A full GateKeeper train rolling upside down over the blue track, blue sky behind
Wing seatslaid back through the big inversions Upside down 6 times

Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio

GateKeeper

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6times upside downNo. 12 of 446 US coastersGateKeeperSteel CurtainTMNT Shellra.Scream!
POV
Ride it: back row POV
Back row
hanging upside down for what felt like an eternity
floating in midair is wild
What riders love
  • They aren't really intense, but exist more for the novelty of flipping you upside down like you're flying, which is really cool.
  • I found that the keyholes are quite thrilling, as my tall body felt like I'm going to smash into them, but engineering made it possible.
  • Flying through those keyholes is such a nice feeling!
  • Be sure to ride on the left side! Not only do you get a beautiful view of the great lake, but being flung up and over the track and into the inverted drop is an incredible experience.
  • The scenery of the ride itself is also beautiful, as you can see a lot of the beach (especially on the right side) while on the coaster itself.
  • Gatekeeper is the first thing people see when they enter the best park in the world and it's absolutely beautiful.
  • This thing is so smooth it feels like you're actually flying.
  • This whole ride felt like I was just gliding through the air.
  • This coaster is so smooth that it is graceful. It feels like you're flying and that is amazing.
GateKeeper Watch Performance Should I ride it? Where to sit Specifications Reviews Planning History

Watch POVs and more

2022 GateKeeper Roller Coaster On Ride Front Row 4K POV Cedar Point

youtube.com › Theme Park POV

2022 GateKeeper Roller Coaster On Ride Back Row 4K POV Cedar Point

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GateKeeper - Official POV in 4K

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Gatekeeper (4K OFF Ride POV)- Cedar Point, Sandusky, OH

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Gatekeeper Review Cedar Point B&M Wing Coaster HD 60fps

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GateKeeper Review, Cedar Point B&M Wing Coaster | America's Tallest & Fastest Wing Coaster

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The Guardian of the Roller Coaster Mecca - GateKeeper - Cedar Point - Ride Review

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Bird strike on Gatekeeper Roller Coaster, Cedar Point

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Cedar Point 2013 Commercial (4) [GateKeeper]

youtube.com › Cedar Point Fanpage

Cedar Point GateKeeper first hill 1964

youtube.com › Gregory Varnum

Gatekeeper roller coaster at Cedar point

youtube.com › Adventures with John

Gatekeeper roller coaster at Cedar point

youtube.com › Adventures with John

Gatekeeper roller coaster at Cedar point

youtube.com › Adventures with John

Performance

Vs. other coasters at Cedar Point

Fast, airtime-filled, and with a nice, long layout and a couple of fun keyholes, I’m honestly surprised this doesn’t get more love.

Elijah Bacelieri

Then you drop down picking up lots of speed and into a floaty immeleman.

ArieForce One Glazer

The helix was intense, and i got a surprisingly high amount of airtime out of the last hill!

Coaster Critic

Features some good airtime as well and is buttery smooth.

Duke Howard

Really smooth too and the first drop is great, but right after the first drop my harness tightened significantly so I didn’t get much air time.

Jaxon Sanders

It’s really not an airtime focused layout and several hills are underwhelming.

The Coasterologist

Don’t get me wrong, it is still a awesome coaster, that is super smooth, comfortable, and has a breathtaking view, but it is kinda boring.

Millan B.

Gatekeeper is the smoothest ride I have ever experienced and with the inverted drop and many head and foot choppers it’s not one to miss.

Coaster Critic

Gatekeeper delivers a good smooth ride with great views of the entrance and lake, and is a treat to look at upon arrival to the park.

Wet Willie

This coaster is so smooth that it is graceful.

guiderex

After the midcourse, it’s very mediocre and I’ve noticed that this ride has a small rattle, but I still find the ride to be hella fun.

Bryce

But Wing coasters are so nice, they’re so graceful and smooth, wasnt even scared I just felt like I was flying, even when I almost grey’d out.

Carson

...at [Holiday World](https://www.themeparkjames.co.uk/theme-parks/northamerica/usa/holiday-world/), GateKeeper is a much more forceful and somewhat uncomfortable affair.

Theme Park James

Last time I rode Gatekeeper I was surprised by all the force.

Jack Jack J.

Gatekeeper isn’t super intense.

Incredible Coasters

It is not as forceful as for example Fēnix or Flug der Dämonen, but GateKeeper is still a solid wing coaster and a very iconic one as well.

Chermaine Streppel

I love the insane first drop, the whippy inversions, the beautiful setting, the smooth track, the great speed- they’re the markings of an incredible B&M Wing.

Anthony DeNight Jr.

While it may look slow from the ground, riders experience it as fast and exhilarating!

Insiders of the Point

It still rolls relatively slowly, but the positive G and fantastic location still make for a fun ride flirting on the edge of intensity.

Dave Scott

Then you have a dive loop, second zero-g roll over the entrance, mid course brake run, and a slow helix finale.

ArieForce One Glazer

Gatekeeper is a capacity machine with very little wait times usually and its location is very picturesque.

Zak Dugan

And awesome to look at as you’re walking into the park, also crazy I waited just 5 min to ride this

Keegan M.

Smooth coaster, very fun first drop, and you can always depend on it getting down to a short wait.

Paige Schmid

The wait is never crazy long when I’ve been there, and the capacity is really good.

Elijah Bacelieri

Awesome ride and I love the aestetic, but the wait time was rough(at least there was shade for a large portion of it) and, as much fun as I had(i.e.

NotQuiteHuman
Motion sickness risk

I get a little motion sick on the Immelman on the left side.

@dindog22

This wing coaster is about the same length as flug der damonen, but way less disorienting.

Karst

Should I ride it?

