The speculation is over. Kings Island's newest attraction is a wooden roller coaster.The theme park announced the ride, Mystic Timbers, during an evening release event that followed weeks of speculation fueled by media outlets who reviewed public plans filed with the City of Mason.
Adam House, design engineer, said the staff wanted a fast and smooth ride. It will be a low to the ground, 3,265 foot long speed coaster going 53 mph with 16 drops. The first drop will be 97 feet.
With the addition of Mystic Timbers, House says, Kings Island will have the most feet of wooden track in the world at 18,804 feet.
From the news release:
"Mystic Timbers is naturally exciting because of its setting in a densely wooded area," Kings Island's vice-president and general manager Greg Scheid said. "The natural rugged terrain and tunnel ensures a unique and memorable ride experience." Mystic Timbers is custom designed and built for the topography of Kings Island by Great Coasters International, Inc. (GCI) of Sunbury, Pennsylvania. Three trains will accommodate 24 passengers each (four riders per car and six cars per train) with a capacity of 1,200 riders per hour. Guests must be at least 48 inches tall to ride. The ride experience will last more than two minutes. "Everyone who enjoys the fun and thrills of riding a roller coaster will want to experience this attraction," Scheid said.
The ride will be in the Rivertown portion of the theme park. House says the ride will include "close encounters" with White Water Canyon.
It's slated to open in Spring, 2017.
Kings Island introduced a new seven-story water slide and parking setup this season. The year before it debuted its 15th roller coaster, Banshee, which was, at that time, the longest inverted steel roller coaster in the world.
