The Roller Coasters of Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ

If you like terrifying super speed twisting roller coasters, mild fun roller coasters, or in between, you'll find all of these at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson NJ. I recently visited the park with my daughter and her friend and got a good look and feel for all the roller coasters there. We represented the 3 levels of roller coaster riders, the need for speed-my daughters friend, the newbie looking to move up to faster rides-my daughter, and the non rider-me.

Since I would not set foot on any ride out of Great Adventure Bugs Bunny land, I have the view of the worried mother checking out the structure of the coaster, trying to see the faces of the riders to see if anyone looks sick, assessing the ride operator, that sort of thing. Great Adventure has some gorgeous wooden coasters, such as Rolling Thunder and El Toro. If you grew up admiring The Cyclone in Coney Island you can appreciate the wonder of these incredible creations. However, they also remind you of K'nex toys so it's a little unsettling too. Nevertheless, those rides don't flip all over, ride upside down or screech at insane speeds. So for the brave rider, who has moved up from The Runaway Train (see below), Rolling Thunder is a good step up followed by El Torro.

The Runaway Train is perfect for the beginning roller coaster rider who has until then mostly rode coasters in kiddie parks. The cars look like a train which makes it all the less scary. This can be a family ride but not for very young kids or very timid types. Across from The Runaway Train is the Log Flume which is a lot of fun for the whole family, but again, not for the very young or timid. There is a big drop which ends in a splash of water so it can be scary for little kids but from the looks of it, everyone seemed to be having a good time on that ride. While technically this is a roller coaster, I don't think too many see it that way.

For the easily terrified there is always the Blackbeard's Lost Treasure Train which looks tame but was closed when we were at Great Adventure.

We move on now to what I consider terrifying Great Adventure roller coasters. From my daughter's friends assessment, Kingda Ka "the tallest, fastest roller coaster on Earth" (Six Flags) is the most thrilling. If it excites you on to go on a 128 MPH roller coaster that is effected by the weather, then this ride is for you. Due to the shockingly high level of the top of this ride-45 stories, it is shut down in windy weather and for any other weather related effects. This makes me wonder what happens when the wind suddenly kicks up and you are already up there. No matter what, I would never let my child on that ride but apparently I am in the minority. Second up is Superman Ultimate Flight, where the riders ride mostly upside down at high speeds. This requires no explanation, clearly it's an extreme coaster and looks to me to be nausea inducing but it's very popular.

The other Great Adventure speed coasters are Nitro and Batman The Ride-not to be confused with The Dark Night indoor weird coaster ride. Nitro is apparently the #7 top steel roller coaster and includes 7 drops which seems a bit ironic that it's #7 rated. Unlike Batman The Ride, Nitro doesn't do any flips over. Batman The Ride not only flips, it's basically upside down. The riders are attached to the track from above with no cars/train. It looks like they are attached by their heads but of course it's a whole metal contraption holding their body to the track. I can't even look at this ride so take it from me, this is only for the fearless.

Great Adventure is a top notch amusement/theme park so at best you may feel the rides are safe. At worst you will be like me and not trust any ride but give in to some. Most importantly, assess your own child's anxiety and thrill seeking levels before you allow them on any speed coaster. Never let them ride just because their friend likes the ride and is generally fearless. It's best for a child to work their way up from the less scary rides but some will never be a candidate for the really wild coasters. A high speed looping, flipping roller coaster ride can be incredibly terrifying for the uninitiated so gauge your child's "thrillability" as you go. There are plenty of other rides at Great Adventure but people tend to forget that due to the popularity and publicity of the coasters. Given the wide range of rides and coasters, Great Adventure can meet anyone's thrill or non thrill seeking needs.