Millennium Force
2000
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The 1990s were a fantastic decade for Cedar Point. During this time, the water park was expanded three times, and the park added five new roller coasters. In 1990, the year after Magnum XL-200 made headlines worldwide, Cedar Point transformed Avalanche Run into Disaster Transport. In 1991, Mean Streak became the world’s tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster. Challenge Park opened in 1992, followed by Snake River Falls in 1993, which became the world’s tallest and fastest water ride. Raptor reshaped the look of Cedar Point’s Main Midway in 1994. In 1995, Cedar Point celebrated its 125th anniversary. Mantis broke world records in 1996, giving riders the thrill of standing up during the ride. Soak City was expanded in 1997, and the park added Chaos. The skyline changed in 1998 with the addition of Power Tower. In 1999, Camp Snoopy became the park’s new children’s area. With all these exciting additions, the year 2000 promised to be another big year for Cedar Point.
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The story of Millennium Force begins on May 6, 1989.
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Magnum XL-200 opened on May 6, 1989, as the world’s tallest, fastest, and steepest roller coaster. Magnum quickly became a huge hit for Cedar Point and sparked what became known as the “roller coaster wars,” a race to build the world’s tallest and fastest coasters. By 1999, Cedar Point had added five more roller coasters since Magnum XL-200 opened, three of which set records as the tallest and fastest of their types. Magnum remained the world’s tallest roller coaster until 1994 and continued to be the tallest at Cedar Point until Millennium Force opened in 2000.
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Magnum XL-200 was a huge success for Cedar Point, but the decision to build Millennium Force was not an easy one. After consulting with several manufacturers, Cedar Point chose Intamin for its innovative lift system.
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Construction on Millennium Force began in late 1998. The park started clearing land shortly afterward, and ride parts began arriving. Throughout the 1999 season, construction continued on the new, highly anticipated coaster.
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On July 22, 1999, Cedar Point officially announced that Millennium Force would be built. The coaster would become the world’s tallest, fastest, and steepest roller coaster!
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Cedar Point stunned the roller coaster world with its groundbreaking new ride.
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To make room for Millennium Force, Giant Wheel was relocated to the former site of Kid Arthur’s Court near Disaster Transport. The new location offered riders an excellent view of Lake Erie!
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On the Frontier Trail, the Petting Farm was redesigned to make room for the coaster’s large turn and was moved closer to Thunder Canyon.
Several trees were also removed to clear space for the ride. |
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Construction of Millennium Force continued through the fall of 1999 and into the winter.
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Millennium Force was a massive construction project for Cedar Point, covering more land than any ride built before it.
Even 26 years later, Millennium Force remains the largest construction project in Cedar Point’s history. The ride is enormous and occupies a significant amount of space. |
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Millennium Force was topped off on Wednesday, December 29, 1999. At 310 feet, it became the tallest roller coaster at Cedar Point. Only one structure in the park was taller: Space Spiral.
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After the lift hill was completed, construction crews continued assembling the track and supports for the ride.
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The final piece of track was placed on February 23, 2000, marking a major milestone and signaling that the future was on its way!
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After the track was completed, the park conducted a pull-through test to ensure the ride had the proper clearances.
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After February 23, the park had a lot of work to do to get the ride ready. In the following weeks, they placed the trains on the track, completed the station and queues, and tested the ride.
Building a new roller coaster is a massive undertaking. In 1999, Cedar Point started a construction blog, and Millennium Force became the first roller coaster in the world to have a construction blog online. |
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Millennium Force shattered world records when it opened on May 13, 2000!
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Millennium Force stuns the roller coaster world!
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Millennium Force opened to rave reviews on May 13, 2000! It became the first ride since Gemini to have an eight-hour wait on its opening day.
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Millennium Force's Records
This list reflects the records held when the ride opened in 2000. Coaster Records:
This list reflects the records held when the ride opened in 2000. When Millennium Force opened in 2000, it became Cedar Point’s seventh world-record-breaking roller coaster. |
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Records change each time a taller or faster ride is built, but no park can take the title of “world’s first” from another. Millennium Force was the world’s first Giga Coaster. As of 2026, there are eight Giga Coasters, which are roller coasters between 300 and 399 feet tall. Five of them have been built at parks owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company.
