Earlier this spring, Calfornia’s Great America in Santa Clara opened Gold Striker, the “Tallest and Fastest Wooden Coaster in Northern California”. Not only is it the fastest in Northern California, but in our opinion it’s hands-down the best Wooden Coaster in ALL of California.
Coaster Enthusiasts and those who like a good solid ride would be doing themselves a favor to head to Santa Clara and check out this great new ride.
Below is the Press Release from the park regarding the parks opening and some publicity shots sent to us by the park.
GREAT AMERICA’S GOLD STRIKER COASTER OPENS TO RAVE REVIEWS“Relentless” And “Awesome” Are Among The Initial Rider Reactions Gold Striker Has The Longest Initial Descent Tunnel On Any Wooden Coaster
SANTA CLARA, CA – California’s Great America has opened Gold Striker, the tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster in Northern California and the early reviews have been stellar.
“Relentless,” “Awesome,” and “The best ever,” are terms guests have used to describe the eighth coaster at California’s Great America. Gold Striker provides the look and feel of the original wood coasters with a fast and smooth ride that represents the best of modern designs.
Inspired and designed with an Old West feel, Gold Striker stands 108 feet at its highest point with a first drop of 103 feet. Riders will careen along 3,197 feet of track at speeds up to 53.7 miles per hour.
Adding intrigue to Gold Striker is the 174-foot “mine shaft” tunnel that is enclosed by wood on both sides, corrugated metal on top and in-fill underneath the tracks, replicating a true gold mine feel. The “mine shaft” is the longest initial descent tunnel on any wooden roller coaster.
“Gold Striker provides the nostalgia of a wooden coaster, with the smooth ride of a steel coaster. Everyone who enjoys thrill rides will want to experience Gold Striker,” California’s Great America Vice President and General Manager Raul Rehnborg said. “Gold Striker reflects our commitment to providing guests with the best thrills and entertainment value in the region.”
Gold Striker’s name was chosen to recognize the pioneering and adventurous spirit of the California gold-seekers who rushed the area in 1849.
Gold Striker is located in the Celebration Plaza area of California’s Great America and wraps around the park’s Star Tower attraction, providing a stunning visual as guests enter the park.
Gold Striker was custom designed and built for the topography of California’s Great America by Great Coasters International, Inc. (GCI) of Sunbury, Pennsylvania. Two trains accommodates 24 passengers each (four riders per car and six cars per train) with a capacity of 850 riders per hour. Guests must be at least 48 inches tall to ride.
CEDAR FAIR
California’s Great America is owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, a publicly traded partnership that is listed for trading on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “FUN.” In addition to California’s Great America, Cedar Fair owns and operates ten other amusement parks, four water parks, one indoor water park, and five hotels. Cedar Fair also operates the Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in California under a management contract.
Ride Review (Sir Clinksalot):
I’ve ridden quite a few wooden coasters and many from the manufacturer of Gold Striker, Great Coasters International. In my opinion this is the best GCI I’ve ridden. The only one that comes close would be Apocalypse at Magic Mountain, but this seems faster. From the second you reach the top of the lift hill until you hit the breaks, the ride doesn’t let up. It’s very rare that a ride will deliver whether you sit in the Front, Middle or Back but Gold Striker did just that. It’s a great ride wherever you sit.
In the grand scheme though, this ride is a SOLID 9.5 out of 10. It’s a great ride for a park that has needed something like this for a LONG time. We really hope this is the start of a new age for the park and that Cedar fair will continue to invest some money into this park.
Gold Striker isn’t the only other new thing going on around the park. From the Star Tower you can also get a great view of the new stadium going in next door. Quite literally in the parking lot. Levi’s Stadium will open for the 2014 Season and will be home to my San Francisco 49ers and also Super Bowl L.
Hopefully the new stadium will continue to breathe life into the park, allowing them to also use the Amphitheater and IMAX theater more often.
Around the Park
Let’s take a look around the rest of the park shall we?
Centrifuge is pretty much a Scrambler on Steroids. Great fun.
So, do you plan on heading out to ride Gold Striker? Have you already ridden it? Give us your thoughts below.
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