This list ranks the tallest wooden roller coasters currently operating, measured in feet from the ground to the top of the lift hill. A ride counts as wooden here if it runs on a wood support structure, which includes coasters that have since had sections of their track swapped for steel rail — RMC Topper Track conversions among them — as long as the original timber frame remains. Coasters that have been fully rebuilt onto steel structures are excluded.
The top of the list is a near-perfect tie: Monimo RUSH at Everland and Wildfire at Kolmården Wildlife Park both top out at 184 feet, built roughly 5,000 miles apart on different continents. El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure sits just 3 feet behind at 181 feet. After that trio, the list drops quickly — Goliath at 165 feet is the next closest, and most of the remaining field settles into the 110-to-165-foot range.
The Battle at the Top
Monimo RUSH and Wildfire sharing the same exact height, 184 feet, despite being built for different parks on opposite sides of the world is the kind of coincidence that makes a ranked list interesting — neither coaster has to settle for second place. El Toro trails by only 3 feet, making the top three the tightest cluster on the entire list.
Below that trio, the gap widens. Goliath at Six Flags Great America, Colossos at Heide Park, and The Voyage at Holiday World are the only other entries above 160 feet. Everything else on the list, more than two-thirds of it, sits under 140 feet.
| # | Coaster | Park | ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monimo RUSH | Everland | 184 |
| 2 | Wildfire | Kolmården Wildlife Park | 184 |
| 3 | El Toro | Six Flags Great Adventure | 181 |
| 4 | Goliath | Six Flags Great America | 165 |
| 5 | Colossos – Kampf der Giganten | Heide Park | 164 |
| 6 | The Voyage | Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari | 163 |
| 7 | Jupiter | Kijima Kogen | 138 |
| 8 | Hades 360 | Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park | 136 |
| 9 | Wodan Timbur Coaster | Europa-Park | 131 |
| 10 | Le Monstre | La Ronde | 130.9 |
| 11 | American Eagle | Six Flags Great America | 127 |
| 12 | Shivering Timbers | Michigan’s Adventure | 122 |
| 13 | The Boss | Mid America Adventure | 122 |
| 14 | Regina II | Tobu Zoo | 121.4 |
| 15 | Coaster-Express | Parque Warner Madrid | 120 |
| 16 | Rampage | Alabama Splash Adventure | 120 |
| 17 | Anaconda | Walygator Grand Est | 118.1 |
| 18 | Balder | Liseberg | 118 |
| 19 | GhostRider | Knott’s Berry Farm | 118 |
| 20 | Boulder Dash | Lake Compounce | 110 |
| 21 | Great White | Morey’s Piers | 110 |
| 22 | Screamin’ Eagle | Mid America Adventure | 110 |
| 23 | The Beast | Kings Island | 110 |
| 24 | Mystic Timbers | Kings Island | 109 |
| 25 | Gold Striker | California’s Great America | 108.2 |
What Height Means on a Wood Coaster
Height on a wooden coaster isn’t just a number for bragging rights — it sets up the first drop, and the first drop is what defines the whole ride. Taller wood coasters tend to carry more speed into their following hills, which is where wood coasters earn their reputation for rattling, snappy airtime that steel coasters are built to smooth away.
Some of the entries on this list keep their wood structure but run on steel rail, including hybrid setups like RMC Topper Track. That combination keeps the height and the wood-frame silhouette while cutting down on the roughness that comes with age, so a tall wood coaster can still deliver forceful airtime without beating riders up on every lap.
Entries Worth a Second Look
A few entries stand out for reasons beyond height. Le Monstre at La Ronde is a dual-tracked racing coaster, a rarer format among today’s wood coasters. Hades 360 operates inside Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park, a combination water park and theme park setting that’s unusual for a coaster this tall. American Eagle at Six Flags Great America is also a dual-track layout, one of the longest-running entries on the list. And the spread between entries in the back half is tight — Regina II, Le Monstre, and Anaconda are separated from their neighbors by fractions of a foot, proof that at this altitude every inch counts.
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Tallest Wooden Roller Coasters FAQs
What is the tallest wooden roller coaster in the world?
Monimo RUSH at Everland and Wildfire at Kolmården Wildlife Park are tied for tallest wooden roller coaster, both measuring 184 feet.
Does a wooden coaster with steel track still count as a wood coaster?
Yes, as long as it keeps its original wood support structure. Rides with some steel track sections, including RMC Topper Track conversions, are still considered wood coasters here; only coasters fully rebuilt onto steel structures are excluded.
What is the tallest wooden roller coaster in the United States?
El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey is the tallest wooden roller coaster in the U.S. on this list, at 181 feet.
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Photo: Roller Coaster Philosophy, Jeremy Thompson / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.