Silverwood Theme Park in north Idaho is the largest theme park in the Northwest, and not-so-coincidentally, it also has the most roller coasters of any theme park in the Northwest. Seven to be exact. That may not seem significant to you SoCal or East Coast-ers who are used to theme parks with 10+ coasters every other city, but for us in the PNW, it’s a novelty. Thankfully, what may seem as lacking in quantity, is easily made up for in quality. The park takes great pride in maintaining all of their rides, and has ensured that these coasters can still hold their own among the best of the best.
That said, if you’ve followed our site (or our other site) for any amount of time, you’ll know that we LOVE lists. Particularly “ranking” lists, where we nitpick and split hairs to determine which ride should claim the #1 spot. Therefore, it’s long past time for us to provide our definitive, ultimate, power-ranking of all of Silverwood’s current line-up. So let’s dive right in!
Coming in at last place is Silverwood’s off-the-shelf SBF Visa spinning coaster, the Krazy Koaster. To be fair, this ride isn’t “bad”, but something has to sit at the bottom of the list. Admittedly, this ride packs a much bigger punch than it seems like it would at first glance. If you happen to be on a car that really gets spinning fast, the g-forces feel significantly stronger than you’d expect from a kiddie ride. But aside from that, this ride loses some points from us in a few areas. First, there is little-to-no theming or landscaping. The ride, including the load station, are completely out in the hot sun, devoid of any shade whatsoever. Additionally, the load/unload cycle is very slow, manual, and tedious, and takes far longer than a ride this size should. The Krazy Koaster does serve as a great “stepping stone” for those who are ready to step up from Tiny Toot, but not quite ready for the big coasters. But it’s got enough drawbacks to land itself at the bottom of our list.
Silverwood’s oldest coaster comes in at number 6. Although far simpler and tamer than it’s sibling, this one has a few distinct advantages. For one, there is no height restriction, making this ride more accessible to the entire family. Indeed, as long as a child is able to sit up on their own, they can ride. We’ve loved taking our 1-year-olds on the Tiny Toot over the years. For many of them, it was their first official coaster credit! As such, we have countless memories of spending park days on this ride on constant repeat. Additionally, the theming and setting are great – with a massive covered load station, shade trees covering the outdoor portion, and even a few small water features to round things out. The treehouses next door provide some fun kinetic energy to the area, as well as great views of the ride. So even though Tiny Toot remains Silverwood’s shortest and least intense coaster, it’s got enough to give it an edge for a 6th place spot.
Tiny Toot may be the oldest coaster in terms of its tenure at Silverwood, but the “oldest” in actual age goes to the legendary Corkscrew. Originally built at Knott’s Berry Farm in 1975, this was famously the first modern roller coaster to take riders upside down. We’re old enough to remember riding this when it used to live at Knott’s, and the fact that it still lives on at our home park is something truly special. The coaster has been well-maintained over the years, and the care with which Silverwood has given this gem has earned it a spot as an ACE Coaster Landmark. But all of those good things only go so far. Corkscrew is still a very old coaster. It’s short, and can be rather painful with the restraints at ear-level for many riders. So while Corkscrew may garner a lot of points as a classic roller coaster with historical significance, at the end of the day, it’s only enough to earn it a spot at #5.
The other ride in Silverwood’s catalogue of “coaster transplants” is the massive Aftershock. This was formerly known as Deja Vu at Six Flags Great America, and came to Silverwood as a result of Six Flags looking to get away from the problematic nature of these Vekoma Giant Inverted Boomerang’s. We were admittedly very skeptical about this one, as we had ridden the GIB’s ourselves and knew how rough they could be, let alone how often they were prone to mechanical breakdowns. But Silverwood proved the naysayers (including us!) very wrong. Aftershock has operated very well since it’s inception at Silverwood almost 15 years ago. Downtime has been minimal, and the ride is maintained in a way that keeps the roughness at bay. And to this day, it’s still a jaw-dropping sight to behold when approaching the park from highway 95. As for the ride itself? “Intense” is the only way to describe it. We never get off this ride without being completely out of breath. It’s still a bit too rough and short in comparison to some of Silverwood’s other coasters, but it’s a fantastic coaster all around, and takes a well-earned place as the 4th best coaster.
Coming in at 3rd place is Silverwood’s signature coaster, Timber Terror. This was the ride that put Silverwood on the map – serving as a beacon to drivers on highway 95. The simple out-and-back layout may not look terribly interesting, but sometimes “simple” is all you need. Timber Terror still packs the most airtime of any coaster at Silverwood, and the infamous “double up” hill at the far end is one of the best elements you can find anywhere. The park even runs the train backwards during Scarywood, boosting the “awesome” factor up several notches. Despite these positives, the coaster is really starting to show its age. RMC has helped with retracking both the far turnaround and finale helix with I-Box track, and that has helped tremendously. But the rest of the ride is desperately in need of some TLC, particularly the first drop. Re-rideability is not where it used to be, nor where it should be for a ride this great. Still, it’s got plenty to show for itself, and all of that helps it land comfortably at #3 on our list.
Second place goes to the fantastic Tremors roller coaster, with its incredible twister layout and 4 underground tunnels. From start to finish, this coaster is relentless. The first drop is like nothing you’ve ever experienced – with the first of four menacing tunnels staring up at awaiting riders. From there, the pacing is perfect, and all of the various elements blend together seamlessly. We also love the way Tremors is worked into the surrounding areas of the park, including the tunnel through the gift shop, and the two bridges that cross the park walkways. Sadly, time has not been kind to Tremors over the years, but due to an abundance of I-Box re-tracking on this ride from RMC, all of the “worst” spots that we used to have to brace for are now completely fixed…we’d even go so far as to say the I-Box has made those sections even better than ever. In fact, if we’d written this list just a few years ago, our #2 and #3 coasters would likely have been switched. But thanks to RMC’s excellent I-Box re-tracking on Tremors, it’s more than enough to give it the 2nd place spot.
It’s difficult to put into words the feeling you get after riding a coaster that is, in every conceivable way, perfect. Smooth as glass. Comfortable restraints. Balanced level of intensity. Just the right length. Well themed. All of that describes Stunt Pilot to a “t”. Everything about this coaster is exactly what you want from a ride experience, and it has us regularly hopping back in line to ride over and over again. Speaking of lines, these are often short-to-nonexistent due to 2-train operations and the moving load/unload station. And that makes the whole experience just that much better from a guest satisfaction standpoint. Sure, you could find this same coaster model at a few other parks around the country, but even from that angle Stunt Pilot has enough to set it apart from the rest. 10-seat trains, a great connection to the history of the park and the surrounding area, and a few “head chopper” theming elements to round things out. It may not be the biggest, tallest, or fastest coaster at the park, but it proves that you don’t need to break a record to be the best. For all of those reasons, Stunt Pilot easily sits at the top of our list – far and away, the best roller coaster at Silverwood.
Planning a trip to Silverwood this year? Be sure to check out our Silverwood Trip Planning Guide to help you get the most out of your visit. You can also get a run-down of the top attractions and slides in our Silverwood Rides and Attractions guide.
What is your favorite roller coaster at Silverwood? Do you agree or disagree with our rankings? Let us know what your list looks like - we love hearing from you all in the comments!
The official Silverwood Theme Park website can be found at: www.silverwoodthemepark.com. All business-related questions should be directed to this site.
Would rather die then go on stunt pilot again