Thunderbolt
Pulled up by a chain

Kennywood, West Mifflin, Pennsylvania

Thunderbolt

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1900192519501975200020251924older than 440 of theother 445 coasters we cover
POV
Ride it: back row POV
Back row
What riders love
  • Loved the drops and the lenght, I went out of my seat in a lot of moments!
  • Some of the big drops on the hillside give some weirdly jank 1920s airtime which is so fun and the visuals with the terrain and phantom are awesome.
  • The drop out of the station is so fun. Great air to be found here.
  • The terrain usage is immaculate, and the airtime moments are INSANE!
  • The laterals are insane, and the drops in the Ravine are Icing on the cake.
  • The turns also aren't banked hardly at all, so those fast corners just chuck you back and forth and take full advantage of the wide combined seat.
  • The lateral forces on this are absolutely insane and I love it!
  • The pop of ejector airtime going into the lift hill is absolutely absurd, and the sustained laterals following the drop ensure that both you and your riding partner will be pressed against the left side of the seat.
Thunderbolt Watch Performance Should I ride it? Specifications Reviews Planning History

Watch POVs and more

Thunderbolt - Kennywood - Front Row (4K HD POV) - July 2025

youtube.com › ThemeParkMark

Thunderbolt POV 5K Back Row 98 Year-Old Wooden Coaster Kennywood West Mifflin, PA

youtube.com › East Coasters

Thunderbolt Official 4K Mounted POV | Kennywood

youtube.com › Kennywood

Thunderbolt | Kennywood | 2021 4K Offride

youtube.com › zach_clarke

Thunderbolt - REVIEW (Kennywood Park, Pittsburgh, PA)

youtube.com › XscreamThrills

Thunderbolt Review (Kennywood) Classic Terrain Wooden Coaster!

youtube.com › Coaster Daddy

Review Of The Thunderbolt at Kennywood.

youtube.com › Pawliks World Of Entertainment

Thunderbolt will close early at Kennywood Park

youtube.com › WTAE-TV Pittsburgh

Thunderbolt roller coaster at Kennywood

youtube.com › Adventures with John

My son riding the Thunderbolt at Kennywood.

youtube.com › Conflict Boardgaming

Thunderbolt at Kennywood Park

youtube.com › Jamiewood Coasters

Kennywood Thunderbolt!!!!!!!!!!🎢

youtube.com › Kenny Kangaroo

Thunderbolt Roller Coaster at Kennywood

youtube.com › Adventures with John

Performance

Vs. other coasters at Kennywood

The turns have a lot more bite to it, and the drops have sustained floater airtime, probably the longest sensation of airtime in the park...

Vinnie T

Some of the big drops on the hillside give some weirdly jank 1920s airtime which is so fun and the visuals with the terrain and phantom are awesome.

Cooper Zimmerman

Great air to be found here.

Alessio Romano

The ejector in the back is crazy, and it throws you all over the place in a fun way.

Niko Banfield

The front seat ejector into the chain lift might be my favorite part of the ride.

@1abrebel

Sitting in the back seat of this ride is the most terrifying but thrilling experience, you get sooooo much air time!

@MrGhostface1000

From off the ride, the coaster looks rough, but the padded seats and single-position lap bar make it feel as smooth as a Modern steel coaster.

Jackie ODoyle

They are surprisingly comfortable too - as is the ride itself, given its age and potential for roughness.

Theme Park James

Other than one more huge rattle somewhere in one of the valleys, Thunderbolt is mostly enjoyable and is very fun despite being very very old.

Aric The Kakapo

It has a great duration and layout, but I just can’t get over the discomfort during some of the elements.

Max B.

The helix on this is just unbelievable and I felt like I cracked my ribs from the sheer force of it after my first ride.

Cooper Zimmerman

However, I loved the unique layout and intensity of this ride.

Kristofer Wempa

This Intense 1967 woodie is super underrated.

Solercoaster

This is my favorite of the park’s three wood coasters since it offers the most intense and consistent ride start to finish.

Canobie Coaster

...intensity as a pro because of the laterals, there is 2 moments of really great laterals, however the rest of the ride doesn’t offer much force but at least it’s comfortable and the setting is good.

Carter Eckhart

Most coasters of this design style are pretty boring to me, you get to the turns at the top of the hills and just slowly turn around, but this is FAST.

Zac AJ

This video doesn’t even capture how fast this thing literally goes, even down the smaller hills you’re flying.

@MrGhostface1000

There may be some dead spots going around the helixes, but the drops into the valley are amazing, such a fun experience going down the valley on an airtime drop, the best classic woodie from the park...

Tangzy

Should I ride it?

