Twisted Timbers is the hybrid roller coaster at Kings Dominion that made a wooden clunker into one of the East Coast’s most talked-about rides. Rocky Mountain Construction stripped the old Hurler down to its wooden bones and rebuilt it with steel I-Box track, turning a rough out-and-back into a coaster with three inversions, 20 airtime moments, and a reputation for near-nonstop ejector airtime.
This guide covers everything you need before you get in line: how tall you have to be, how long the ride actually lasts, where to find it in the park, which seat to pick, and how the Hurler-to-Twisted-Timbers transformation happened in the first place.
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 54 mph, and packs 3 inversions and 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). Designer: Alan Schilke. Opened: March 24, 2018. Height: 111 ft (34 m). Drop: 109 ft (33 m). Top Speed: 54 mph (87 km/h). Length: 3,351 ft (1,021 m). Inversions: 3. Airtime moments: 20. Minimum height: 48 in (122 cm).
Two trains run the circuit, each with six cars seating four riders per row for 24 riders per train — enough throughput to keep the line moving even though Twisted Timbers is consistently one of the park’s most popular rides.
The Ride Experience
Twisted Timbers crests its chain lift and immediately plunges riders into a 109-foot drop before launching into a relentless sequence of twists, airtime hills, and overbanked turns. The three inversions — a barrel roll near the first drop, a cutback, and a zero-g roll — are woven between 20 moments of ejector and floater airtime, keeping riders weightless far more often than grounded.
At a top speed of 54 mph the pacing never meaningfully lets up across the 3,351-foot layout. The I-Box track delivers a smoothness that stood in sharp contrast to the wooden Hurler it replaced, earning praise from enthusiasts and a 38th-place ranking on Amusement Today’s 2018 top-50 steel coasters list.
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 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. 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.
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 their 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 attention when the ride debuted in spring 2018.
Awards & Records
Twisted Timbers ranked third among new rides in the 2018 Golden Ticket Awards, a major annual honor voted on by coaster enthusiasts and industry professionals. It also placed 38th on Amusement Today’s 2018 list of the top 50 steel coasters worldwide, a strong showing for a debut-year ride competing against established global coasters.
Planning Your Visit
Kings Dominion sells single-day tickets, multi-day tickets, season passes, and memberships, and pricing is tiered: buying online in advance is consistently cheaper than paying at the gate, and season passes or memberships pay off quickly if you plan to visit more than a couple of times in a season. Admission to Twisted Timbers is included with regular park entry — no separate ride ticket or upcharge is required.
The park operates on a seasonal schedule, generally open from spring through fall with hours that vary by day and season, so always check the current calendar before you go rather than assuming a standard opening time. For up-to-date hours, ticket prices, and any special events, check the official Kings Dominion website directly.
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 to ride Twisted Timbers. There is no separate reduced height allowance for riding with a companion.
How long is the Twisted Timbers ride?
A single run of Twisted Timbers takes roughly a minute and 40 seconds, though the dense sequence of drops, twists, and airtime hills makes it feel longer.
What type of coaster is Twisted Timbers?
Twisted Timbers is a hybrid roller coaster. Rocky Mountain Construction kept the original wooden support structure from Hurler but replaced all of the track with their I-Box steel rail system, producing a ride that looks like a wooden coaster but handles inversions and aggressive elements like a steel one.
How tall is Twisted Timbers and how fast does it go?
The coaster stands 111 feet tall and reaches a top speed of 54 mph (87 km/h) on a drop of 109 feet.
What replaced Hurler to become Twisted Timbers?
Hurler was a wooden roller coaster that operated at Kings Dominion from 1994 to 2015. Rocky Mountain Construction converted it into Twisted Timbers using I-Box steel track technology, and it reopened on March 24, 2018.
Where is Twisted Timbers located in Kings Dominion?
Twisted Timbers is located at the edge of Candy Apple Grove, one of the park’s themed areas, and is themed around a fictional 1950 incident at the “Hanover Hill Orchard.”
Is Twisted Timbers a rough ride?
No — despite riding on the original wooden Hurler’s support structure, Twisted Timbers runs on Rocky Mountain Construction’s I-Box steel rail, which delivers a smooth ride even through its inversions and overbanked turns, a sharp contrast to the rough wooden coaster it replaced.
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