MASON, Ohio -- Something’s lurking in the Kings Island woods -- and it’s preparing to unleash its fury.
Mystic Timbers, a new wooden roller coaster, has been unveiled as the latest thrill ride coming to Kings Island in 2017.
The ride, which stretches 3,265 feet in length, features 16 airtime hills and a mid-course tunnel. It screams along at speeds up to 53 mph.
“Mystic Timbers is naturally exciting because of its setting in a densely wooded area,” Kings Island’s vice-president and general manager Greg Scheid said. “The natural rugged terrain and tunnel ensures a unique and memorable ride experience.”
The coaster itself is themed to an area surrounding a lumber company that’s becoming overrun by a mysterious medusa-like overgrowth of vines as nature reclaims its land.
Mystic Timbers carries 24 passengers on three trains at a capacity of 1,200 riders per hour. Guests must be at least 48 inches tall to ride.
The ride experience will last more than two minutes.
This addition will bring Kings Island’s coaster tally to 16 (four wooden). Once Mystic Timbers is complete, Kings Island’s wooden roller coasters will combine to measure 18,804 feet of track, which will be the most at any amusement or theme park in the world.
Mystic Timbers is custom designed and built for the topography of Kings Island by Great Coasters International, Inc. (GCI) of Sunbury, Pennsylvania.
The last coaster to debut at Kings Island was Banshee in 2014, which still holds the record as the world’s longest inverted roller coaster.
Cedar Point, a sister park of Kings Island, opened Valravn -- a record-breaking dive coaster -- earlier this year.
