A bunch of people who don't see many roller coasters make lists of the "30 Coolest Roller Coasters in the World". I've seen most of America's major roller coasters, though, and can confidently say that there are some amazing looking roller coasters in the US.
If I see demand for a new list, I may make other lists looking at Germany, Netherlands, UK, Mexico, Australia, or Canada. This is just looking at the United States, though.
Please also note that this includes none of the coasters that were in the Mr. Beast video. These rides were considered, but were disqualified for that reason:
-Goliath at Six Flags Great America
-Banshee at Kings Island
-X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain
-Outlaw Run at Silver Dollar City
-Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure
-Fury 325 at Carowinds
-Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion
Finally, I did want to give some more information on each of these rides. Also, none of this footage is mine. I want to mainly give footage from the parks. I will be embedding the videos into the article, but I am not taking any video credit. I will credit the video creator. There will be the name of the ride along with the park, city, and state. After that, I will attach the YouTube Link with credit to the channel who posted it. After that, I will give a brief description of each ride.
Now, let's get to the list.
#30: Thunderbolt at Kennywood (West Mifflin, Pennsylvania)
(Video Credit: Kennywood)
Thunderbolt is one of the most unique Roller Coasters in the world. It first has 2 drops in a ravine that were recycled from a coaster that opened in 1924. In 1968, a massive helix was added that provides strong lateral G-Forces. I ride it all the time and can say that it is really fun.
#29: GhostRider at Knotts Berry Farm (Buena Park, California)
(Video Credit: Knott's Berry Farm)
GhostRider is known to be one of the best Roller Coasters in the world, but I've also heard some pretty bad things about it. That is why it is so low. The ride looks very well paced and has a fantastic layout.
#28: Full Throttle at Six Flags Magic Mountain (Valencia, California)
(Video Credit: Six Flags Magic Mountain)
Full Throttle has an amazing layout. It includes a Launch, the world's Third Tallest Loop, some twists, and a 164 foot tall hill that goes right over the massive loop. There is even a backwards launch halfway through the layout.
#27: Phoenix at Knoebels (Elysburg, Pennsylvania)
(Video Credit: CoasterForce)
Phoenix look like just an average Classic Wooden Coaster, but it also goes through parts of a forest and throws you into the air with barely any restraint. I'm excited for the time to ride this sometime in the next couple years.
#26: Wonder Woman Golden Lasso Coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas (San Antonio, Texas)
(Video Credit: Six Flags Fiesta Texas)
Wonder Woman Golden Lasso Coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas was the world's first Extreme Single Railed Coaster. The ride maxes out at 113 feet in height, has a 100 foot drop, gets up to 52 Miles per Hour, and has 3 inversions. It also has a beautiful setting right near the quarry wall. There are also some great decorations here that look to add a lot to the experience.
#25: Ravine Flyer 2 at Waldameer (Erie, Pennsylvania)
(Video Credit: CoasterForce)
Ravine Flyer 2 has everything you need to know in its name. It flies through its track and through a ravine. When it opened, it really seemed to push the limits of what a wooden coaster could do. It is often compared to another coaster that will be much higher on the list. From what I've heard from people who have ridden it, the ride has recently become quite rough, but that is okay and I have no doubt that this ride is very fun.
#24: Alpengeist at Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Williamsburg, Virginia)
(Video Credit: Busch Gardens Williamsburg)
Alpengeist is the world's Tallest Full Circuit Inverted Coaster. It has some cool theming, a cool setting, and a great layout.
#23: Magnum XL 200 at Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio)
(Video Credit: Cedar Point)
Magnum XL 200 was the world's first Hyper Coaster. This ride is 200 feet tall and is known to have some of the strongest airtime hills of any coaster. This ride seems to be pretty jerky, but it still looks like lots of fun.
#22: Maxx Force at Six Flags Great America (Gurnee, Illinois)
(Video Credit: CoasterForce)
Maxx Force has one of the fastest accelerations of any Roller Coaster in the world and the fastest in the Americas. This ride is known to be quite intense and even has the world's fastest inversion. This ride looks amazing.
