Wildfire is a steel Bolliger & Mabillard roller coaster at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. The $14 million ride opened to the public on April 4, 2001, and was designed by Werner Stengel’s engineering firm, giving the Ozark Mountains theme park its first major inverting coaster.
The ride is themed around a fictional 1880s inventor, Dr. Horatio Harris, who supposedly developed an experimental fuel called ‘Wildfire’ to power a flying machine. That backstory ties the coaster into Silver Dollar City’s broader 1880s Ozarks setting, blending a modern steel thrill ride with the park’s rustic frontier atmosphere.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Silver Dollar City
- Manufacturer: Bolliger & Mabillard
- Opened: April 4, 2001
- Height: 120 feet
- Top speed: 66 mph
- Length: 3,073 feet
- Inversions: 5
- Drop: 155 feet
The Ride Experience
Riders board one of two trains, each with eight cars arranged four across, for a total capacity of 32 people per train. After a lift to 120 feet, Wildfire plunges 155 feet and hits a top speed of about 66 mph, working through five inversions including an Immelmann loop, a vertical loop, a cobra roll, and a corkscrew over its roughly 2-minute, 14-second run.
At 3,073 feet of track, Wildfire was built as a compact but intense layout, packing its inversions into a footprint of only a few acres. It remains one of the more forceful coasters in Silver Dollar City’s lineup, contrasting with the park’s classic wooden coasters like Thunderation and the newer Fire in the Hole.
Design and Theming
Wildfire’s layout was engineered by Werner Stengel’s design firm, a frequent collaborator with B&M on inverting coasters worldwide. The $14 million investment made it one of Silver Dollar City’s most significant ride additions at the time of its debut in 2001.
The ride’s queue and station carry the story of Dr. Horatio Harris, a fictional 1880s inventor who claimed to have discovered a mysterious fuel he named ‘Wildfire’ while trying to build a flying machine. This narrative fits Silver Dollar City’s Ozark heritage theme, which runs throughout the park’s attractions and shops.
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Wildfire FAQs
Who manufactured Wildfire at Silver Dollar City?
Wildfire was built by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), a Swiss manufacturer known for steel inverting coasters, with the layout engineered by Werner Stengel’s firm.
How many inversions does Wildfire have?
Wildfire has five inversions: an Immelmann loop, a vertical loop, a cobra roll, and a corkscrew.
When did Wildfire open?
Wildfire opened to the public at Silver Dollar City on April 4, 2001, as a $14 million addition to the park.
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Photo: Intelati / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.