Thunderbolt • Kennywood

Thunderbolt at Kennywood is a classic wooden coaster offering a fun and unique ride experience. With its unconventional layout and mix of thrilling drops and lateral forces, it remains a standout attr...

Thunderbolt at Kennywood is a classic wooden coaster offering a fun and unique ride experience. With its unconventional layout and mix of thrilling drops and lateral forces, it remains a standout attraction at the park. One of the best parts of Thunderbolt is its airtime. The ride features several drops that provide solid airtime, especially in the latter half. The terrain-hugging layout enhances these drops, making them feel even more intense than they appear. However, the ride does have a few dead spots. The opening section, in particular, is relatively slow and doesn’t provide much excitement before the ride truly kicks into gear. While the second half is thrilling, the early moments feel more like a warm-up. Thunderbolt is a fun, classic wooden coaster with great airtime and strong laterals. Despite some slower sections, the ride’s best moments make it a must-ride at Kennywood.

in my opinion, this might be the most underrated coaster ever. the drops on this are amazing, providing some very great airtime, and the helixes on this have insane laterals. suffers a bit from a ratt...

in my opinion, this might be the most underrated coaster ever. the drops on this are amazing, providing some very great airtime, and the helixes on this have insane laterals. suffers a bit from a rattle, but this thing is 100 years old so it being rough isn't really a shocker lol

Thunderbolt is not a too bad rollercoaster, but due to some of its discomforting aspects it falls short for me. It has a great duration and layout, but I just can't get over the discomfort during some...

Thunderbolt is not a too bad rollercoaster, but due to some of its discomforting aspects it falls short for me. It has a great duration and layout, but I just can't get over the discomfort during some of the elements.

I love this roller coaster. It is a great ride in the back. I rode in the very back row. The lateral forces on this are absolutely insane and I love it! There are also some good airtime moments as wel...

I love this roller coaster. It is a great ride in the back. I rode in the very back row. The lateral forces on this are absolutely insane and I love it! There are also some good airtime moments as well, though this coaster seems more focused on lateral gs than airtime. This is overall an amazing ride and I absolutely love it. Amazing, incredible, unbelievable👍 I would definitely recommend riding in the back. After going back this year, I rode in the front and it was a really rough ride.

A couple years ago, I used to hate this ride because of how rough it is and how I wanted to RMC it. Now riding it recently, I think this is a pretty good wooden coaster, still not the best though. A l...

A couple years ago, I used to hate this ride because of how rough it is and how I wanted to RMC it. Now riding it recently, I think this is a pretty good wooden coaster, still not the best though. A lot of the drops don't really feel exciting, but the little bump before the lift hill gives off great sudden ejector airtime! The turns are fun, I wouldn't say super intense or anything but it's still a good time. The final drops don't do anything in my opinion. However, I recently sat in the back row, this coaster turned from decent to awesome! The turns have a lot more bite to it, and the drops have sustained floater airtime, probably the longest sensation of airtime in the park... even more so than Phantom's Revenge.

There may be some dead spots going around the helixes, but the drops into the valley are amazing, such a fun experience going down the valley on an airtime drop, the best classic woodie from the park ...

There may be some dead spots going around the helixes, but the drops into the valley are amazing, such a fun experience going down the valley on an airtime drop, the best classic woodie from the park by far for me, except if we are counting jack rabbits double down, this ride is great and for the 1920's still holds up well

This is a fairly simple coaster with not much too it but it’s main element is outstanding. Some of the big drops on the hillside give some weirdly jank 1920s airtime which is so fun and the visuals wi...

This is a fairly simple coaster with not much too it but it’s main element is outstanding. Some of the big drops on the hillside give some weirdly jank 1920s airtime which is so fun and the visuals with the terrain and phantom are awesome. The helix on this is just unbelievable and I felt like I cracked my ribs from the sheer force of it after my first ride. Not the best 1920s coaster I’ve ridden but a solid #2.

Thunderbolt is very fun. My favorite of the three classic wooden coasters at Kennywood. It has some great laterals, and one moment in particular where the airtime was simply insane. It's on a larger s...

Thunderbolt is very fun. My favorite of the three classic wooden coasters at Kennywood. It has some great laterals, and one moment in particular where the airtime was simply insane. It's on a larger scale than the other two wooden coasters, and it uses that to its advantage.

I put intensity as a pro because of the laterals, there is 2 moments of really great laterals, however the rest of the ride doesn’t offer much force but at least it’s comfortable and the setting is go...

I put intensity as a pro because of the laterals, there is 2 moments of really great laterals, however the rest of the ride doesn’t offer much force but at least it’s comfortable and the setting is good.

The adorable retrofuturistic aesthetic catches the eye. From off the ride, the coaster looks rough, but the padded seats and single-position lap bar make it feel as smooth as a Modern steel coaster. T...

The adorable retrofuturistic aesthetic catches the eye. From off the ride, the coaster looks rough, but the padded seats and single-position lap bar make it feel as smooth as a Modern steel coaster. The pop of ejector airtime going into the lift hill is absolutely absurd, and the sustained laterals following the drop ensure that both you and your riding partner will be pressed against the left side of the seat. Overall a very fun ride!