Wilderness Run is a steel family roller coaster tucked into the Camp Snoopy section of Carowinds, the amusement park straddling the North Carolina-South Carolina border near Charlotte. Built by E&F Miler Industries, the ride opened in 1998 under the name Taxi Jam, giving the park’s youngest guests a gentle introduction to coasters with a compact 416-foot layout and a 16-foot lift hill.
Although the physical ride has stayed the same E&F Miler family coaster since it debuted, its theme has changed several times to match Carowinds’ rotating kids’-area branding. It operated as Hey Arnold’s Taxi Chase in the mid-2000s and later as Lucy’s Crabbie Cabbie before taking on its current Wilderness Run identity, which plays into the rustic, outdoorsy look of Camp Snoopy.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Carowinds
- Manufacturer: E&F Miler Industries
- Opened: 1998
- Height: 16 ft
- Top speed: 15 mph
- Length: 416 ft
- Inversions: 0
The Ride Experience
Riders board a single train of six cars, seated two across for a total of twelve guests per trip, before climbing the ride’s 16-foot chain lift hill. At the top, the train dips into a left-hand downward bank turn that doubles as a photo opportunity, then rolls over a camelback hill and a smaller follow-up hill.
The layout closes with a downward left helix and a few gentle airtime bumps before returning to the station, all within a 416-foot footprint that fits neatly into Camp Snoopy. With a 36-inch height requirement and a top speed of about 15 mph, Wilderness Run is built as a first coaster for younger riders rather than a thrill machine.
A Legacy of Name Changes in Camp Snoopy
Wilderness Run has carried several identities since opening as Taxi Jam in 1998. It became Hey Arnold’s Taxi Chase in the mid-2000s during a Nickelodeon-themed makeover of the area, then switched to Lucy’s Crabbie Cabbie around 2010 as Carowinds rebranded the zone around Peanuts characters.
The ride settled into its current Wilderness Run theme around 2018, trading the taxi-cab styling for a woodsy, camp-style look that fits the broader Camp Snoopy area. Through every rename, the underlying E&F Miler coaster and its track layout have remained unchanged.
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Wilderness Run FAQs
Is Wilderness Run a kids’ ride?
Yes. Wilderness Run is a family/junior coaster in Carowinds’ Camp Snoopy area with a 36-inch minimum height requirement, making it an accessible first coaster for younger riders.
How fast does Wilderness Run go?
Wilderness Run reaches a top speed of about 15 mph over its 416-foot steel track.
What company built Wilderness Run?
The ride was manufactured by E&F Miler Industries and opened at Carowinds in 1998 under the name Taxi Jam.
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