Corky

Corkscrew is Cedar Point's Arrow looping coaster.

Corkscrew
1976
50th Anniversary Edition

In the 1960s, Cedar Point began its transformation into '' The Disneyland of the Midwest. This meant that many popular rides would open. Attractions like Blue Streak, Turnpike Cars, Mill Race, and Pirate Ride would become very popular. By the late 1960s, Cedar Point would begin a massive expansion that would lead the park to become what it is today. In 1967, Cedar Point opened Frontier Town at the back of the peninsula. In 1968, guests would begin sliding down the Sky Slide as they raced their friends to the finish line. Frontier Town was expanded to include Cedar Creek Mine Ride in 1969. Cedar Point Celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1970. Guests would start exploring Frontier Trail in 1971. Guests would be thrilled and entertained in 1972 when Cedar Point opened the Giant Wheel, Jumbo Jet, and Matterhorn. In 1973, Cedar Point opened its newest resort, Camper Village. Guests would experience the world's largest IMAX theater in 1975 with the addition of the Cedar Point Cinema.

In 1975, Knotts Berry Farm would open Corkscrew. Corkscrew is the first modern roller coaster to turn riders upside down. Later in 1975 Corskcrew roller coaster clones would also be built at:

Old Chicago (Closed 1980)
Magic Harbor (Closed 1977)
Opryland USA (Closed 1997)

Cedar Point decided they didn't want to be outdone, so they began working on their own roller coaster that would go upside down.

In 1975 Cedar Point announced it was going to build the Great Lake Erie Roller for the 1976 season.

Cedar Point would use the land that Jungle Larry's Safari Island was on to place the new roller coaster. The Jungle Larry attraction would be reimaged around the new roller coaster.

The name Great Erie Roller didn't last long. It was changed because the park's board of directors did not like the name. They thought it was too long. They would eventually settle on the name Corkscrew.

Corkscrew was built over the 1975 offseason and into the spring of 1976.

The day before the ride opened, Arrow was testing the ride out. While testing was going great, two of the trains had collided while the incoming train was going into the station. Arrow quickly pieced the two trains together and started manufacturing a new train for the park. No one was on the train or hurt. If that were to happen today, the ride would be delayed. Until Dick Kenzil's book was published in late 2015, only Cedar Point and Arrow knew about the innocent.

Corkscrew opened on Saturday, May 15, 1976. It would be Cedar Point's first record-breaking roller coaster.

Corkscrew Ride Facts:
Opened: Saturday, May 15, 1976
Type: custom looping coaster
Manufacturer: Arrow Development
Designer: Ron Toomer
Cost: $1.75 Million
Height: 85 feet
Drop:
Length: 2,050 feet
Speed: 48 MPH
Hills: 3
Inversions: 3
Capacity: 1,800 PHR

Corkscrew was the first roller coaster in the world to go upside down 3 times..

Corkscrew was built by Arrow Development. Over the years, they would build several rides at Cedar Point, including: Turnpike Cars (1959-2014), Cadillac Cars (1960), Mill Race (1963-1993), Earthquake (1965-1984), Pirate Ride (1966-1996), Antique Cars (1969-2021), Cedar Creek Mine Ride (1969), Gemini (1978), White Water Landing (1982-2005), Iron Dragon (1987), , Magnum XL-200 (1989), and Snake River Falls (1993-2024)

Corkscrew was a really big deal when it opened. It was something that really wasn't seen by most people.

World Records
1. First Roller Coaster to go upside down 3 times! (The record was held until Carolina Cyclone was built at Carowinds in 1980.)
2. First Roller Coaster to go upside down OVER a midway!
3. Most Roller Coasters at a single Park! (5)
* This list is from when the ride opened in 1976

Park Records
1. Tallest Roller Coaster at Cedar Point. (Until 1978)
2. Fastest Roller Coaster at Cedar Point. (Until 1978)
3. First Roller Coaster to go upside down!
* This list is from when the ride opened in 1976

Corkscrew was such a popular ride that it put Cedar Point on the map and started a tradition of tallest and fastest. Corkscrew cost 1.75 million dollars in 1976, that is $9,989.46 in 2025.

Corkscrew was a very popular ride from the start. It helped Cedar Point beat an attendance record of over 3 million people for the first time. The ride was an instant hit. It was smooth, fun and a great ride for the park!

Ride Expereince

The Corkscrew experience begins when guests get in line for the ride. The ride entrance for Corkscrew is between the station and Super Himalaya.

The queue line is located between the station and the lift hill. On an average day, guests can usually get on Corskcrew within 20 minutes or less. If the park is busy, the line can get up to an hour.