Are you brave enough to face the Goliath? If you are, then the hour long wait that you are probably going to go through will definitely pay off at the end. What makes this coaster take my breath away (literally at times) is the fact that all you have is a frickin lap belt and no harness. There's not really even anything to hold on to except for this little loop on your seat belt. And i dont think its even made for that. I just tried finding anything that I can wrap my hands on to feel somewhat secure before conquering this giant of a coaster. And yes, although only being secured by a measley lap belt, you go upside down in loops. So the only thing holding you in to your seat other than that lap belt is pure G-force. That first drop is all that. Its the steepest one here at the park at an 85 degree angle and you are going at it at such a high speed! Pure adrenaline rush for you junkies out there. Keep in mind that this is another wooden coaster here but so much smoother than that of the Viper and old man American Eagle. I believe this is the best roller coaster here at Six Flags and of course, my favorite. Try riding it at night and enjoy the view before that first 180 ft drop! read more

Goliath - That first drop! - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

Alright like that was such a small little jam packed punch of a RMC Hybrid Coaster in such a small unassuming area that achieves greatness at every step of the lift hill! The structure for this coaster is crazy it's the first of the wood meets steal hybrids I've seen that had this type of inversion where you spend a good amount of time upside down as the hang time is just not seen anywhere else! Goliath doesn't let you down in anyway whatsoever at any point as the entire ride was smooth and just super enjoyable at every twist and turn to the point of which it feels like you are still riding the classic wooden coaster right until you see that next Hybrid inversion coming at you with a good amount of speed! The line for Goliath can get super long I say this as the day we came to the park it wasn't that busy so do make sure you hit this ride early! Goliath here is awesome and I'll be looking forward to riding it the next time I visit this radical park of Six Flags Great America! read more

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This is a great ride however the chain lift is super slow but i recommend. Its a wooden ride and can get very bumpy but alot of people like that. read more

If the line goes out the door, it means the wait is 70 minutes, but it does move fast. For an RMC, this is one of the shorter ones even though the drop looks really cool and is fun. I rode the front and back and rode this 2 times. We did the single rider line, but that ended up being the same as 70 minutes as sometimes it was pure luck. Overall the experience is fun, but if you drive 4 hours to OH, Steel Vengeance is way better and that is crazy. I do like the turns as well which is fun. Overall my favorite ride of the park, but need to ride Maxx Force as I heard the launch is quite fun. read more

David doesn't stand a chance. In the historical allegory, the human kicks the giant's ass with a stone & sling. In Great America's coaster adaptation, the giant kicks the human's ass with a dive loop & near-vertical drop. But is it the best coaster at Illinois' Six Flags? Some people might say so, but X-Flight still takes the cake in my opinion. Check out the impressive rap sheet for Goliath: ~Special ride elements~ *165ft chain lift at a 45° incline *180ft drop @ 85° into an underground tunnel *Overbanked fan turn *Dive loop *Zero-G stall *Overbanked fan turn Rocky Mountain Construction is responsible for designing and erecting this ride, having previously done stellar re-work on The Rattler (SFFT in San Antonio) and The Texas Giant (SFOT in Arlington). RMC is notorious for incorporating intense elements into their wooden coasters that are normally reserved for their steel counterparts, and Goliath is no exception. Navigating the dive loop gives some great visuals, and the zero-G stall is a very fun, very unique inversion that will undoubtedly get your pulse pounding. The first drop is great, but not quite as thrilling as the one on Iron Rattler, in my opinion. The trains are comfortable and the individual hydraulic lapbars (as opposed to ratcheting ones) give a nice sense of security. Expect to wait no less than 90 minutes on a normal day, as it's still the park's most popular coaster and limited to a 2-train operating cycle, but the single rider line is a HUGE help for coaster junkies like me. Station crews did an admirable job dispatching the trains in a timely manner. If I had one criticism, it'd be the ride's relatively short duration. It's an exhilarating 1 minute 45 seconds to be sure, although given the fact that this is a true 'hybrid' coaster (wooden supports, steel track) I can't put it in either of my Top 10 lists. An absolute must-ride on your trip to SFGAm, but beware of long lines! read more

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Did this ride twice. Both in the back. And wow did the airtime come hard. Let alone even hang time on the stall. A small RMC coaster but man it packs a punch so don't come in with small expectations. It can really give itself a run for its money on its best coaster at the park read more

Goliath - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

Goliath was so much fun! I'm usually not the kind of girl who *screams* during rides but this one made me because it was THAT good. And of course, we had to sit in the VERY FRONT. I had to experience that steep 'drop" no matter what! Especially if i was in line for almost an hr. Half way during the line, they experienced some technical difficulties which took another 20-30 mins on top of the original wait time. So upon entering, theres a guy passing out "boarding passes" to ensure no one cuts lines. When you get close to the end of the line before walking up to the ride, there's another guy collecting the passes in order. If you happen to be at 6 flags, you MUST wait in line and go on this ride! It will NOT disappoint you at all! That 2-3hr wait is well worth it! =) It was super fun, super scary and super fast! read more

