Sky Ride
1962

Sky Ride opened in 1962 over Cedar Point's Main Midway. Sky Ride is Cedar Point's aerial ride.

The early 1950's was a bad time for Cedar Point. In the 1950's Cedar Point was a decaying place. The park was still trying to recover from the depression. In 1956 Cedar Point was purchased by George Roose and Emile Legros and they planned on turning the park into housing a development. Due to public outcry, the new investors decided to turn Cedar Point into " The Disneyland of the Midwest." As a result, rides started getting bigger and better. Cadillac Cars were added in 1958 and were so successful that Turnpike Cars were built in 1959. In 1961 Western Cruise used the old lagoon to take guests on a trip thru the past. These new additions meant the park was going to grow.

Sky Ride opened to the public on Saturday, June 9th, 1962.

It cost $300,000 dollars to build Sky Ride. Adjusted for inflation, it would cost $2,722,386.77 in 2022.

Sky Ride was built by Von Roll of Switzerland. Sky Ride was the first ride at Cedar Point built by Von Roll. They later returned to Cedar Point to build Space Spiral (1965-2012) and Frontier Lift (1967-1985).

When Sky Ride opened in 1962 it featured 2 seater buckets. They would give riders an amazing view of Cedar Point.

In 1967 Cedar Point made improvements to capacity by adding extra vehicles to rides where they could. Sky Ride received new cars in 1967 to help with capacity. The new cars held 4 passengers per car. 

Those cars would run until the end of the 1985 season. At the end of the 1985 season, the Frontier Lift was retired. The ride was removed for further park expansion. 

In 1986 the Sky Ride's cabins were replaced with the cabins from Frontier Lift.  At first, the cabins featured the same colors as they did when they were on Frontier Lift.

​Eventually, they were repainted. The ride still runs those cabins to this day. 

Sky Ride is a great family ride for the entire family to enjoy together!

Sky Ride Ride Facts:
Manufacture: Von Roll
Opened: June 9, 1962
Height: Tower 1: 87 Feet
            Tower 2: 86 Feet
            Tower 3: 58.5 Feet
Cable Length: 2,630 Feet
Ride Time: 2 min. 40 sec.
Capacity: 3,000 per hour

Disneyland's Skyway

Disneyland's Skyway opened on June 23, 1956. It was the first Von Roll Sky Ride in the United States. 

Disneyland's Skyway featured a similar station and drive set up to Cedar Point.

​Skyway closed on November 9, 1994. It was then removed from the park. 

Ride Experience

Sky Ride has two loading stations. 
The stations are located:
​-By Midway Carousel
-Near Coasters Diner. 

Sky Ride consists of 38 cabins that travel the sky of Cedar Point's main midway.

Sky Ride's cabins hold up to 4 people each. Every bucket has a simple bench seat. 

Sky Ride takes guests 92 feet into the air! While your on the ride you get great views of Cedar Point's Main Midway! 

Sky Ride takes guests on a 1/2 mile journey over the park!

Sky Ride is a great ride for guests who want a great view and guests that don't wish to walk to the other side of the park. 

Sky Ride gives guests great views of the front of the park as well as the Cedar Point Marina.  


​A ride on Sky Ride lasts about 2  minutes 40 seconds. Sky Ride is a very fun experience for the entire family to enjoy together. It is a very unique ride that can only be found in a few amusement parks, but none have the view that Cedar Point has. 

Sky Ride is a one way trip ride. When you get to the other station all guests must exit. If you wish to ride again, you have to get in line.

A great Family Ride

Sky Ride is a very cool ride for families.

If you wanted to see the sights of the park from the air before Sky Ride was built you would have to ride a roller coaster. This would all be different when Sky Ride opened, as you can now ride Sky Ride. 

Sky Ride is a very unique ride. When it opened it was the 9th Sky Ride that had been built. Today it is the 3rd oldest Sky Ride in the world. It is the oldest Von Roll Sky Ride still operating in its original location in the United States. 

Over the years Von Roll built 48 Sky Rides. As of 2020, there are only 10 left still operating. 2 of them are at Cedar Fair Parks. 

Over the years Sky Ride has become a family favorite. 

In 1963, just the year after Sky Ride  opened Cedar Point opened Cedar Point and Lake Erie Railroad (1963) and Mill Race. (1963) Mill Race was only the second Flume Ride in the world! .Over the next 58 years Cedar Point added: Blue Streak (1964), Space Spiral (1965-2012), Frontier Town (1967) : Cedar Creek Mine Ride(1969), Million Dollar Midway (1970 - 1984 Wildcat (1970-1978), Frontier Trail (1971), Jumbo Jet (1972-1978), Corkscrew (1976), Gemini (1978) Jr. Gemini (1979 - 2013), WildCat (1979-2011), White Water Landing (1982-2005), Demon Drop (1983-2009),  Avalanche Run (1985-1989), Thunder Canyon (1986), Iron Dragon (1987), Soak City Water Park (1988-2016), Magnum XL-200 (1989)  Disaster Transport(1990-2012), Mean Streak (1991-2016), Challenge Park (1992-2016), Snake River Falls (1993), Raptor(1994), Mantis (1996-2014), Power Tower (1998), Camp Snoopy(1999), Millennium Force (2000), Wicked Twister (2002-2021), Top Thrill Dragster (2003-2021), maXair (2005), Skyhawk (2006), Maverick (2007), Planet Snoopy(2008), Shoot The Rapids (2010-2015), WindSeeker (2011), GateKeeper (2013), Pipe Scream(2014), Rougarou (2015), Valravn(2016), Cedar Point Shores Water Park (2017), Steel Vengeance (2018). Forbidden Frontier (2019),  Cedar Point's 150th Celebration (2021), and The Boardwalk (2023).

​Since 1962, the park has changed so much. It is really a fun place to be!

Sky Ride was a great addition to Cedar Point! It's success helped Cedar Point continue down its path that would someday turn the park into the world's largest amusement park!

Sky Ride became the centerpiece for the Main Midway. Over the years the park grew around and past the Sky Ride. 

Sky Ride is a great ride for the entire family to enjoy together. 

Riders must be 48 inches tall to ride alone. Riders under 48 inches must be accompanied by a responsible person. Each cabin has a max. combined weight of 680 pounds.

Photos by: Cedar Point, Robbie Von Roll, vonrollskyway1, and Jake Hamons

Last Updated: 01/02/2023