Organize by

Specifications

70 ftHeight
220 SteelCurtain 160 Phantom'sRevenge 95 Sky Rocket 72 Racer 70 Thunderbolt 43 Exterminator
90 ftFirst drop
228 Phantom'sRevenge 205 SteelCurtain 90 Thunderbolt 70 JackRabbit 50 Racer
55 mphTop speed
Phantom'sRevenge85 Steel Curtain75 Thunderbolt55 Sky Rocket50 Jack Rabbit45 Racer40 085 mph
0Inversions

What riders say

Praised for

Rider favouriteGreat layoutGreat views

Some of the big drops on the hillside give some weirdly jank 1920s airtime which is so fun and the visuals with the terrain and phantom are awesome.

Cooper Zimmerman, Captain Coaster review

All the wooden coasters at Kennywood are great but Thunderbolt is the most complete ride.

Alessio Romano, Captain Coaster review

It has a great duration and layout, but I just can’t get over the discomfort during some of the elements.

Max B., Captain Coaster review

All the wooden coasters at Kennywood are great but Thunderbolt is the most complete ride.

Scott Collins, Captain Coaster review

Thunderbolt’s totally unique layout with a drop right out of the station and it’s largest drop toward the end of the ride, blew me away.

Coaster Critic, published review

Single restraint seats for two is really fun as long as you’re both comfortable with it.

Zac AJ, Captain Coaster review

Photos

Thunderbolt at Kennywood
Larry Pieniazek, User:Lar, (primary), CC BY 2.5
Thunderbolt at Kennywood
Larry Pieniazek, User:Lar, (primary), CC BY 2.5
Thunderbolt at Kennywood
Larry Pieniazek, User:Lar, (primary), CC BY 2.5
Thunderbolt at Kennywood
Larry Pieniazek, User:Lar, (primary), CC BY 2.5
Thunderbolt at Kennywood
Larry Pieniazek, User:Lar, (primary), CC BY 2.5
Thunderbolt at Kennywood
Larry Pieniazek, User:Lar, (primary), CC BY 2.5
Thunderbolt at Kennywood
Larry Pieniazek, User:Lar, (primary), CC BY 2.5
Thunderbolt at Kennywood
Larry Pieniazek, User:Lar, (primary), CC BY 2.5
Entrance to the Thunderbolt roller coaster in Kennywood amusement park
E090, CC BY-SA 4.0
Thunderbolt at Kennywood
E090, CC BY-SA 4.0
Thunderbolt & Phantom's Revenge
Roller Coaster Philosophy, CC BY 2.0

11 photographs. Swipe or drag sideways.

Planning your ride

History and awards

May 4, 1924Opened

, designed by John A. Miller.

Past incidents

  1. 1999In 1999, an accident occurred when operators failed to brake the train coming into the station, causing a collision with the train being loaded.
  2. May 1968On May 16, 1968, a 15-year-old boy from Greensburg died after a fall from the roller coaster.

Golden Ticket Awards, top wood coaster: ranked in 26 polls, 1998 to 2024

9th1998, its first poll
21st2024, most recent
1incident blamed on the ride

Sources

Restraint types: Captain Coaster. History, incidents and awards: Wikipedia. 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, themeparkjames.co.uk, youtube.com, read and scored by AirtimeFever.

Photographs via Wikimedia Commons: Roller Coaster Philosophy (CC BY 2.0), Larry Pieniazek, User:Lar, (primary) (CC BY 2.5), E090 (CC BY-SA 4.0). Video thumbnails remain the property of their channels and link back to them.

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What riders love, by theme (themes in the order riders pick them most on Captain Coaster): Niko Banfield, rider review on Captain Coaster: “The ejector in the back is crazy, and it…”; Alessandra, rider review on Captain Coaster: “Loved the drops and the lenght, I went out…”; Cooper Zimmerman, rider review on Captain Coaster: “Some of the big drops on the hillside give…”; Scott Collins, rider review on Captain Coaster: “The drop out of the station is so fun.…”; roller rider, rider review on Captain Coaster: “There was an abundance of airtime, and it was…”; Christian Ortiz, rider review on Captain Coaster: “The terrain usage is immaculate, and the airtime moments…”; Solercoaster, rider review on Captain Coaster: “The laterals are insane, and the drops in the…”; Coaster Kingdoms, rider review on Captain Coaster: “I think smashing into your partner is fun and…”; Zac AJ, rider review on Captain Coaster: “The turns also aren't banked hardly at all, so…”; Sam B, rider review on Captain Coaster: “The lateral forces on this are absolutely insane and…”; Jackie ODoyle, rider review on Captain Coaster: “The pop of ejector airtime going into the lift…”.

The photo slider at the top and the fading stills: East Coasters's back row POV, Thunderbolt POV 5K Back Row 98 Year-Old Wooden Coaster Kennywood West Mifflin, PA (YouTube), and the page's Wikimedia Commons photographs.