Phoenix Review, Knoebels Wooden Roller Coaster | No Seat Belts & Crazy Airtime!

[@gfh110]

I grew up with the Phoenix and it's a full sensory experience. The sound of the cars flying past the station, the giant flywheel powering the lift hill chain, the smell of the grease and oil. And that insane airtime... the double-up-double-down, and those four bunny hills at the end. You spend more time out of your seat that in it. Knoebels is a special place, and the Phoenix is a special coaster. The best goddamned wooden coaster in the world as far as I'm concerned.

[@CanobieCoaster]

I agree the sounds of the coaster from the station are great too.

[@warsawred]

also growing up in the area, if you are having a crappy day, go to Knoebels, park for free, get some awesome food and ride the Phoenix.

[@BigRyan505]

This was the first coaster I ever rode in my life. My father held my shoulders down during the intense hops. I've ridden this well over 100 times. It's one of my all time favorites. Just rode it today again, and loved every minute! It came to the park the year I was born. And it still rides smooth and is very well taken care of for the past few decades.

[@CanobieCoaster]

That's a great first coaster.

[@planecrashes633]

I rode this on Friday I love this ride this airtime is incredible

[@CanobieCoaster]

Yes it is.

[@jackkilman8726]

I grew up riding this as the Rocket in San Antonio and it's still the coaster by which I measure all others. I think it's so highly rated because it occupies the sweet spot of being intense enough to please enthusiasts without being too intense for the average rider, which gives it a broader appeal than many coasters with more impressive stats. It's a ride that almost anyone can enjoy regardless of age or preference which, depending on your perspective, might just make it the perfect wooden coaster.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Have you gotten to ride it at Knoebels too? I'd be interested in knowing if it's running better or the same as when it was the Rocket.

[@Whatchamawhozit]

This review is spot on. Phoenix is a marathon coaster for sure. Go in early june during the school days and you can get at least 6-7 rides in a row at any given time. The 2nd half of this ride, it where all the magic is created and why it has become a fan favorite. Knoebels has managed with both Twister and Phoenix to keep the pacing so well done it makes you beg for more. in 2017 my 7 yr old son first experienced Twister, it scared the bejeezus out of him, it took until almost sundown to get him to try Phoenix and when he did his first words at the end of ride "Dad, lets do it again" He LOVES phoenix, it is his fave. I tried to get him to try the Schmeck sisters (COmet -HP and Comet - LG) and after that 2015 trip, he said they are not even close to the fun of phoenix.

[@CanobieCoaster]

I've never had an issue getting loads of rides on this because of the amazing operations at Knoebels. Glad he loved it!

[@bladerunner2434]

You can hear the wheels leave contact of the track its wild!

[@CanobieCoaster]

So much airtime!

[@BrianBarbera-o9k]

I love the Buzz Bars that it make you believe you are going fly out of the Train

[@CanobieCoaster]

I love them.

[@xavierschroder2670]

Glad someone praised this ride. A lot of recent reviews have been calling it overrated.

[@CanobieCoaster]

The restraints 100% make this ride elite for me.

[@FastSloW-qt8xf]

My 8yo daughter rode this from the very front for her first ever rollercoaster tonight..loved it then we did all the other coasters. This roller coaster is seriously fun the camel humps are scattered throughout the whole ride.

[@CanobieCoaster]

They're awesome.

[@Joypyf]

Probably the best review of this coaster I’ve seen 👍🏼

[@CanobieCoaster]

Thanks!

[@carriebuchanan7901]

Yes!!! 10 out of 10 is so well deserved!

[@CanobieCoaster]

Agreed!

[@daffers2345]

This ride has some great lore. Everything about it is just cool. I love watching the big flywheel running the lift chain while I'm waiting in line. They still use long yellow lights in the loading station, which somehow enhances the experience. My favorite train is Orange, but Yellow is just fine too! During Hallo-Fun, they put glow-in-the-dark stuff in the tunnel. As mentioned in the video, the station has been updated. Before they did that, its roof was just exposed boards. If you looked up, you could see boot prints on the boards from when they put it back together.

[@CanobieCoaster]

It's fantastic how well they care about this ride.

[@CoasterRoaster]

The only ACTUALLY flying coaster out there

[@MillenniumForceMan]

How dare u disrespect Bruno

[@CanobieCoaster]

I prefer to call it a wooden stand-up coaster.

