Wildcat @ Hersheypark | Roller Coaster Reviews
Coaster enthusiasts often fall into two camps. Those who can excuse a rough ride on a wooden coaster and 
those who can’t. I’m in the latter camp. I don’t mind being thrown around a bit, but Wildcat just down right hurt. I rode it during my last trip to Hersheypark which kicked off my busy 2006 season.
Wildcat is a wooden twister and the first coaster built by Great Coasters International. As their name suggests, GCI went on to build some great wooden roller coasters including Thunderhead and Lightning Racer. I’d ridden Roar at Six Flags America which is an exact clone of Hershey’s Wildcat, so I figured I knew what I was in for.
The bumpy ride began with a swooping drop to the right. It’s about the only enjoyable part of the ride. The remaining 90% of Wildcat is rough and bumpy. The real low point comes about halfway through. A small hill that was likely designed for a nice, fun pop of air delivered the opposite. I was treated with a violent jerk that resulted in my leg ba
nging against the car. After I got off, I had a small indention below my shin. Luckily, the injury didn’t break the skin. I know wooden coasters are known for their roughness, but Wildcat was excessive. Final Rating – 3.5 (Bad Approaching Below Average)
Similar Roller Coasters:
Roar at Six Flags America Largo, MD
Roar at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Vallejo, CA
Ozark Wildcat at Celebration City Branson, MO
What’s Your Take?
Did you have an equally rough ride on Wildcat? Did the recently installed (2007) Millennium Flyer trains help at all? Leave a comment below.
Photo Credits: Header photo via Creative Commons: Jeremy Thomspon (Header Photo). Post Photo courtesy of CoasterImage.
Coaster Critic 
39 responses to “Wildcat @ Hersheypark | Roller Coaster Reviews”
The new trains help, but only if you sit up front, but that still is kind of sucky because you hardly get any air up front.
all i got to say is its a good coaster and ya just need to be less of a wussy when it comes to gettin bumped around..haha i have arthritis and it was not that bad at all
I just don't think coasters should be that abusive. If we were talking tackle football or full contact martial arts that'd be another thing. I'm glad you enjoyed it though. Some people don't seem to mind the beating.
I remember the first time I went on Wildcat I got hurt real bad. When the big bumps started coming my head hit on the seat in front of me. My lip was cut open and blood was dripping down on me everywhere. it was so bad little kids in line looked at me and left the line running. I would not recomend this roller coaster to anyone. If you get dragged on it like I did try to keep your mouth closed the whole ride. it may look really big and fun but it hurts.You should try Lighting Racer insted. It is fun to race against your friends and family.Remember Wildcat = ):
Hm… I guess I'm kind of young, but I think I'm a fully grown adult… anyway, probably the first time I rode the Wildcat was in 2007 and it is one of my favorite rides. I can't say I've suffered any abuse on the coaster. Maybe I was just having too much fun to realize it. Plus, I kind of enjoy the roughness of woodies, as long as it's not too rough, but I've never ridden one that I found too rough.
Haha, it was a bit bumpy, ive taken the ride back in the 90's dont exactly know the year. I like the roughness. Growing up in NY the predator was the woody I was used to at the time. the roughness always gets my adrenaline levels up because i swear i feel like im going end up on the ground with or without the train! I thought it seemed very fast and don't agree with ur very low rating..You have to go on the ride T-express in Korea,, that is smooht fast and amazing!
Emma, maybe those new trains helped, but when I rode in 2006 it was super rough. Eric, if you haven't ridden it more recently than that may be why you don't remember the roughness. Just as the case with Darien Lake's Predator, Wildcat is likely just another wooden coaster that's aged badly.
I guess I would fall into the category of not minding a rough ride. Personally I love wooden roller coasters and the wildcat is my favorite.
I've been on 43 different roller coasters and the Wild Cat at Hershey Park is my least favorite. I thought this one was worse than the Mean Streak at Cedar Point.
You are just a pansy. Sorry but the Wildcat is awsome. I rode it before and after the new trains and I don't think it beats you up to bad but even if it does it is a wooden coaster so get over it? LOl as for the bloody mouth… If you could stop yourself from folding in half to smash your mouth on the seat in front of you then you deserve what you got. And the boards on that ride are being replaced all the time especially before the summer season. Hershey takes the best care of there rides In my opinion.
