Grizzly, Wooden roller coaster at Kings Dominion, Virginia
Grizzly is a wooden roller coaster at Kings Dominion in Virginia featuring a double-figure-eight layout. The ride twists through dense forest with multiple drops and sharp turns that reach speeds of 50 miles per hour (80 km/h).
This ride opened in 1982, drawing design inspiration from the Wildcat coaster at Cincinnati's Coney Island which shut down in 1964. The concept influenced wooden coaster development across American parks for years to come.
The coaster stands as a testament to traditional American amusement engineering, representing an era when wooden rides dominated theme parks across the country.
The ride sits in a remote area of the park and can be reached through the Grizzly Gulch gift shop that opened in 2019. Wear sturdy shoes since you walk through wooded terrain, and expect longer waits during peak hours.
The track winds through thick forest where riders appear to narrowly miss tree branches during their journey. This close relationship with the natural surroundings was an intentional design choice that shapes the ride experience.
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