Iron Dragon

Iron Dragon
1987

Iron Dragon is a suspended roller coaster that opened at Cedar Point in 1987. The ride takes riders on a scenic journey over a forest and a small lake. Iron Dragon is an excellent starter coaster for guests who prefer a gentler ride experience.

In 1978, Gemini Midway opened, featuring the Gemini roller coaster, which was the world’s tallest, fastest, and longest racing coaster at the time. In 1979, Cedar Point added Wave Swinger, and a new WildCat replaced the old one, which was relocated to the former site of Jumbo Jet. In 1980, Oceana became Cedar Point’s marine life complex. Riders set sail on Ocean Motion in 1981. In 1982, White Water Landing opened as the world’s largest hydro flume. Demon Drop debuted in 1983, giving riders a thrilling 99-foot free fall. Avalanche Run became Cedar Point’s Bobsled roller coaster in 1985, followed by Thunder Canyon, the park’s white water rafting ride, in 1986. That same year, Dick Kinzel became the new CEO of Cedar Fair L.P.

With all these new additions, Cedar Point planned to add another massive roller coaster for the 1987 season.

Frontier Lift closed in the fall of 1985 and was removed to make room for future park expansion.

At the end of 1986, Monster and Western Cruise were relocated to Gemini Midway to make room for future expansion. Western Cruise was also renamed Paddlewheel Excursions to better suit its new location.

Construction on Iron Dragon began in September 1986. The ride was not ready in time for the park’s opening in 1987.

Iron Dragon opened on June 11, 1987. When it first debuted, the ride featured red track with gray supports.

For the 2004 season, Iron Dragon was repainted with red track and orange supports.

Iron Dragon was a very popular roller coaster when it opened in 1987, attracting long lines of guests.

Iron Dragon was designed to be a thrilling roller coaster, but it turned out to be less intense than expected. Despite this, it remained a great ride with a unique and enjoyable experience.

Iron Dragon is a suspended roller coaster, meaning the cars hang beneath the track as they travel along the ride.

Iron Dragon was the fourth suspended roller coaster ever built by Arrow. It became the third one in operation in 1987.

Iron Dragon was designed and built by Arrow Dynamics of Clearfield, Utah. Over the years, Arrow had changed its name several times but was responsible for some of Cedar Point’s most popular rides. Arrow’s contributions to the park included Cadillac Cars (1958), Turnpike Cars (1959–2014), Mill Race (1963–1993), Earthquake (1965–1984), Pirate Ride (1966–1996), Shoot-the-Rapids (1967–1981), Cedar Creek Mine Ride (1969), Antique Cars (1969–2021), Corkscrew (1976), Gemini (1978), and White Water Landing (1982–2005). After building Iron Dragon in 1987, Arrow Dynamics returned to Cedar Point to construct Magnum XL-200 (1989) and Snake River Falls (1993-2024).

When Iron Dragon opened in 1987, it was Cedar Point’s fourth-tallest roller coaster.

The entrance to Iron Dragon is in Celebration Plaza, across from Siren’s Curse. The ride takes guests through the woods and over the lagoons.

Iron Dragon Ride Facts
Opened: June 11, 1987
Location: Celebration Plaza
Type: Suspended Roller Coaster
Manufacturer: Arrow Dynamics
Designer: Ron Toomer
Cost: $4 million
Height: 76 feet
Length: 2,800 feet
Speed: 40 mph
Hills: 4
Trains: 3
Inversions: 0
Capacity: 2,000 riders per hour

Iron Dragon was the first successful suspended roller coaster in the Midwest when it opened.

Iron Dragon Virtual Reality

For the 2016 season, Cedar Point introduced virtual reality to the Iron Dragon roller coaster.

Cedar Point partnered with an outside company to bring Iron Dragon VR to life. Riders experienced Iron Dragon while wearing a Samsung VR headset.

VR added a new experience to Iron Dragon that had never been offered at Cedar Point before. While it wasn’t perfect, it provided something unique and different for guests.

Iron Dragon VR returned in 2017 and 2018. The VR experience slowed down Iron Dragon’s operations because additional time was needed to prepare the ride. Iron Dragon’s virtual reality experience ended on Labor Day 2018.

When Iron Dragon opened in 1987, a statue stood at the ride’s entrance. It remained there until the end of 2011.

The statue was originally purchased by G.A. Boeckling during the early years of the resort and came from the 1904 World’s Fair.

In 2012, the ride’s queue was reworked to make room for Celebration Plaza, and the statue was moved into storage. In 2020, the statue was once again placed at the entrance of Iron Dragon.

Ride Experience

The Iron Dragon ride experience begins as guests enter the queue. The entrance is located to the right of the ride station in Celebration Plaza.

Riders wait in Iron Dragon's queue line that is located under the ride's final break run and transfer track

The average wait time for Iron Dragon is about 30 minutes. During busy days, the wait can reach up to an hour.

Riders are loaded into the train, with each seat equipped with an over-the-shoulder restraint. This ride does not have a seatbelt.

Iron Dragon winds through the woods and over a misty lagoon. Some sections of the ride are hidden among the trees, making them harder to see.

Iron Dragon leaves the station and turns to the right as it begins its ascent up the lift hill.

Iron Dragon takes riders up the 76-foot-tall lift hill, which takes about 28 seconds to reach the top.

Iron Dragon’s first lift hill is located directly beneath Rougarou’s lift hill.

Iron Dragon drops riders down the first hill, reaching speeds of 40 mph!

After the drop, Iron Dragon takes riders through an S-shaped turn.

The track is banked, causing the ride to swing as it navigates the curves.

The ride then swings past Rougarou. As it swings, the coaster drops down into the woods.

Iron Dragon then glides into a swampy area near Top Thrill 2.

Iron Dragon then enters a very tight turn. As the train navigates this curve, it swings outward to the side.

After the turn, the ride enters a block brake section. The train doesn’t stop here but slows down.

Iron Dragon then carries riders 66 feet up the second lift hill.

It takes about 18 seconds to reach the top.

Iron Dragon is one of only two roller coasters at Cedar Point with two lift hills. The other is Cedar Creek Mine Ride.

Iron Dragon drops from the second hill in a unique way. The ride twists and turns, causing the train to swing back and forth.

This drop is especially exciting because it builds anticipation for the ride’s finale.

Iron Dragon then lifts riders one final time before sending them into an exciting grand finale.

Iron Dragon then plunges riders into the lair of the dragon!

This element features a double interlocking helix. The train twists and turns, creating an exciting and dynamic experience!

This element is unique and can only be experienced on Iron Dragon.

Iron Dragon then exits the helix and heads back to the station!

Iron Dragon finally arrives at the final brake run just outside the station. The ride lasts approximately 2 minutes and 10 seconds.

Iron Dragon's Impact On The Roller Coaster Capital of the World

Iron Dragon is a great roller coaster. People who ride this ride just love it!

Even though Iron Dragon wasn’t as thrilling as originally intended, it became popular with families. It’s a great starter ride for guests who want something bigger than Wilderness Run but aren’t quite ready for Gemini or Blue Streak.

Over the years, Arrow Dynamics built 10 suspended roller coasters. Today, only five remain in operation, and Iron Dragon is currently the oldest of them.