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Six Flags Great Adventure

Jackson, New Jersey, USA

“The home of Kingda Ka… without Kingda Ka”

The king is dead. I’m not talking about a British monarch or an American singer, but this is about Kingda Ka. When the green giant opened in 2005, it instantly claimed the title of the world’s tallest and fastest roller coaster. The speed record was broken by Ferrari World a few years later, but Kingda Ka would remain the planet’s tallest coaster for two full decades. Kingda Ka’s reign came to an abrupt and unexpected end, though. The coaster made its final rides in the fall of 2024 and the coaster’s main structure was torn down with a controlled implosion in early 2025. This demolition quickly became the most heartbreaking coaster moment in recent history. But life goes on… and Kingda Ka’s former home continues to exist. Still, the question arises whether a trip to Six Flags Great Adventure is worthwhile now that the park has lost its spectacular icon. Let’s find out.

ROLLER COASTERS

Inevitable in any Six Flags-related article: a few paragraphs about the characters from the DC universe. At Six Flags Great Adventure, the DC attractions weren’t placed together, but they’re scattered throughout the park. At the end of Main Street, for example, is The Joker, a 4D Free Spin Coaster by S&S. I’ve ridden multiple versions, but I’ve never loved snappy twists that are typical for this standard coaster. Further down the road, you’ll find Superman – Ultimate Flight, another off-the-shelf coaster. The layout of this B&M flying coaster includes an intense pretzel loop, but that’s the only noteworthy element. Consequently, I wouldn’t count Superman among the park’s top attractions. Still, that doesn’t mean that the line for this attraction is always short. Six Flags didn’t install a dual loading station for this version, which results in a dramatically low capacity. Be sure to ride Superman as early as possible, if you’re visiting on a busy day.

It seems as if Batman is New Jersey’s favourite superhero, as two roller coasters were named after him. The first one offers no surprises: Batman – The Ride is the classic B&M inverted coaster found at almost all Six Flags parks. And although this version is well over 30 years old, it remains a strong experience. Batman – The Ride still guarantees a fast, smooth and intense ride. The second Batman roller coaster is The Dark Knight Coaster, an indoor wild mouse manufactured by Mack Rides. Despite the fact that the layout is standard (and thus predictable), this ride turns out to be pretty fun. The theming could’ve been more immersive and I certainly missed some music during the ride, but all in all Dark Knight Coaster is an excellent family attraction.

The Flash – Vertical Velocity is Six Flags Great Adventure’s latest addition. This is a Vekoma Super Boomerang, a.k.a. the old Boomerang’s hip cousin. The layout of this modern version consists of multiple LSM launches, a vertical spike and two inversions. The train traverses the course both forward and backward, just as it does with the classic Boomerang. Fortunately, that’s the only similarity. Whereas most classic Boomerangs treat their riders to a shaky ride with nauseating inversions, the Super Boomerang does not. Well on the contrary: this is an extremely smooth experience with surprising hangtime and cool accelerations. Still, The Flash has one major weakness and that’s the capacity. In theory, this coaster should be able to handle 800 riders per hour, but it seemed just a fraction of that number during our visit. Restraint checks were slow and the attraction suffered from technical issues almost constantly. The line appeared short at first, but we eventually spent 75 minutes in the queue.

Some American amusement parks don’t like to see grown-ups ride their kiddie coasters. Six Flags doesn’t care, though. That’s why it’s super-easy to ride Harley Quinn Crazy Train and Lil’ Devil Coaster if you really need the credit. And there’s even more family-friendly coaster fun at Six Flags: Skull Mountain is an indoor coaster that’s noteworthy thanks to its impressive facade, but the interior of the building is one huge disappointment. Then I actually prefer Runaway Mine Train, the oldest roller coaster at Great Adventure. This mine train coaster has a stunning location in a forested area of the park and the ride ends with a photogenic turn near a lake.

Jersey Devil Coaster is a single rail roller coaster by Rocky Mountain Construction. It was added in 2021 and the name was based on a creature from local folklore. You don’t have to expect much from that theme, as it’s still a Six Flags attraction without unnecessary frills. In terms of ride, however, I am pleasantly surprised. Jersey Devil rides remarkably smoother than some of its peers, and it maintains a high speed throughout the whole ride. Besides, the experience may differ considerably based on the seat you’re assigned. The ride is at its smoothest in the front seat and the views turn out to be fantastic, while the back seat delivers brilliant airtime.

