A couple of years ago, after more than 30 years of anticipation, I finally made my way to Cedar Point. I’d had a few opportunities to visit, but something had always come up. While my goal had been to conquer Top Thrill Dragster and Millenium Force, another ride immediately caught my eye. It left me pulling out my phone to search: how scary is Steel Vengeance?
There was no answer for me, of course. So here I am writing this for you in case you’re wondering too. Before we go into this, I’ll share this spoiler — Steel Vengeance is one of my favorite roller coasters of all time. Hands. Down.
Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point
To ride Steel Vengeance, you’ll need to head to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. While the closest airport is Cleveland (CLE), we flew into Columbus (CMH), stopped for a bite at Mikey’s Late Night Slice, and drove up from there. It was an easy, often picturesque, commute.
We chose to stay at the Cedar Point Express Hotel, and we’re so glad we did. If you’re familiar with our site, you’ll know that we have travel anxiety. My OCD makes me very picky about where I stay, and this hotel did not let me down! The service was great, the rooms were clean, and the property had just been renovated. Plus, we were allowed to enter the park an hour early!
Is Steel Vengeance a Roller Coaster?
Steel Vengeance is the world’s first hybrid hypercoaster, so yes, it’s a roller coaster. A ride must be at least 200 feet tall (Steel Vengeance is 205 feet tall) to qualify as a hypercoaster. It’s considered a hybrid because its structure combines wood and steel.
In 1991, Cedar Point opened the wooden coaster, Mean Streak, in the park’s Frontiertown section. For 25 years, the twister coaster thrilled guests until its last ride in 2016. Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) came in and restored the wooden elements and incorporated the steel. This new transformed roller coaster became Steel Vengeance!
Related post: How to Overcome Fear on Roller Coasters
Here are some quick facts about Steel Vengeance:
- Opening date: May 5, 2018
- Length: 5,740 ft (1,750 m)
- Height: 205 ft (62 m)
- Drop: 200 ft (61 m)
- Inversions: 4
- Max speed: 74 mph (119 km/h)
- Max angle: 90°
- Duration: 2:30
- Lift/launch system: Chain lift
- Track layout: Twister
- Ride Height Requirement: 52 in (132 cm)
- Trains: There are three trains with six cars. Riders are seated in twos, in rows of two for a maximum of 24 riders per train. There is a capacity of 1,200 riders per hour.
Queue Area
As you make your way to the loading area, you’ll be weaving through the wooden structure of this ride. It’s kind of cool in an “Old West” kind of way, but really there’s not much to see.
Loading Area, Seats & Restraints
They take safety pretty seriously at Cedar Point, and it’s clear that they train their ride operators well. So you can expect to hear some safety protocols as you near the front of the queue, and the operator will likely ask your group questions to see if you’re paying attention.
Once you’re in your seat, you will see that Cedar Point has installed zipper pouches on Steel Vengeance so that you can store smaller items when you’re on the ride. How do they know that you’re actually putting your loose items in these pouches? Metal detectors! Also, please note that due to COVID, these pouches have been removed, and it’s unclear if they’ve been replaced.
You’ll have a lap bar and seat belt securing you on Steel Vengeance. While I’m sometimes a fan of over-the-shoulder restraints, they would run this ride because they would prevent all the magnificent air time!
Steel Vengeance’s World Records
When Steel Vengeance opened in 2018, it broke a whopping 10 world records.
- First \”hyper-hybrid\” roller coaster
- Tallest hybrid roller coaster
- Steepest drop on a hybrid roller coaster
- Fastest hybrid roller coaster
- Longest drop on a hybrid roller coaster
- Longest hybrid roller coaster
- Most inversions on a hybrid roller coaster
- Fastest airtime hill on a hybrid roller coaster
- Most airtime on any roller coaster
- Most airtime on a hybrid roller coaster
If you conquer Steel Vengeance, you’ll be able to say you went on a record-breaking roller coaster. How cool is that?
How Scary Is Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point?
Queue
The queue for Steel Vengeance is pretty standard. If you hate spiders, though, you may not want to look at the beams above and around you. We saw some pretty gnarly eight-legged friends hard at work spinning webs!
Vertical Lift
The lift hill on Steel Vengeance feels like most modern wooden coasters. If you’re fine with that, then you should be okay with this!
The Drop
Gonna keep this so real. When I saw the drop for Steel Vengeance in person, I walked away. “Nope, no way, no how,” I screamed. I paced the park and did other rides, but eventually, I made my way back. That’s how scary the drop looks on Steel Vengeance.
With a 90° drop, it’s basically a dive coaster like Griffon, Valravn, or Yukon Striker, but without the extensive harnesses. It’s also kind of a wooden coaster, which makes it feel extra scary. That being said, the steel on this thing makes everything so smooth and sturdy. You’ll definitely feel that drop, but it’s over in like three seconds.
Inversions
The inversions on Steel Vengeance are incredibly cool, but they are super exaggerated. You’re going to feel a lot of out-of-your-seat air time on this ride in general, and the inversions make it feel like you’re cartwheeling and time traveling. It’s hard to explain, but if you hate inversions, the ones on Steel Vengeance are smooth but definitely not subtle.
Speed
This bad baby moves fast, my friends. Combined with the air time and bucking nature of Steel Vengeance, you might feel like you’re flying all over the place. If you’re okay with moving fast, though, the speed on this ride will feel so awesome!
Best Things About Steel Vengeance
Steel Vengeance is scary, but there are a lot of amazing things about it. Honestly, it’s in my Top 5 favorite rides at Cedar Point. In fact, it’s in my Top 5 best rides of all time (and we’ve been on a LOT of roller coasters!).
Related: Watch our Steel Vengeance POV & Review Video
Steel Vengeance is really, really well-designed and provides a fast-moving, adventurous, and truly unique experience for riders. The inversions are my absolute favorite thing about this roller coaster, along with the mind-blowing air time. So, if you can conquer your fears to get on Steel Vengeance, it may be worth it!
Here are some helpful links for your next trip to Cedar Point:
- Top 5 Rides at Cedar Point & Park Review
- How Scary is Top Thrill Dragster?
- 5 Reasons to Stay at Cedar Point Express Hotel
- Cedar Point Express Hotel Video Review (YouTube)
- How to Avoid Germs at Theme Parks (and what to pack!)
- The Ultimate Germaphobe\’s Hotel Cleaning Guide
- 7 Effective Ways to Beat Motion Sickness
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