Tip To bypass the lines for Outlaw Run, you should consider purchasing a Trailblazer Pass. The pass allows for eight front-of-line opportunities on the park’s big thrill rides. You can use the passes for different rides or just opt to ride Outlaw Run eight times in a row.

GOLIATH

Location: Six Flags Great America, Gurnee, Ill.

Largest Drop: 180 feet

Top speed: 72 miles per hour

Defining Feature: Inverted Zero-G Stall

Image Riders plunge down the 180-foot drop on Goliath. Credit... Nathan Weber for The New York Times

The Ride Not content to rest on its laurels, Rocky Mountain Construction created a new wooden coaster that was more ambitious than its first. Goliath, which had its debut in June, holds three wooden-coaster records: fastest, tallest and steepest drop. More Topper Track is in use here, with an orange sheen, giving the coaster a contemporary burst of color within its wooden bearings. From afar, all that is visible is the daunting first drop, isolated and towering above the rest of the ride. It points down at a steep 85 degrees.

After making the first drop and traveling through a small tunnel, the coaster rushes along into a tall overbank turn. Expect to be lifted out of your seat on a few occasions. I tried this ride twice, once seated in the front and once in the back, and I recommend the front. It offered a marvelously dramatic view of that orange track, which would curve in ways that seemed technically impossible.

One thrilling element is the first inversion, a 180-degree roll that twists you upside down and then sends you down a hill. A wooden structure surrounding this part gives you the sense of moving through an open wood hallway. Then comes the ride’s crowning achievement, riding upside down on a hill, or what the park calls its Inverted Zero-G Stall. Picture coasting slowly on the bottom of a rainbow until you reach the end of the arch, then swinging right side up again. The experience is breathtaking. To top it all off, Goliath, much like Outlaw Run, uses lower-body restraints, which along with an additional safety seatbelt make for a secure yet liberating ride.

How They Did It Rocky Mountain used the same approach here, a wood frame and a Topper Track.

Tip While Goliath is quite a thrill, it powers so quickly through its elements, it may leave you wanting more. Also, the newness of the ride and its popularity do make for a bit of a punishing line. I waited nearly two hours to first experience it, so it might be a good idea to get to the park early and head directly to it when the gates open.