I have a feeling that folks visiting Six Flags Fiesta Texas next year are going to want to stick around until night falls. Especially on nights when the moon is full. That’s because the San Antonio park recently announced that it will be unleashing Werewolf Gorge, a family launch coaster, in 2027.
The meandering ride, which will be the park’s twelfth coaster, will span a generous 4,120 feet and include four magnetic LIM launches to keep passengers on the move and hopefully away from pesky werewolves. Werewolf Gorge will also incorporate a mid-course rollback, which will add to its edginess and potentially challenge kids who are close to the ride’s low 39-inch height requirement (which could include brave passengers as young as three years old).
The stunning quarry walls that encircle Six Flags Fiesta Texas provide a picturesque setting for its coasters and other rides. The park says that it will enhance the ambiance for Werewolf Gorge by sending its trains through the quarry walls and above a forested canopy of trees. It will also augment the storytelling with werewolf figures, effects, and other thematic elements.
Werewolf Gorge will hit a top speed of 45 mph and include a 40-foot drop. Because of the park’s hilly terrain, the coaster’s layout will include an 85-foot elevation change. Six Flags says that the ride will feature 32 airtime moments, which will be the “highest number of floater airtime elements ever incorporated into a family roller coaster.”
If all of this sounds like it could traumatize your 39-inch-tall, budding coaster warrior, let’s put the stats and hype in perspective. 45 mph, especially when it is a zippy magnetic launch, will certainly elicit ah-hoos from riders. But it’s only five miles per hour faster than the fairly gentle Slinky Dog Dash at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. And it’s three miles per hour slower than Big Bear Mountain at Dollywood, which is also a family launch coaster manufactured by Vekoma and closely resembles the ride coming to the Texas park. The Dollywood ride is plenty perky–thrilling even–but it’s still within the bounds of a family ride. Werewolf Gorge will be considerably tamer than coasters that really pour on the speed such as Fiesta Texas’ glorious 70-mph Iron Rattler. (With coasters themed to snakes, werewolves, ghosts [Poltergeist], and bats [Batman the Ride], the park has quite the scary menagerie of rides on its midway.)
As for the touted 32 airtime moments, that claim could be full of hot air. Looking at the animated rendering of the ride (which is below), it doesn’t appear that there will be any significant airtime hills. The coaster’s fairly low speed wouldn’t seem to generate much airtime either, especially not 32 distinct moments. As I wrote in my recent review of Quantum Accelerator, Six Flags New England bragged that its new coaster delivers 11 airtime moments. I counted maybe one, and that barely registered. Likewise, Big Bear Mountain didn’t lift my tushy appreciably out of my seat.
As for Six Flags’ claim that Werewolf Gorge will be “the world’s longest family launch coaster,” well, let’s also deconstruct that one. What constitutes a “family launch coaster?” That’s the model name–“Family Launch Coaster”–that Vekoma uses for the line that will include the new Fiesta Texas ride. And Werewolf Gorge will be the longest one the manufacturer has built to date (besting Big Bear Mountain, which spans 3,990 feet). But Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Coaster at Universal Orlando, which is also considered a family launch coaster, is 5,053 feet (and was built by a competing company, Intamin). Heck, what is a “family” coaster, anyways? Most coasters gurus would put Incredicoaster at Disney California Adventure in that category even though it hits a hefty 55 mph, drops 108 feet, and includes an inversion. And while we’re looking at stats, Disney’s launched, Pixar-themed ride travels a 6,072-foot course. As is the case with lots of park hype, Six Flags may be a bit loosey-goosey (loosey-wolfy?) in its claims.
Regardless, Werewolf Gorge looks like it will be a heckuva ride. I’m a fan of the similar Big Bear Mountain, which has received near-unanimous acclaim. Like the Dollywood ride, it appears that Six Flags will be incorporating a potent, original backstory complete with characters such as showman and werewolf archivist Jasper Bunyan, an immersive queue that will help set the stage by taking guests through the Museum of Cryptids, and a mysterious werewolf that will lurk throughout the coaster experience.
“This is a defining addition to Six Flags Fiesta Texas,” says Robert Bustle, park manager at Six Flags Fiesta Texas. “Werewolf Gorge brings together storytelling, innovation, and a bold combination of ride elements that truly sets it apart. It delivers an experience that is approachable for families, yet unmatched anywhere in the world.”
What’s your take on Werewolf Gorge? What do you think about dubious claims from parks and manufacturers about new rides?