Organize by

Where to sit

Front of trainBack of train

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Car 1, the front: 4 of 4 riders who named a row

Specifications

170 ftHeight
420 Top Thrill2 310 MillenniumForce 223 Valravn 205 MagnumXL-200 205 SteelVengeance 170 GateKeeper
164 ftFirst drop
400 Top Thrill2 300 MillenniumForce 214 Valravn 200 SteelVengeance 195 MagnumXL-200 164 GateKeeper
67 mphTop speed
Top Thrill 2120 MillenniumForce93 Valravn75 SteelVengeance74 Magnum XL-20072 GateKeeper67 0120 mph
6Inversions

What riders say

Praised for

Smooth rideGreat inversionsGreat viewsHuge first dropHangtimeComfortableShort waitsFloaty airtime

Criticised for

Uncomfortable restraintsSlowed by trimsWeak layoutLittle airtime

The pullouts on this thing have some real crunchy intensity, and the interaction with the monoliths is as iconic as it gets.

Mike Davis, Captain Coaster review

The keyhole twist over the park entrance is gorgeous and iconic, but the ride experience is.....nothing.

Randy Turner, Captain Coaster review

I only rode 1 time so I don’t have much to say but the best elements were the weird drop that flips you and the near misses over the entrance.

Finn V., Captain Coaster review

This was my first wing coaster, so it was exciting getting to ride in that laid back position while going through the big inversions.

Erik C., Captain Coaster review

These things are standard on nearly all the Wing Riders, but they’re still a ton of fun and a cool near miss experience.

Incredible Coasters, published review

this ride should be named gatesleeper no forces,no airtime,and restraint is so uncomfortable.

Alyssa Clark, Captain Coaster review

Photos

GateKeeper at Cedar Point
Jeremy Thompson from United States of America, CC BY 2.0
GateKeeper at Cedar Point
GateKeeper_at_Cedar_Point.jpg: Martin Lewison from The Hague, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands derivative work: Themeparkgc, CC BY-SA 2.0
GateKeeper at Cedar Point
Martin Lewison from The Hague, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands, CC BY-SA 2.0
GateKeeper at Cedar Point
Jeremy Thompson from United States of America, CC BY 2.0
GateKeeper at Cedar Point
Martin Lewison from The Hague, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands, CC BY-SA 2.0
GateKeeper at Cedar Point
Jeremy Thompson from United States of America, CC BY 2.0
GateKeeper going above Cedar Point's entrance
Jeremy Thompson, CC BY 4.0
GateKeeper at Cedar Point
Jeremy Thompson from United States of America, CC BY 2.0
GateKeeper at Cedar Point
tracy the astonishing, CC BY-SA 2.0
GateKeeper going above Cedar Point's entrance
Jeremy Thompson, CC BY 4.0
GateKeeper at Cedar Point
Jeremy Thompson from United States of America, CC BY 2.0

11 photographs. Swipe or drag sideways.

Planning your ride

History and awards

May 11, 2013Opened

Built by Bolliger & Mabillard.

$30 millionTo build
4 gStrongest force on riders

Golden Ticket Awards, top steel coaster: ranked in 3 polls, 2013 to 2016

28th2013, its first poll
49th2016, most recent

Sources

Restraint types: Captain Coaster. History, incidents and awards: Wikipedia. Height requirement: Cedar Point. Specifications and status: Coasterpedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Also read: Captain Coaster (converted to feet and mph). Rider sentiment and performance scores: rider reviews on Captain Coaster, coastercritic.com, youtube.com, themeparkjames.co.uk, incrediblecoasters.com, insidersofthepoint.com, read and scored by AirtimeFever.

Photographs via Wikimedia Commons: Jeremy Thompson from United States of America (CC BY 2.0), GateKeeper_at_Cedar_Point.jpg: Martin Lewison from The Hague, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands derivative work: Themeparkgc (CC BY-SA 2.0), Martin Lewison from The Hague, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands (CC BY-SA 2.0), Jeremy Thompson (CC BY 4.0), tracy the astonishing (CC BY-SA 2.0). Video thumbnails remain the property of their channels and link back to them.

Live wait times: Powered by Queue-Times.com.

What riders love, by theme (themes in the order riders pick them most on Captain Coaster): Matt K, rider review on Captain Coaster: “The best part is the zero-g roll through the…”; Wesley Flowers, rider review on Captain Coaster: “They aren't really intense, but exist more for the…”; Dog Dude, rider review on Captain Coaster: “I found that the keyholes are quite thrilling, as…”; Chermaine Streppel, rider review on Captain Coaster: “Flying through those keyholes is such a nice feeling!”; I'm NotHere, rider review on Captain Coaster: “The light blue color scheme is a perfect match…”; Taylor Williams, rider review on Captain Coaster: “Be sure to ride on the left side! Not…”; Emile P., rider review on Captain Coaster: “The scenery of the ride itself is also beautiful,…”; Nate Kunnen, rider review on Captain Coaster: “Gatekeeper is the first thing people see when they…”; The Real E-Rock, rider review on Captain Coaster: “So smooth, it felt like I was flying.”; Elijah Bacelieri, rider review on Captain Coaster: “This thing is so smooth it feels like you're…”; Kristofer Wempa, rider review on Captain Coaster: “This whole ride felt like I was just gliding…”; guiderex, rider review on Captain Coaster: “This coaster is so smooth that it is graceful.…”; Kw6sTheater, rider review on Captain Coaster: “My favorite moment has to be the dive drop,…”; MapleFlakes, rider review on Captain Coaster: “The feeling of falling, picking up speed, and being…”.

The photo slider at the top and the fading stills: Theme Park POV's back row POV, 2022 GateKeeper Roller Coaster On Ride Back Row 4K POV Cedar Point (YouTube), and the page's Wikimedia Commons photographs.