#21: Maverick at Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio)
(Video Credit: Cedar Point)
Maverick is often considered to be one of the best roller coasters in the world. With an intense launch halfway through the ride, snappy turns and inversions, and beautiful moments, I consider this to be one of the coolest coasters ever.
#20: Renegade at Valleyfair (Shakopee, Minnesota)
(Video Credit: Valleyfair)
Renegade is a Twister style Wooden Roller Coaster. The ride is an extreme thrill ride. It is known to be a really good ride. This is considered one of the best wooden coasters in America.
#19: Mystic Timbers at Kings Island (Mason, Ohio)
(Video Credit: Kings Island)
Mystic Timbers is a mix of a Twister Coaster and an Out-and-Back Coaster. This is an amazing layout and is also often considered one of the best Wooden Coasters in America.
#18: Mr. Freeze Reverse Blast at Six Flags St. Louis (Eureka, Missouri)
(Video Credit: Six Flags St. Louis)
I do quickly want to note that there are 2 Mr Freeze Reverse Blast Roller Coasters. I chose this one over the one at Six Flags Over Texas due to the setting. These rides are both known for being very forceful and this even has a backwards launch. This ride is definitely one of the coolest roller coasters in America.
#17: Tatsu at Six Flags Magic Mountain (Valencia, California)
(Video Credit: Six Flags Magic Mountain)
Tatsu is one the largest flying roller coasters in the world. From what I hear, the ride is pretty graceful and feels like flying. That is until the massive Pretzel Loop. The pretzel loop is known to be super intense and completely goes down the mountain at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
#16: Mine Blower at Fun Spot Kissimmee (Kissimmee, Florida)
(Video Credit: Attractions Magazine)
Mine Blower is one of only 8 Wooden Roller Coasters to have an inversion. Mine Blower is also known to have great airtime throughout the ride. The restraints are also known to be pretty comfortable. This ride is also known to be even better at night. This ride, overall, is known to be a great ride, even if it is rough.
#15: Montu at Busch Gardens Tampa (Tampa Bay, Florida)
(Video Credit: Busch Gardens Tampa)
Montu is considered by many to be one of the best Inverted coasters in the world. It is known to be smooth, intense, and unique. This is still considered to be a top 5 coaster in Florida by many. I think this ride definitely deserves to be on this list.
#14: Twisted Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain (Valencia, California)
(Video Credit: Roller Coaster Addict)
Twisted Colossus is considered to be the best Dueling Coaster in the world. The ride has airtime, inversions, steep drops, and this is all while dueling. You also ride both sides without stopping. The ride is considered to be one of the best roller coasters in the world. I do think that this ride looks great, but it isn't the coolest coaster in the US.
#13: Millennium Force at Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio)
(Video Credit: Cedar Point)
Millennium Force was the first full circuit roller coaster to be over 300 feet. I hear some people call it forceful and I've heard some people call it "Millennium Forceless". Either way, it appears to provide a great view of both Cedar Point and Lake Erie. No matter what the ride experience is like, you can't deny that the ride is beautiful and has a great setting.
#12: Hades 360 at Mount Olympus Water and Theme Park (Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin)
(Video Credit: ThemeParkHD)
The Gravity Group is often considered to be one of the best Wooden Coaster Manufacturers in the world. They make very unique rides. Their first coaster was called Hades. This even went under the parking lot to its own area of the park. It had an airtime hill and some turns in the area. In 2013, the turns were redone and the airtime hill was completely replaced by an inversion. The name was changed to Hades 360. Now, it is one of the most unique roller coasters in the world and it is one of the coolest coasters in America.
#11: Superman the Ride at Six Flags New England (Agawam, Massachusetts)
(Video Credit: Six Flags New England)
Superman the Ride is often considered to be one of the best roller coasters in the world. Its layout is known to be an amazing layout. It is known to provide great airtime and have an overall good experience. There is also an amazing setting by the Connecticut River. The ride is really cool.