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The only reason this one gets four stars is that it's a short ride. It feels like it's over in a blink. We waited about an hour for this ride on a Friday in June. One of the most terrifying things about this ride for me was there is nothing to hold on to. Again THERE IS NOTHING TO HOLD ONTO. It's as if they force you to keep your hands up with what seems like this little tiny lap bar. This made me think of my high school physics class in which we learned about G-Forces and how you would remain in your seat even without a restraint.....I wouldn't want to test this... The drop of this ride is amazing and the ride is so smooth. On a random side note I remember when this was Iron Wolf and once while waiting what seemed like hours we watched a Lisa Loeb video on those TV's. Hearing the song you say will always remind me of waiting in line at six flags. read more

Gott damn! This thing is a shot of adrenaline right to the heart like Mia Wallace takes in Pulp Fiction. I've been seeing Rocky Mountain Construction fanboys salivating like cartoon wolves online ever since it low key got out that RMC is reworking the structure of Cedar Point's former Mean Streak into a roller coaster that people besides chiropractors will love and after riding Goliath I can see what the fuss is about. My curiosity was piqued upon laying my eyes upon the insane looking lift hill, with stunningly little in the way of supports, and a pretty steep angle of ascent to boot. The chain on that lift hill is nice and loud, too, adding to the sense of anticipation. The wait for this beast was made easier by old school Looney Tunes shown in the queue. Big points from me on that, Six Flags. Their incessant promotional tie-ins can be grating to me at times, but watching old Looney Tunes is always top notch, anvil-dropping good fun in my book. The first drop is intense and that intensity basically lasts through the whole ride. Intamin are probably still the kings of crazy twistiness in my book but RMC has some pretty damn interesting ideas of how roller coaster track can bend and aren't shy about implementing them. And Intamin can't even fuck with the crazy long inversion on this thing with only a lap bar to keep you in place. The hang time on that thing is almost deliriously fun. It's like you're speeding down the freeway and oh, let's just drive upside down for a stretch of road here! Goliath is very smooth to boot, smoother than I thought a wooden roller coaster could be. (Though some of those supports on the lift hill are clearly metal so I don't quite see how it qualifies.) The big knock on Goliath is that it's too short, clocking in at less than two minutes. Well, I can't disagree that I would like there to be more of it, but if that's the biggest problem with your roller coaster, you must be doing a few things right. It didn't even seem as short as I figured it would, and I had the mindset of savoring every second so I wasn't disappointed by it's brevity. Goliath seemed shorter when I watched a YouTube pov video of it, probably causing I wasn't really feeling it. What's it they say - it's not the length but the girth that matters? Goliath must have plenty of girth. (It's still just a ride, so relax about the metaphor here.) Go ride Top Thrill Dragster and complain to me how short Goliath is. This was my favorite coaster at SFGA - no slight to X-Flight, Eric S - and a most worthy hors d'oeuvres to whatever RMC is cooking up on a certain peninsula jutting out into Lake Erie. read more

Goliath - I know I'm north of Chicago when people are rocking Cubs gear. - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

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This ride was absolutely phenomenal! I was so glad I had the courage to get the chance to ride this! This was such an adrenaline rush every second from when that giant drop hit was a complete wake up call and I never felt more alive! The photo I bought taken from the ride says everything! Definitely recommend you get a flash pass for this! read more

Dear Gladiators, we need YOU to come join us as we battle with GOLIATH! Who cringes over wooden roller coasters? I do! Who takes that comment back forever now? I do! 4.5 hours later, as they worked out the maintenance issues, and we worried over weather warnings in line - we made it to the loading cues! I think this triple world record breaking coaster will actually rapidly be rated a 4th world record breaker voted as world's best ever wooden coaster of ALL time! Smooth, fun, AWESOME! Cheers! read more

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RIDING THE BEAST The ride has had wait times up to 4 hours and it's well worth it. Dare I say this is the best ride in the park. Yesterday I got an early jump on everyone by arriving at 9:30am with the park opening at 11am. I was lucky enough to get to ride on the first train of the day and in the front row. My first recommendation is you must have arms up the whole time because it adds to the thrill. The first drop is simply amazing. You will feel like you have jumped out of an airplane as you fall face first to the ground. The ride just gets better from there. There is no shoulder harness, so you will be going upside down on a wooden roller coaster. Oh yeah this ride is the bomb right now. Luckily I didn't have to wait 4 hours but for the thrill I might just do it. I decided to ride all the other coasters after Goliath and my final judgement is this is the best coaster in the park. If you haven't ridden it, you only have a few more weekends in 2014. So get strapped in, lift those arms and enjoy the ride. read more

