Twisted Timbers is the hybrid roller coaster at Kings Dominion that took a rough wooden clunker called the Hurler and rebuilt it into one of the East Coast’s most talked-about airtime machines. Rocky Mountain Construction stripped the old Hurler down to its wooden bones and topped it with steel I-Box track, turning a bone-jarring out-and-back into a ride with three inversions, 20-plus airtime moments, and a reputation among enthusiasts as one of the smoothest hybrids RMC has built.
This guide covers everything you need before you get in line: the exact height requirement, how long a lap actually lasts, where the ride sits in the park, how intense it feels, which row to pick, wait-time strategy, and the full story of how the Hurler became Twisted Timbers.
Quick Answer
Twisted Timbers is a hybrid roller coaster at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia, requiring riders to be at least 48 inches tall. Built by Rocky Mountain Construction on the wooden frame of the old Hurler, it climbs 111 feet, drops 109 feet into a barrel roll, hits a top speed of 54 mph, and packs 3 inversions and more than 20 airtime moments into a ride that lasts under two minutes.
Twisted Timbers Stats at a Glance
Park: Kings Dominion, Doswell, Virginia. Manufacturer: Rocky Mountain Construction (I-Box steel track on a wood support structure). Designer: Alan Schilke. Opened: March 24, 2018. Height: 111 ft (34 m). First drop: 109 ft (33 m), delivered as a barrel roll. Top speed: 54 mph (87 km/h). Track length: roughly 3,350 ft (1,020 m). Inversions: 3 — the opening barrel roll, a cutback, and a zero-g roll. Airtime moments: over 20. Minimum height: 48 in (122 cm).
Two trains typically run the circuit, each with six cars seating four riders per car (two rows of two) for 24 riders per train. That capacity helps keep the line moving even though Twisted Timbers is consistently one of the park’s most popular rides, especially on weekends.
The Ride Experience
Twisted Timbers crests its chain lift and immediately plunges riders into a 109-foot drop that twists into the first inversion before launching into a relentless sequence of airtime hills and overbanked turns. The three inversions — the opening barrel roll, a cutback, and a zero-g roll — are woven between 20-plus moments of ejector and floater airtime, so riders spend more of the layout airborne than seated.
At a top speed of 54 mph the pacing never meaningfully lets up across the roughly 3,350-foot layout. The I-Box steel track delivers a smoothness that stood in sharp contrast to the rough wooden Hurler it replaced, which is a big part of why the ride earned praise from enthusiasts and landed on Amusement Today’s 2018 list of the world’s top steel coasters in its debut year.
How Scary Is Twisted Timbers? Fear Factor Explained
Twisted Timbers is rated at Kings Dominion’s maximum thrill level, and it earns that rating: a steep first drop straight into an inversion, three total inversions, and airtime strong enough to lift riders out of their seats on hill after hill. It’s more intense than a family coaster but shorter and smoother than the old Hurler, so first-time hybrid riders who enjoy inversions and airtime tend to find it exhilarating rather than punishing.
What sets it apart from steel-only inverting coasters is the wood-frame rattle — riders still feel the structure’s wooden bones underneath the smooth steel rail, giving Twisted Timbers a rawer, more physical sensation than a fully steel coaster of similar stats. If you’re nervous about inversions, the back seats amplify that feeling; the front row is the gentler way to experience the same layout.
Height Requirement, Restrictions & What to Bring
Riders must be at least 48 inches (122 cm) tall to ride Twisted Timbers — there’s no separate single-rider height allowance, so anyone under that line, including adults accompanying a young child, cannot board.
Kings Dominion enforces a strict loose-article policy on Twisted Timbers: hats, bags, purses, phones, and anything else unsecured are not allowed in the queue or on the train. Bins or lockers are provided near the entrance for storing items, and riders pass through metal detector screening before boarding, so plan to stash your phone before you get in line rather than at the station.
Ride Length, Trains & Wait Times
A single circuit of Twisted Timbers runs roughly a minute and 40 seconds — short on paper, but the layout crams in so many direction changes and airtime hills that it feels considerably longer than the number suggests.
Because two trains typically operate together, the line moves at a decent clip compared to older single-train wooden coasters, but Twisted Timbers is still a marquee attraction with some of the longest lines in the park. Expect the longest waits on summer weekends and early afternoons; riding at park opening or in the last hour before close tends to cut wait times significantly. There is no dedicated single-rider queue, so solo riders wait in the regular line like everyone else.