#10: Boardwalk Bullet at Kemah Boardwalk (Kemah, Texas)
(Video Credit: ThemeParkHD)
Boardwalk Bullet is the 4th Gravity Group coaster on this list (Coming after Ravine Flyer 2, Mine Blower, and Hades 360). This one has more turns, some airtime, and it is an amazing looking ride overall. This is also located right by Trinity Bay. This ride looks really good and I consider it one of the coolest coasters in America.
#9: Time Traveler at Silver Dollar City (Branson, Missouri)
(Video Credit: Silver Dollar City)
Time Traveler opened as the largest Spinning Coaster in the world. It was also one of the earliest Spinning Coasters with an inversion and it was the first inverting spinning coaster with just a lap bar restraint. This ride also is built on great terrain, and that makes the ride even cooler, I think.
#8: Steel Curtain at Kennywood (West Mifflin, Pennsylvania)
(Video Credit: Kennywood)
Steel Curtain is a very unique coaster for multiple reasons. It has 9 inversions, which breaks the US Inversion Record. It also goes upside down 197 feet off the ground. In my experience, that is a terrifying element. From the steep lift, you can see most of the park along with the Monongahela River and a Steel Mill. The ride also goes over a lagoon. This ride is also the tallest coaster in Pennsylvania, at 200 feet tall.
#7: Phantom's Revenge at Kennywood (West Mifflin, Pennsylvania)
(Video Credit: Kennywood)
Phantom's Revenge is one of the most unique coasters in the world. It reuses parts from an old Hyper Looping Coaster, but it completely changed the ending layout. It is very forceful and has strong airtime moments. It has multiple moments that dive under Thunderbolt (The first ride on the list). The ride also is built on a ravine. Thanks to the ravine, the ride has a 232 foot tall drop despite only being 160 feet tall. The 232 foot drop is also the second drop on the ride, not the first. This is all with basically just a seatbelt and what feels like a pool noodle around a piece of PVC.
#6: The Voyage at Holiday World (Santa Claus, Indiana)
(Video Credit: Holiday World)
The Voyage is one of the largest Wooden Coasters in the world. The ride is very twisty and has tons of Airtime Moments. The ride has comfortable looking trains and is said to be like a larger version of Ravine Flyer 2, but it is also known to be better paced. For the first half of the ride, it keeps going up a hill while keeping good pacing. Then, the ride starts picking up speed again, now going back down the hill. The ride is just really cool.
#5: Iron Rattler at Six Flags Fiesta Texas (San Antonio, Texas)
(Video Credit: CoasterForce)
Iron Rattler is another very unique ride. I'm surprised it wasn't on the list Mr. Beast looked at. This is known to be packed with airtime and the inversions look pretty good. The ride also seems pretty intense. It also jumps on and off the Quarry Wall. The restraints are also known to be very comfortable.
#4: El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure (Jackson, New Jersey)
(Video Credit: CoasterForce)
El Toro is one of the largest wooden coasters in the world. It is known to be pretty well paced and is known for great, strong, sustained airtime throughout the ride. I personally think it looks overrated, but I need to ride it before I can make that judgement.
#3: Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio)
(Video Credit: Cedar Point)
Steel Vengeance is known to be one of the best coasters in the world. Many call it the #1 best coaster in the world. This was the world's first Hybrid Coaster to reach 200+ feet in height. The ride is known to have a lot of airtime. There is even a nice view of Lake Erie. I still don't consider this to be America's coolest roller coaster, though.
#2: Boulder Dash at Lake Compounce (Bristol, Connecticut)
(Video Credit: New Jersey Coasters)
Boulder Dash is an amazing looking wooden coaster. It looks to provide great airtime and laterals. The wooded setting is also great. This likely isn't as good as some of the other rides on this list, but I think it is a cooler coaster than most of the others on here. There is only one US coaster I think is cooler.
#1: Lightning Rod at Dollywood (Pigeon Forge, Tennessee)
(Video Credit: AmusementInsider)
Lightning Rod is, in my opinion, the coolest roller coaster in the US. It was the first Launched Wooden Coaster when it first opened, though it is now a Hybrid Coaster. It became the world's first Launched Hybrid Coaster in 2021. It is an amazing looking coaster and is also considered one of the best Roller Coasters in the world.
I hope you enjoyed this. Please consider checking out my Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.