A surprise height check at the front of a coaster line is one of the fastest ways to derail a family day at Valleyfair, the Shakopee, Minnesota amusement park now operated by Enchanted Parks and home to the Superior Shores Waterpark. Knowing which rides your kids can handle before you arrive saves time, tears, and a wasted spot in line.
This guide walks through the height minimums for the rides families ask about most, grouped by roller coasters, thrill rides, family rides, kids’ rides, and water attractions. Ride lineups and height minimums can change season to season, so treat this as a planning starting point and confirm current numbers on Valleyfair’s official website before you go.
Stats at a Glance
- Shortest Requirement: 36 in (91 cm) — PEANUTS™ 500 (to ride alone)
- Tallest Requirement: 54 in (137 cm) — Bumper Cars (to drive alone)
- Ride-Alone Height (most rides): 48 in (122 cm)
- Companion Rule: Below the solo minimum, many rides allow a supervising companion at a lower posted height; a few (Ferris Wheel, Carousel, Monster, SuperCat, Wheel of Fortune, Cosmic Coaster, The Wave) don’t publish a separate companion number; big thrill rides like Wild Thing, Power Tower, Corkscrew, Excalibur, High Roller, and Renegade have no companion exception
Height Requirements, Tier by Tier
Roller coasters: Wild Thing, the park’s tallest hyper coaster, requires 48 in (122 cm) with no companion exception. Steel Venom, a launched impulse coaster, requires riders to be between 52 and 78 in (132–198 cm) — it’s the only ride on this list with a maximum height, and there’s no companion exception. Excalibur, a wood-and-steel hybrid coaster, and Corkscrew, a looping steel coaster, both require 48 in (122 cm) with no companion exception. The same 48 in (122 cm) minimum applies to two distinct wooden coasters that are sometimes confused for one another: High Roller, the out-and-back coaster that’s been running since the park opened in 1976, and Renegade, a twisting Great Coasters International ride that opened in 2007 — both are separate, currently operating attractions. Mad Mouse and Northern Lights each require 48 in (122 cm) to ride alone or 42 in (107 cm) with a supervising companion. Cosmic Coaster, a kiddie coaster in Planet Snoopy, requires 42 in (107 cm) to ride alone; shorter riders who aren’t hand-held infants may ride along with a supervising companion, though Valleyfair doesn’t publish a separate companion height for this ride.
Thrill rides: Power Tower (drop tower), Delirious (a looping thrill ride), and Xtreme Swing all require 48 in (122 cm) with no companion exception. The Wave, a log flume near the front of the park, requires 46 in (117 cm) with no published companion exception. SuperCat requires 52 in (132 cm) to ride alone, and Monster requires 46 in (117 cm) to ride alone — both allow shorter, non-infant guests to ride along with a supervising companion without a separately published companion height. Tilter requires 46 in (117 cm) to ride alone or with a supervising companion, and guests under 6 years old must be accompanied regardless of height. North Star requires 44 in (112 cm) with no companion exception. Wheel of Fortune requires 42 in (107 cm) to ride alone; shorter riders may ride along with a supervising companion.
Family rides: Bumper Cars require 54 in (137 cm) to drive solo or 48 in (122 cm) to ride along with a supervising companion — the tallest minimum in this guide. The Ferris Wheel requires 48 in (122 cm) to ride alone; guests under that height may ride with a supervising companion as long as they aren’t a hand-held infant, and Valleyfair doesn’t publish a separate, lower companion height for this ride. Scrambler allows 48 in (122 cm) solo or 36 in (91 cm) with a companion, and Flying Eagles allows 44 in (112 cm) solo or 36 in (91 cm) with a companion. Antique Autos requires 48 in (122 cm) to drive, and shorter passengers may ride along with a supervising companion. The Carousel requires 42 in (107 cm) to ride alone or with a supervising companion; hand-held infants must ride in a chariot rather than on a horse.
Kids’ rides: PEANUTS™ 500 requires 36 in (91 cm) to ride alone, and Snoopy’s Rocket Express requires 42 in (107 cm) to ride alone — both allow shorter riders who aren’t hand-held infants to ride along with a supervising companion. Linus Launcher allows 42 in (107 cm) solo or 36 in (91 cm) with a supervising companion. These Planet Snoopy attractions are built around younger riders.
Water attractions: In Superior Shores Waterpark, Breakers Bay Wave Pool requires guests under 52 in (132 cm) who are inexperienced swimmers to wear a life jacket, and guests under 42 in (107 cm) must wear a life jacket and stay with a supervising companion, who may supervise up to two children. Surgin’ Sturgeon requires 42 in (107 cm), measured in bare feet, with no companion exception.
Tips for Families Visiting Valleyfair
Measure kids at home in bare feet against a wall before you go, then round down — ride operators measure conservatively, especially on coasters with a hard cutoff like Wild Thing, High Roller, and Renegade (two separate wooden coasters, not two names for the same ride), none of which allow a companion exception. If your child is close to a threshold, look for Guest Services or the Family Care Center near the park entrance, where kids can often be measured once and given a wristband instead of being re-measured at every ride. If a child comes up short, look to the rides in the 36–42 inch (91–107 cm) range in Planet Snoopy — PEANUTS™ 500, Linus Launcher, and Snoopy’s Rocket Express are built for that age group, and several family and thrill rides let a shorter child ride alongside a supervising companion instead of sitting out entirely, even when the park doesn’t post a separate companion height for that ride. For water park visits, remember Superior Shores height and life-jacket rules for swimmers under 52 in (132 cm) are separate from the log-flume and coaster-side requirements in the main park.
Explore more: Theme Parks guide.
Valleyfair Height Requirements FAQs
What is the minimum height to ride at Valleyfair?
The lowest posted requirement in this guide is 36 in (91 cm) to ride alone on PEANUTS™ 500, and 36 in (91 cm) with a supervising companion on Linus Launcher, Scrambler, and Flying Eagles. Most moderate thrill rides start at 42–48 in (107–122 cm) to ride alone, and the tallest minimum covered here is 54 in (137 cm), needed to drive Bumper Cars solo.
Can kids under 42 inches ride anything at Valleyfair?
Yes. PEANUTS™ 500 accepts riders as short as 36 in (91 cm) riding alone, and Linus Launcher, Scrambler, and Flying Eagles all allow riders as short as 36 in (91 cm) with a supervising companion. Several other rides, including the Ferris Wheel, Carousel, and Cosmic Coaster, don’t publish a separate companion height and allow shorter riders who aren’t hand-held infants to ride along with a supervising adult.
Does Valleyfair measure height at the gate or at each ride?
Height requirements are posted and checked at each individual ride entrance. Guests can also get measured once at Guest Services or the Family Care Center to receive a wristband confirming their height category, which can speed things up across multiple rides.
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Photo: Wacky Windjammer / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.