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Coaster Name |
Park |
Opened |
Millennium Force |
Cedar Point |
May 13, 2000 |
Steel Dragon 2000 |
Nagashia Spa Land |
August 1, 2000 |
Intimidator 305 (Pantherian) |
Kings Dominion |
April 2, 2010 |
Leviathan |
Canada's Wonderland |
May 6, 2012 |
Fury 325 |
Carowinds |
March 28, 2015 |
Red Force |
Ferrari Land |
April 7, 2017 |
Orion |
Kings Island |
July 2, 2020 |
Tormenta Rampaging Run |
Six Flags Over Texas |
TBD |
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Millennium Force became the third Cedar Point roller coaster to be the world’s tallest at the time of its opening, joining Gemini (1978) and Magnum XL-200 (1989).
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Millennium Force took the title of the world’s tallest roller coaster from Fujiyama in Japan. It held the record from May until Steel Dragon 2000, also in Japan, opened in August 2000.
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Millennium Force wasn’t just another roller coaster—it was the ride that took the roller coaster wars to a whole new level!
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Millennium Force Ride Facts
Opened: May 13, 2000 Location: Millennium Midway Type: Giga Coaster Manufacturer: Intamin AG Designer: Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH Cost: $25 million Height: 310 feet Drop: 300 feet Length: 6,595 feet Speed: 93 mph Hills: 4 Trains: 3 Inversions: 0 Capacity: 1,300 riders per hour |
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Millennium Force is located on Millennium Midway. Its track runs along the length of Frontier Trail and extends onto Adventure Island.
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Millennium Force was designed by Werner Stengel, who has designed more roller coasters than anyone else.
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Millennium Force was built by Intamin AG from Switzerland. Over the years, Intamin had built several other rides for Cedar Point. In 1979, they built Jr. Gemini, which was Intamin’s very first roller coaster. In 1983, Demon Drop became Cedar Point’s first free-fall ride. Intamin returned in 1985 to build Avalanche Run, a bobsled roller coaster, and in 1986, Thunder Canyon became the park’s wildest rafting ride. Avalanche Run was later enclosed and transformed into Disaster Transport in 1990.
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Intamin would later return to Cedar Point to build Wicked Twister (2002), Top Thrill Dragster (2003), Maverick (2007), and Shoot the Rapids (2010). In 2014, Cedar Point repainted and re-themed Jr. Gemini as Wilderness Run.
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Millennium Force's Entrance
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The Millennium Force entrance is located on Millennium Midway and is marked by a giant Millennium Force logo.
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Ride Experience
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The Millennium Force ride experience begins with riders boarding one of three trains. The trains are red, white, and blue, and each features a lap bar and a seat belt for safety.
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While riders are boarding, the elevator cable descends from the lift and attaches to the train.
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Once the ride begins, the elevator cable lift system pulls the train to the top of the lift hill. Millennium Force was the first roller coaster in the world to use this innovative lift system.
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When Cedar Point planned Millennium Force, they wanted a coaster that was huge, visually stunning, and record-breaking. Instead of using a traditional chain lift, they chose Intamin’s cable lift system, which was the best option at the time. The cable lift offered five major advantages:
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Millennium Force features one of the fastest lift hills in the world, taking just 30 seconds to reach the top! As riders ascend, they are treated to stunning views of Sandusky Bay on the left and Cedar Point on the right. The ride up is incredibly smooth, giving you the thrilling sensation of being high in the air. Millennium Force climbs to an impressive height of 310 feet, and from the top, you can even see Canada!
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Once you reach the top, there’s only a moment to take in the view before plunging 300 feet at an 80-degree angle!
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As you drop, riders experience a floating sensation, giving an incredible feeling of airtime!
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Riders are then flung into a 169-foot overbanked turn, taken at 122 degrees. From the ground, this turn appears almost completely upside down.
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Millennium Force then sweeps into a wide left turn, plunging riders into a dark tunnel.
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After exiting the tunnel, riders are launched over a massive 182-foot airtime hill! This hill was taller than the first hill of every other roller coaster in the park, except for Magnum XL-200. It ranked as the third tallest hill in the park, with Millennium Force’s first hill being the tallest and Magnum’s first hill coming in second.