Where Twisted Timbers Is Located — and Its Backstory
Twisted Timbers sits at the edge of Candy Apple Grove, one of Kings Dominion’s themed areas, making it easy to pair with a visit to the park’s other coasters in that section.
The ride carries a fictional theming layer built around the “Hanover Hill Orchard” and an unexplained incident from 1950 — the queue presents itself as a guided tour through the abandoned orchard grounds, with props and signage hinting at what happened there. It’s a lighter overlay than a full dark-ride storyline, but it gives the queue more atmosphere than a typical steel coaster line.
Best Seat: Front Row vs. Back Row
The front row gives you the clearest view of every drop and turn coming at you, plus the strongest sensation of the ride’s height and speed since there’s no train in front to block sightlines.
The back row is where the ride whips hardest — trailing cars on RMC hybrids typically snap through the twisted elements with more force and deliver stronger, more sustained airtime on the hills. If you’ve got a choice and want the most intense version of Twisted Timbers, the back row is generally considered the pick; front row is better if you’re riding mainly for the visuals.
From Hurler to Twisted Timbers
The original Hurler opened at Kings Dominion in 1994 as a near-clone of the Hurler at Carowinds, both designed by International Coasters Inc. By 2015 the ride had grown rough enough that Kings Dominion closed it permanently.
Rocky Mountain Construction was contracted to rebuild the track using its patented I-Box steel rail system, with RMC designer Alan Schilke laying out the new track atop the original wooden support structure. The conversion took roughly two years and resulted in a coaster that shares almost nothing with its predecessor beyond the wooden skeleton — a transformation dramatic enough to draw national enthusiast attention when the ride debuted in spring 2018.
Awards & Records
Twisted Timbers ranked among the top new rides in the 2018 Golden Ticket Awards, a major annual honor voted on by coaster enthusiasts and industry professionals, trailing only Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point and Time Traveler at Silver Dollar City. It also landed on Amusement Today’s 2018 list of the world’s top steel coasters in its debut year, a strong showing for a new ride competing against established global coasters.
Planning Your Visit
Kings Dominion sells single-day tickets, season passes, and memberships, and pricing generally follows a tiered structure where buying online in advance costs less than paying at the gate. Park hours shift seasonally — shorter days in spring and fall, extended evening hours in peak summer — so it’s worth checking the calendar for your specific visit date rather than assuming a fixed schedule.
For current hours, ticket prices, and any ride closures or seasonal schedule changes, check the official Kings Dominion website before you go.
Twisted Timbers is a Rocky Mountain Construction creation — see our full Rocky Mountain Construction profile for the company’s history and signature coasters.
Twisted Timbers ride guide FAQs
How tall do you have to be to ride Twisted Timbers?
You must be at least 48 inches (122 cm) tall. There’s no single-rider exception, so anyone under that height cannot board even with an adult.
How long is the Twisted Timbers ride?
A single circuit takes roughly a minute and 40 seconds, though the dense sequence of drops, inversions, and airtime hills makes it feel longer than that.
How fast does Twisted Timbers go?
It reaches a top speed of 54 mph during the initial 109-foot barrel-roll drop.
Is Twisted Timbers a wooden or steel coaster?
It’s a hybrid: the original wooden support structure from the Hurler was kept, but Rocky Mountain Construction replaced the track itself with steel I-Box rail, which is why it rides smoothly despite standing on a wood frame.
Where is Twisted Timbers located in Kings Dominion?
It’s in Candy Apple Grove, one of the park’s themed areas, alongside several of the park’s other coasters.
What ride was Twisted Timbers before it was rebuilt?
It was built on the bones of the Hurler, a wooden out-and-back coaster that opened in 1994 and closed in 2015 due to rough, deteriorating track.
Is the front or back row better on Twisted Timbers?
The back row delivers more forceful airtime and sharper transitions through the inversions; the front row gives the clearest views and the strongest sense of speed and height. Back row is the pick for maximum intensity.
Does Twisted Timbers have a single-rider line?
No, Kings Dominion does not offer a dedicated single-rider queue for Twisted Timbers, so solo riders use the standard line.
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