According to the Roller Coaster Database, Six Flags Great Adventure features nearly 6 miles (9,5 kilometres) of roller coaster tracks. Nitro accounts for a significant portion of that. I got to know this huge B&M thanks to Roller Coaster Tycoon and I immediately fell in love with its unusual colour scheme. And I’m pleased to say that Nitro turns out to be an excellent hyper coaster. This ride consists of an incredible first drop, followed by a series of camelbacks filled with delightful floater airtime. The ride appears somewhat similar to Silver Star at Europa-Park, but this American version is better. The beautiful green location is nicer than Silver Star’s parking lot and Nitro’s 540° helix is definitely a highlight. In other words: Nitro counts as one of the eye-catchers at Six Flags Great Adventure.

The easiest way to tout a theme park attraction as new? Throw some paint on it and change its name. Six Flags Great Adventure used this trick in 2009, when it transformed Medusa into Bizarro. In 2022, that story was reversed and we welcomed Medusa to the stage once again. This re-re-branding featured a fresh colour scheme and some new theming elements, but the ride remained exactly as it was. So prepare for an entertaining, yet unsurprising floorless coaster built by B&M. By the way… If the layout and its seven inversions look familiar to you, that is no coincidence. In fact, Medusa is a mirrored version of Scream at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

Last but not least, there’s El Toro. This Mexican-themed coaster can be found in the Plaza del Carnaval area and counts as one of Six Flags Great Adventure’s main draws. The coaster has won several awards and continues to be highly regarded among coaster enthusiasts. But in all honesty… I don’t get the hype. Sure, the ride looks impressive and those first three drops deliver some of the best airtime I’ve ever felt on a roller coaster. However, the ride becomes incredibly rough once the trains enter the twisty part of El Toro’s layout. I’ve ridden it multiple times and I’ve always chosen the middle seats of a carriage (which should provide the smoothest experience), but El Toro remained a headache-causing attraction. So with all due respect to those El Toro fanboys… Six Flags Great Adventure has better rides than this one.

OTHER EXPERIENCES

Six Flags Great Adventure has more to offer than roller coasters alone. You’ll find a classic log flume, a rapid river and multiple flat rides. In the flat ride department, I’m especially intrigued by Swashbuckler (an old school round-up), SkyScreamer (a 73-metre tall Star Flyer) and Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth. This is a Zamperla Giant Discovery that reaches a top speed of 75 mph. The ride was suffering from extended downtime during our visit, but it looked really impressive.

Thrillseekers get their money’s worth, but families aren’t forgotten. Great Adventure offers two children’s area filled with rides, a Vekoma mad house themed to Houdini and an excellent dark ride. Justice League – Battle for Metropolis is present in multiple Six Flags parks, so we knew what to expect. Still, I’d like to compliment Six Flags Great Adventure for the state of this attraction. The screens look crisp and all the (smoke) effects seemed to work properly. This probably is my favourite version of Battle for Metropolis.

WORTH A VISIT?

We concluded our day at Six Flags Great Adventure with a positive feeling. Conditions were favorable: crowds were light and we enjoyed perfect theme park weather. On top of that, most staff members were friendly and the overall ride capacity was good (with exception of The Flash). We had an excellent day, but it’s important to enter Six Flags Great Adventure with realistic expectations. After all, this is an amusement park rather than a theme park. Park infrastructure looks dated in several places and theming is often minimal. Especially the park’s main street and central plaza would greatly benefit from a large-scale refurbishment, since these areas seem to be stuck somewhere in the 1980’s.

Let’s not forget about the record-breaking green elephant in the room. Because honestly, this park feels incomplete without its signature coaster. Six Flags Great Adventure was Kingda Ka and vice versa, so it’s painful to know that the steel giant has been scrapped. Kingda Ka was never in my top 10 of favourite roller coasters, but it was a ride with incredible appeal. I wonder if the announced successor will have an equally strong identity, because there are some big shoes to fill.

Six Flags promised a Great Adventure and that’s exactly what we got. But what are your thoughts? Do you share my opinion on El Toro? What’s the best element in that Super Boomerang? And did you get the chance to ride Kingda Ka before it was demolished? Share your opinion in the comments section at the bottom of this page.

This article reflects my personal experience at Six Flags Great Adventure during a visit in April 2025.