Dorney Park traces its roots to 1860, when Solomon Dorney built a trout hatchery and picnic resort on his estate outside Allentown, Pennsylvania. The grounds grew into a full amusement park by 1884, making it the fifth-oldest continuously operating amusement park in the United States and one of just a handful of surviving trolley parks nationwide.
Today the park operates as Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, combining a 200-acre mix of thrill rides and water attractions under Six Flags ownership. Its coaster lineup ranges from Thunderhawk, a 1924 wooden classic, to Steel Force, a towering Morgan hyper coaster that once claimed the title of tallest and longest coaster on the East Coast.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Allentown / South Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania
- Founded: 1860 (as a trout hatchery and resort); opened as an amusement park in 1884
- Owner: Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (since July 2024)
- Size: About 200 acres
- Rides: Around 44 rides, including 8 roller coasters
- Signature coaster: Steel Force (200 ft tall, 75 mph, 5,600 ft long, opened 1997)
- Oldest coaster: Thunderhawk, a Philadelphia Toboggan Company wooden coaster opened in 1924
- Season: Operates seasonally, roughly May through October
The Ride Experience
Dorney Park’s coaster collection spans generations of ride engineering. Thunderhawk, designed by Herbert Schmeck and built by Philadelphia Toboggan Company, has been thrilling riders with its out-and-back wooden layout since 1924 and was later recognized as an ACE Coaster Landmark. On the modern end, Steel Force delivers a 205-foot first drop and 75 mph speeds along 5,600 feet of steel track, while inverted and floorless machines like Talon, Possessed, and Hydra the Revenge round out the park’s extreme lineup.
Beyond coasters, the adjoining Wildwater Kingdom water park has been included with general admission since 1995, giving visitors dozens of water slides and pools alongside the dry-land thrill rides.
A Trolley Park That Endured
Dorney Park is one of only a handful of surviving 19th-century trolley parks in the U.S. — amusement grounds originally built by streetcar companies to drum up weekend ridership. After the Traction Company purchased the park from the Dorney family in 1901, it steadily expanded through the 20th century, eventually joining the Cedar Fair chain and, as of the 2024 Six Flags-Cedar Fair merger, becoming part of the combined Six Flags Entertainment Corporation portfolio.
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Dorney Park FAQs
How old is Dorney Park?
Dorney Park’s history dates to 1860, when Solomon Dorney opened a trout hatchery and resort on the site; it developed into a full amusement park by 1884, making it one of the oldest operating parks in the country.
Who owns Dorney Park now?
Dorney Park is owned by Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, following the 2024 merger of Cedar Fair and Six Flags.
What is the tallest roller coaster at Dorney Park?
Steel Force is the park’s tallest and fastest coaster, standing 200 feet tall with a top speed of 75 mph and a 5,600-foot-long track.
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Photo: Retromoderns / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.