’s despite Skyrush being 10 feet shorter overall — a quirk that trips up a lot of first-time visitors comparing the two rides.
The Ride Experience
The cable lift pulls the train up Skyrush’s 200-foot incline at roughly 26 feet per second, noticeably faster than a standard chain lift, so the crest arrives with almost no warning. The 85-degree drop that follows slams the train to 75 mph within the first few seconds — one of the quickest accelerations of any coaster in the northeastern U.S.
From there, the 3,600-foot layout sweeps through four high-banked turns and five distinct airtime hills, threading directly above Spring Creek for most of the ride. Because riders sit in wing seats cantilevered outside the track, there’s no floor, no train body, and nothing in their peripheral vision — every hill and turn feels fully exposed to open air. The whole circuit is over in about 63 seconds, and the ride sustains G-forces up to 5.0, among the highest of any modern steel coaster.
Wing Coaster Design & Seating
Skyrush was the first Wing Coaster Intamin ever built, serving as a prototype for the model before other installations followed elsewhere in the world. Each of the two 8-car trains seats 32 riders in a staggered arrangement: odd-numbered rows sit toward the middle of the car, even-numbered rows sit out toward the wings, so every seat gets a slightly different view and airtime intensity — rear wing seats are generally considered the most extreme.
There are no inversions anywhere on the layout. Skyrush’s intensity comes entirely from speed, the steep 85-degree drop, sustained airtime, and G-forces, not loops or corkscrews.
2024 Seat and Restraint Overhaul
For years, Skyrush’s original trapezoidal restraints earned the ride an unflattering nickname among enthusiasts — “Thighcrush” — for how tightly they clamped down on riders’ upper legs. Ahead of the 2024 season, Hersheypark and Intamin retrofitted the existing trains with redesigned seats and restraints shaped to fit around the thighs rather than press into them, along with a refreshed station featuring new paint, lighting, and sound design.
The upgrade kept the ride’s stats — height, drop, speed, and layout — completely unchanged, but it resolved the single biggest complaint riders had about the experience, and it’s been well received by the enthusiast community since debuting.
Recognition and Records
Skyrush was ranked among the top new rides in Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Awards the year it opened and has continued to place on the publication’s top steel coasters list in most years since. Within Hersheypark itself, community rankings and enthusiast polls consistently put Skyrush at or near the top of the park’s coaster lineup, typically ahead of Fahrenheit and Storm Runner, thanks to its combination of steep drop, sustained speed, and exposed wing seating.
skyrush height and drop stats FAQs
How tall is Skyrush?
Skyrush is 200 feet (61 m) tall, measured from the ground to the top of its cable lift hill.
How tall is the Skyrush drop?
The first drop measures 212 feet (65 m) — 12 feet more than the ride’s overall height — because the track descends below ground level into the ravine above Spring Creek before leveling out.
Is Skyrush the tallest coaster at Hersheypark?
No. Candymonium is Hersheypark’s tallest coaster at 210 feet. Skyrush is 200 feet tall, but its 212-foot first drop is actually deeper than Candymonium’s 210-foot drop.
How fast does Skyrush go?
Skyrush reaches a top speed of 75 mph (121 km/h), hit within the first few seconds of its 85-degree first drop.
What type of roller coaster is Skyrush?
Skyrush is a steel Wing Coaster built by Intamin — the first Wing Coaster the company ever produced. Riders sit in seats cantilevered outside the track on both sides of the train, with no floor or train body in view.
Does Skyrush have any inversions?
No. Skyrush has zero inversions. Its intensity comes from its steep drop, sustained speed, five airtime hills, and G-forces up to 5.0.
How long is the Skyrush ride?
The ride lasts about 63 seconds and covers a 3,600-foot track layout.
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