Developed by SeaWorld in partnership with local real estate developers, Magic Mountain opened May 29, 1971 in Valencia, California. Featuring a world-record 19 coasters, Magic Mountain became part of the Six Flags chain in 1979 and is typically Six Flags' most-visited park.
Our recommendations below come from our annual survey of Theme Park Insider newsletter subscribers. Locations with star ratings ★ ranked especially highly among our readers. Click here to subscribe to our free, twice-weekly email of theme park news and to participate in the next ranking survey.
New for 2022
Wonder Woman Flight of Courage
Standing 131 feet and with 3,300 feet of track, this Rocky Mountain Construction Raptor will be the world's tallest and longest single-rail coaster when it opens in summer 2020.
Roller Coasters
Twisted Colossus★ ★ ★
A 4,990-foot mobius-track Rocky Mountain Construction rebuild of the former Colossus wooden coaster, with a 128-foot drop, top speed of 57 mph and two inversions. Height requirement: 48 inches
› Read Robert Niles' review of Twisted Colossus.
X2★ ★ ★
A 3,610-foot Arrow Dynamics 4th dimension coaster with a 215-foot vertical drop, top speed of 76 miles per hour and two inversions. Height requirement: 48 inches
› Read Robert Niles' X2 review.
Tatsu★ ★
A 3,602-foot Bolliger & Mabillard flying coaster with a 111-foot drop, top speed of 62 mph and four inversions. Height requirement: 54 inches
Scream
A 3,985-foot Bolliger & Mabillard floorless coaster with a 141-foot drop, top speed of 63 mph and seven inversions. Height requirement: 54 inches
Apocalypse
A 2,877-foot Great Coasters International wooden coaster with an 87-foot drop and top speed of 50 mph. Opened as Terminator: Salvation before Six Flags lost the IP rights. Height requirement: 48 inches
Ninja
A 2,700-foot Arrow Dynamic suspended coaster with a top speed of 55 mph. Height requirement: 42 inches
Viper
A 3,830-foot Arrow Dynamics custom looping coaster with a 171-foot drop, a top speed 70 mph and seven inversions. Height requirement: 54 inches
The Riddler's Revenge
A 4,370-foot Bolliger & Mabillard stand-up coaster with a 146-foot drop, top speed of 65 mph and six inversions. Height requirement: 54 inches
New Revolution
Opened in 1976 as Great American Revolution, this 3,457-foot Schwarzkopf coaster with a top speed of 55 mph and one inversion was the world's first modern coaster with a vertical loop. The ride included VR headsets in 2016-17. Height requirement: 48 inches
Batman: The Ride
A 2,700-foot Bolliger & Mabillard inverted coaster with a top speed of 50 mph and five inversions. Height requirement: 54 inches
Gold Rusher
A 2,590-foot Arrow Dynamics mine train with a top speed of 35 mph. Height requirement: 48 inches
For younger riders, Six Flags Magic Mountain offers Canyon Blaster, an E&F Miler family coaster; Magic Flyer, a Bradley and Kaye little dipper; Road Runner Express, a Vekoma Junior Coaster; and Speedy Gonzales Hot Road Racers, a Zamperla family gravity coaster.
Other notable attractions include the Bugs Bunny World children's area; CraZanity, a 170-foot Zamperla Giant Discovery pendulum; Roading Rapids; and Lux Luthor Drop of Doom, an Intamin drop ride on the side of the Superman tower.
Map
Six Flags Magic Mountain is located in Valencia, California - in the Santa Clarita Valley - 35 miles north of downtown Los Angeles.
Strategy
Six Flags requires advance reservations to visit, so book your day on the SixFlags.com website or the park app. Then plan to arrive at least 30 minutes before park opening (60 minutes during the summer or other vacation periods), in order to park and be at the front of the line to enter the gates.
Magic Mountain's newest coaster is West Coast Racers, but we still recommend starting with the low capacity Fill Throttle first, assuming you are among the first guests to enter the park. Based upon reader recommendations from before the pandemic, we suggest this ride order:
Full Throttle
Goliath
Twisted Colossus
Scream
Lex Luthor
Batman
Justice League
Riddler's Revenge
Gold Rusher
West Coast Racers
Apocalypse
Tatsu
Viper
X2 (try to do this around 3-4pm for the shortest waits)
New Revolution
Helpful Honda Express (funicular to the top of the hill, if available)