Steel Hawg is a steel roller coaster at Indiana Beach in Monticello, Indiana, notable as the first El Loco model ever built by manufacturer S&S Worldwide (now S&S – Sansei Technologies). Designed by Alan Schilke, the compact but intense ride opened to the public on July 5, 2008, giving the century-old lakeside park one of its most talked-about attractions.
At the time of its debut, Steel Hawg held the title of the world’s steepest roller coaster thanks to its signature 111-degree drop, a record it kept until Mumbo Jumbo opened in the UK in July 2009. The layout also squeezes in two inversions and an unusual ‘outside’ banked turn within a footprint of just over 1,270 feet.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Indiana Beach, Monticello, Indiana
- Manufacturer: S&S Worldwide (S&S – Sansei Technologies)
- Model: El Loco
- Opened: July 5, 2008
- Height: 96 ft (29 m)
- Top speed: 41 mph (66 km/h)
- Length: about 1,276 ft (389 m)
- Inversions: 2
The Ride Experience
Riders climb a chain lift to 96 feet before plunging down a beyond-vertical 111-degree drop, the ride’s signature moment. From there the single-car trains, which seat four riders in two rows, race through a dive loop and an in-line twist reaching speeds up to 41 mph.
One of Steel Hawg’s most distinctive elements is what’s billed as the world’s first ‘outside’ turn, where riders bank left while the track curves right, or vice versa, creating a disorienting sensation unusual for a coaster of its compact size.
A Steep Piece of Coaster History
Steel Hawg was originally announced with an even more extreme 120-degree drop before being scaled back to 111 degrees for its 2008 opening. That angle was still enough to make it the world’s steepest coaster for about a year, taking the record from a series of Gerstlauer Euro-Fighters that had shared the title at 97 degrees.
As the debut installation of S&S’s El Loco model, Steel Hawg helped establish a coaster type that has since been installed at parks around the world, cementing its place as a small but historically significant ride.
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Steel Hawg FAQs
How steep is the drop on Steel Hawg?
The first drop on Steel Hawg is 111 degrees, meaning it goes slightly past vertical. It was the world’s steepest roller coaster drop from its 2008 opening until mid-2009.
Who manufactured Steel Hawg?
Steel Hawg was built by S&S Worldwide (now S&S – Sansei Technologies) and was the first coaster of their El Loco model line, designed by Alan Schilke.
How many inversions does Steel Hawg have?
Steel Hawg has two inversions, including a dive loop and an in-line twist, packed into a compact layout roughly 1,276 feet long.
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Photo: Jeremy Thompson from United States of America / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.