Sorry the above should read Could not stop instead of just could stop.
I never rode this ride with the old coaster trains, but I guess the new trains must have really helped out, because I liked this ride. I wouldn't have given it a ten or anything close, but a 6.5 / 7 would've been fair. I agree on the supposed airtime hill, it was un-needed and rough but overall this was a pretty good ride, but one of the roughest GCI coasters I have ever ridden.
This coaster isn't rough at all! I think they "smoothened" it out a little, because when I went 3 years ago, my brother almost lost his glasses, but when I went 2 years ago, last year, and this year, the ride was smooth! You should go on it again, CC, you might change your mind.
I went on one website saying what a wood roller coaster was. They said its a ride that is so rough and bumpy that it gives you a headache. When i saw this i was kind of confused. If that was the case, then Cyclone at Six Flags New England would be a ten no doubt. haha i really had no idea what they were thinking. I know wood coasters should throw you around a bit, but not like "im going to break my neck" rough
The trains definitely helped. I went in '04 and was jostled, but I came back this year thinking, from all the negative reviews I've read, that I was going to get a headache. Not so! The trains are ridiculous comfortable and I was hardly abused at all, and I was in the back. I definitely say you give the old Cat a second chance.
I have to agree with The Coaster Critic. I rode this coaster when it was new and NEVER will ride it again, UNLESS it's in the front seat. And even at that, I'd rather wait in line for Stormrunner or Fahrenheit. This coaster has MAJOR design flaws! It shakes the crap out of you! I mean, when you get off a coaster you want to go "WOOHOOO" and not "OUCH, LOOK AT THAT CUT," or "MY HEAD HURTS LIKE IT WAS HIT BY A MACK TRUCK." So anyways, CORRECT rating. I'd even give it lower. Stick with the Commet or Lighten Racer(s) at Hershey, for woodies. They should tear this one down (but probably never will, just because it looks nice, doesn't mean in rides well)
I THink The New Trains Helped A LOT. Maybe It Was Because I Sat In The Front, But This Ride Never Has A Line, So It’s Worth It. I Felt Wildcat’s Millenium Flyer Trains Are Actually Smoother That Lightning Racer’s. (Well, I Didn’t Sit In The Front On That One.)
But Overall, If You Sit In The Front, The Sense Of Open Makes It Even Cooler.
I'm so glad I didn't ride this coaster. I hate wooden coasters. They are too jerky for me. The last one I got on left bruises on my arm and my friend dislocated his shoulder.
I'm surprised you didn't rate Sidewinder and Comet. Its the only two wooden coasters I rode. Sidewinder was a major disappointment. The only reason I chanced it was because the everyone looked so happy on it while I was in line for Storm Runner. The park gave it the highest aggressive thrill ride number which made me worry about bruises but I could have fallen asleep on Sidewinder.
While Sidewinder was a snoozer, the Comet tickled me. It reminded me of the Rebel Yell at Kings Dominion where I grew up. Its one of those good ole fashion coasters without the jerks.
Yeah, you definitely need to ride it again… the new Millenium Flyers made a huge difference! The New Wildcat is an amazing ride.
Wildcat, with the new trains, is one my favorite coasters at Hershey. Still not for the timid or those who don't like to be jostled around on wooden coasters. I'm a fan of both steel and wood coasters and this one just kicks butt. It feels fast and has a bad attitude, which is nice compared to the steel coasters, much like Lightening and Thunder. A lot of laughs in a tight space. I look forward to riding this one at night to close out the day!
i love the wildcat it was so fun! plus the stormrunner
I agree with The Coaster Critic. The Wildcat's roughness is excessive. I rode this roller coaster almost three weeks ago and I am still suffering because of it. My head was in pain from the moment of the first drop and I was badly shaken throughout the entire ride. My headache has been constant ever since. I even went for an MRI yesterday. I really wish I had read some reviews before making the terrible decision to ride this rollercoaster.
I usually ride coasters near the back, but on Wildcat, I find the ride to be much more tolerable in the middle.