Goliath - That's me...front row...arms up the whole ride! Best coaster in the whole park. - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

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This roller coaster has competition between this ride and Raging Bull. I have no idea which one is better! Goliath is NOT the tallest, but it is the fastest and steepest wooden coaster in the world. Goliath's highest speed is 72mph. This ride is the 3rd tallest wooden coaster in the world at 165 feet. The drop is 180 feet, so it's the tallest drop on a wooden coaster in the world. The angle for the drop is 85 degrees. In my opinion, the drops and the two inversions are INSANE! There is a unique Zero-G Stall inversion on Goliath. There is a fun dive loop too! The tunnels remind me after the first drop of Raging Bull. All in all, very cool ride! I'll be on this ride again! read more

WHAT JUST HAPPENED? This is a super smooth wood coaster. As steep as it is, I would estimate that the actual length of the track which is 85 degrees is very short. The reason I mention this is that the first hill isn't that exhilarating. The psychological build up was worse than the actual ride. As for the rest of it, it zips, twists, inverts and then it's over. It's a good rush, but wouldn't count as my favorite coaster in the park: Viper and Eagle give you more air time for a wood coaster, Vertical Velocity is more of a thrill, the weird inversion on Superman is still one-of-a-kind, and the Raging Bull reigns supreme. Oh and be prepared to wait! Over two hours for a 90 second ride kinda takes the thrill away. It's a good ride, but I walked away wondering, "What just happened?" read more

Holy speed, height, and turns in my stomach. We got to the park right as it opened, and stood in line for close to 3 hours to get on this bad boy. Now normally I am certainly not a wimp, and in order to prove it, I sucked it up and went with my boyfriend and his brother to challenge this coaster. I was pretty secure in line, no butterflies, no worries.. until I got close enough to see how high it really was, and that's when it started to sink in. I was going to do this.. but with my eyes closed. It was much faster and much more crazy than anticipated. I would give it 5 stars, because for those who are into being whipped around at insane speeds it would probably be amazing, but for me it was a wild fists clenched eyes closed hands shaking experience. Not to say I wouldnt go again though.. now that I have done it once, it cant get any worse! read more

This ride is so scary, but SO much fun! The line is super long but you can't complain, it's totally worth it. My throat hurt after screaming so much, but i just couldn't stop smiling after the ride was over. read more

Favorite roller coaster I had the chance to ride in this park. Although my family had to wait in line about an hour and a half, the ride was well worth it. From what I can tell, Goliath is the top attraction at this park. It has an 85 degree drop, high speeds, and upside down spins. You're sure to scream all while loving every moment of it! read more

The world's tallest fastest steepest wooden coaster - or that's what the AD says. Travelling at 78mph with 82m drop - I wouldnt be suprised if this was the main attraction or the newest at the park. We waited almost 1.5hr to get on this ride. I am proud to say I survived x). But an incredible adrenaline rush, but I kinda felt there was nothing to hold onto. The gravitational force was soo much here, but I would definitely recommend this if you are a COASTER person. read more

My favorite ride there. Beware of the line for single rides. It can be just as long based on the complaints I have heard from the people that were in those lines. read more

Scared the poop out of me. Truly a frightening drop at the beginning and a heart stopping outer loop. GREAT FUN.

This was a great addition to the park in what was once the old Iron Wolf location. I do not miss Iron Wolf, especially since Goliath is 20 times better (if not more) than Iron Wolf was. It is an amazingly fast, steep and out of control ride. It is the tallest, steepest and fastest wood coaster in the world and with the inversions it makes it an awesome ride. read more

Our international group of students went to Six Flags Great America on Friday. We arrived at 1 p.m, it was so great from outside the parking was quite expensive but full of cars and it was hard to find a simple place to park the bus. Once we arrived, we were so excited to try everything but the surprise was that the lines were too long, all the people also wanted to try every ride just like us. Goliath was the fullest one, I remember we were waiting for more than 75 min for only a few seconds of the ride, but they really were the craziest seconds ever. However, the seats were uncomfortable and we felt insecure while riding because of the lack of shoulder harness, Goliath is not recommended as a first ride because you're really going to waste your time while waiting. The food was so expensive, unhealthy and was not at the level of expectation even the water, I remember 16 oz of water was 4$ which is unbelievable! the weather also was not helpful and all the outside rides closed for more than 2 hours which made us really upset. Besides all of these miserable conditions we had fun and we enjoyed our day. read more

Goliath - Six flags great america entrance - Amusement Parks Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

This ride was so exciting and so fast! It was so much fun! There is no bar in front of you to hold onto! The drop is straight down and it goes upside down with no harness to support you! It got my heart pumping and the adrenaline going! It was a great ride! Best one in the park! read more