This hill is especially exciting because it offers amazing views of Adventure Island and the back of the park. It also serves as the coaster’s entry onto Adventure Island. |
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This hill delivers incredible floater airtime, letting riders feel like they’re truly floating over the crest!
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Millennium Force then propels riders into a smaller overbanked turn.
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Millennium Force soars through Adventure Island.
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Riders then enter a third overbanked turn.
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Millennium Force then sweeps to the right, leading into the next major element.
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Riders are then launched over an ejector airtime hill, delivering strong, thrilling airtime.
This hill also helps propel the ride off Adventure Island and back toward the main park. |
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The train then plunges into a tight tunnel, where your ride photo is captured!
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Riders are pressed firmly into their seats as they rocket through the tunnel!
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Millennium Force is an incredibly fun ride to enjoy with friends!
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After exiting the tunnel, the ride banks left and curves toward the station!
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Millennium Force then propels riders over another small ejector airtime hill, delivering a quick burst of excitement.
After the airtime hill, the train banks left to enter the final element of the ride. |
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Riders then race through the final overbanked turn. This massive turn is taken at high speed, delivering an exhilarating finish!
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The train then enters the brake run, slowing down as it prepares to return to the station.
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With a top speed of 93 mph, Millennium Force is an incredibly fast roller coaster. As of 2026, it ranks as the sixth fastest roller coaster in the world! The ride rockets through its course, maintaining thrilling speed from start to finish.
If you love fast roller coasters with amazing views, Millennium Force is the perfect ride for you! |
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The Future Is Riding On It
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Millennium Force opened in 2000 to widespread acclaim and quickly became one of Cedar Point’s most celebrated attractions. Guests raved about its smooth, high-speed layout, thrilling drops, and incredible airtime. It wasn’t just popular—it set a new standard for roller coasters worldwide, earning praise from both casual visitors and coaster enthusiasts alike. From its opening day, Millennium Force became a must-ride experience, drawing long lines and cementing its place as a landmark attraction at the park.
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Millennium Force has consistently been highly rated by riders and is often considered a favorite among guests.
Each year, Amusement Today publishes a list of the world’s best roller coasters. Over the years, Millennium Force has earned the following rankings:
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The success of Millennium Force was extremely important for Cedar Point. It was the first full-circuit roller coaster in the world to reach 300 feet, setting a new benchmark in the industry. With all of its speed, Millennium Force required a long track to safely manage and dissipate that momentum. When it opened in 2000, it was the fourth-longest roller coaster in the world; today, it ranks as the sixth-longest. Had Millennium Force been a failure, the park likely would not have felt confident pursuing even taller and faster rides, such as Top Thrill Dragster.
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In the years following the opening of Millennium Force, Cedar Point added several new attractions that further enhanced the park’s lineup: Lighthouse Point (2001), Wicked Twister (2002-2021), Good Time Theatre (2002-2014), Top Thrill Dragster (2003-2021), Castaway Bay Resort (2004), maXair (2005), Skyhawk (2006), Maverick (2007), Planet Snoopy (2008), Shoot the Rapids (2010-2015), WindSeeker (2011), Dinosaurs Alive! On Adventure Island (2012-2018), GateKeeper (2013), New Gemini Midway (2014), Rougarou (2015), Valravn (2016), Cedar Point Shores Waterpark (2017), Steel Vengeance (2018), Forbidden Frontier on Adventure Island (2019-2022), Cedar Point’s 150th Anniversary Celebration (2021), Snake River Expedition (2021-2023), The Boardwalk (2023), Top Thrill 2 (2024), and Siren’s Curse (2025)
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Millennium Force is an incredible ride! It’s a high-speed roller coaster that offers thrills for everyone, with elements that appeal to both adrenaline seekers and casual riders alike.
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Riders must be at least 48 inches tall to ride Millennium Force.
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Photos by: GP Katie, Cedar Point, Russ Hauden, COASTER-net, Barb Myers, Ray Osburn, Jake Hamons, Andrew Borgen, and Andy Rybarczyk
Last Updated: 5/01/2026