I never had a chance to experience the described PTC Train disaster that I have constantly read and been told about. What I did experience in the summer of 2009 was a wooded roller coaster with a wicked first drop and a nicely paced layout. I have nothing but good things to say about the Wildcat. I feel it gets more negative attention than it deserves. It's a wooden roller coaster. It is not supposed to be a smooth experience.
I remember riding this years ago – I assume it was the older trains – and it was rough as all get out (but I miss the squeeky wheels), but still a great ride, and I'm a 50+yo old guy who sometimes gets headaches from coasters. I was bracing for a rough ride this year, but it was noticeably smoother, almost as smooth as the Lightning Racer. This is my favorite ride at Hershey.
You can have your tube coasters and your inversions (and making sure that you keep your head back, your shoulder harness is locked, and your hands placed in the correct position); I love going hands-free with just a lap bar and the rattling intensity of the wooden coasters.
this ride is rough but it is one of my favorites at hershey park, and one of my favorite wooden coasters i've rode. its bumpy, but its just like meanstreak at cedar point. i enjoyed them both!:)
I hate this ride. It is one of my least favorite wooden coasters. The new trains may help a little with the side to side banging, but your head still shakes up, down, and sideways like a bobble head. I had a bad headache after I rode this. I know this was GCI's first coaster, but I still can't excuse its roughness. Now if you are at hershey and want a great, smooth, and fun wooden coaster then head across the park to GCI's newer woodie lightning racer. It is definitely better to ride lightning racer on both sides than waste your time on wildcat, although if you want a coaster credit then thats probrably the only reason I would ride wildcat. Lightning racer is my 2nd favorite woodie after el toro. Do you have a lightning racer review coaster critic?
I'm really shocked at this review…I rode this a dozen times and it's a FANTASTIC coaster. It most certainly is NOT a ROAR clone, by the way.
It has a wild, out of control feeling but it isn't rough. And those new cars are simply amazing, every wooden coaster should run them.
You need to ride this again, because nowadays, it's a fantastic coaster.
Yes the new trsins helped sooooooo much!!!! There is little roughness (except for a little throwing to the side in the 270 degree turn before the second drop). Now it has alot of air time and is a great ride. PLEASE, change youtr ratin to at least an 8!!!!!!!!!
i saw your recent hersheypark review and how you said wildcat was fun. also that this review was written when it had the PTC trains. ive only rode it with the millenium flyer trains so i dont know what it used to feel like. i dont think of it as a head banger i think of it more as a shaker almost as if you can feel every nuke and cranny in the track. otherwise its a great ride
Yo Coaster Critic – you blew it on this one. Not only is this a magnificent ride, it is NOT a clone of ROAR, not at all. It has very little in common with that ride and they have very different overall layouts.
Still you wrote this years ago…maybe Wildcat is running better now.
AMAZING. You guys are crazy to say this ride isn't rough. This ride severely hurt my girlfriend and my father. My sides hurt, man its rough. REALLY just insanely rough. Man, i think my father threw out his back, just terrible. Need to be blown apart.
Gotta be kidding me. Just a TERRIBLE ride. You nailed it coaster critic.
Worst coaster I've ever been on. I actually feel like I got concussed on it, and still have headaches. Every person that got off it with was complaining about some kind of pain or ailment. This ride is borderline dangerous.
I should have know something was wrong when there was no line to ride the Wild Cat on a crowded July day. My 2nd warning should have been when people were getting off the ride telling people to not ride it. Well, I rode it and my head and back still hurt 3 days later. Worst ride ever.
You will have to try her again.
She is not bad at all now. Just normal rough for a woddie. My buddy rode hands up the whole ride and we were near the back.
Rode her July 10th. WORST COASTER EVER. Shaken like crazy, bruised on my hip, and the wheels squeaked. I screamed going in the hoop-dee-doo “GREASE THIS DANG THING”! Should have known when no one was in line.
I was just talking about this with my sister (big wooden-coaster fan), who rode it a year or two back: she insists that it’s not bad at all and was probably her favorite ride at the park! I’m feeling some cognitive dissonance, since this is so different from what I usually hear about it.
…Of course, as a big wooden-coaster fan, my sister probably has specialized expectations of what a good coaster ride is like, and may be more tolerant of roughness than the average rider.