[@TheMrLebaron]

@@CanobieCoaster They also have the flying turns, only wooden bobsled in the world

[@jacobmcgwire2704]

I'm shocked no one has ever flown out.

[@TheMrLebaron]

@@jacobmcgwire2704 You really feel like your going to. Its also crazy smooth

[@ColorStaticOfficial]

Fantastic review I really appreciated the history, I'm more hyped than ever for this!

[@CanobieCoaster]

It's a fantastic ride!

[@MundaneGames123]

Got my first rides on this yesterday and I am in love with it. It topped El toro as my favorite woodie. No coaster has made me laugh hysterically the way Phoenix did, except maybe X2.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Nice!

[@cody6009]

Growing up and hour from this park in PA I can't even count how many times I've been on this coaster , the park is beautiful, I'm lucky I had this park so close, I love the coaster model I always wanted to take it home lol.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Lucky!

[@derekwhite9932]

Thanks for doing a video about this!

[@CanobieCoaster]

You're welcome!

[@ChocoTaco1111]

Thank you for reviewing my favorite in so much detail.

[@CanobieCoaster]

You're welcome!

[@DuecePiece]

I rode this 4 times in a row in the cold rain this past Saturday for the first time. Wow, just wow! In those 4 rides I got a front row zen ride, needless to say it goes down as one of my favorite coaster rides ever!

[@CanobieCoaster]

Very cool!

[@MillenniumForceMan]

It doesn’t look like my personal type of ride, but it’s just a fact that this ride is insane

[@CanobieCoaster]

The airtime definitely is crazy!

[@MillenniumForceMan]

@@CanobieCoaster yeah, im really trying to get here as it isnt that far from me

[@TheMrLebaron]

@@MillenniumForceMan This thing straight up Rivals the Airtime on Steel Vengeance and I'm not kidding.

[@MillenniumForceMan]

@@TheMrLebaron well that doesnt surprise me as ive heard that steel vengeance has weaker ejector

[@Whatchamawhozit]

Had to revisit the video as the down season has me wanting coaster time. If no one has noticed when the video shows the last airtime bunny hop, when it is slowed down, you can see the front of each car lift off the track. This is the absolute best ending to any rollercoaster ever. I have 2 really favorite woodies Phoenix and Boulder Dash... forget The Beast and it's weak layout... Boulder Dash is the ultimate Terrain coaster... although no longer a full woodie anymore since they layered it with titan track off the first drop, but they really had no choice. it was getting so rough that a simple retracking wasn't going to cut, it will most likely need a full structure replacement in the next 5-7 years and using the TT will help extend that need for service as it smooths out the experience and puts less strain on the structure. However... IMHO this is CCI's best Wooden Coaster, and while a full rebuild would cost $10,000,000 in todays money vs. the $6,000,000 spent in 1999/2000 I dunno if that full rebuild would capture the magic ... refurbs are part of life but man I dunno of any refurb that can capture that original experience. The first year I went on a colder night in October, park was empty and I think I landed at least 40 credits... it was so good I drove back the next weekend from Allentown, PA and rode it an additional 15 times. I am a front seat person, I just find it to be no better experience... and Boulder Dash is a great front seat ride when it is daylight... at night it doesn't matter where you sit as once you get into the mountains and deep in the woods you will see nothing.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Boulder Dash still has the benefit up front at night with the rush of wind and better airtime.

[@jonathanfrancesco3305]

Phoenix is sort of the poster child for "quality over quantity" in roller coasters. It's older, it doesn't smash any records for height or length or speed. By the standards of the modern coasters, it's practically a kiddie coaster. And yet, it gives one of THE best rides of any coaster anywhere. And I think a lot of parks can learn from the Phoenix about how to make a ride really good. Records are nice, but Phoenix shows you that records aren't everything. You can have a perfectly modest classic wooden coaster with perfectly modest height and speed stats, and still have a ride that is legitimately in the conversation/short list for best in the world of its kind. Personally, while I am sort of a mid level enthuiast, Phoenix is one of very few roller coasters where I legitimately don't want it to end. Most roller coasters are fun but I need a breath after 'em. Phoenix is just such a blast that you want to go back and do it again.

[@CanobieCoaster]

I agree it's a fantastic ride.

[@brycefourn2001]

A top contender for my roller coaster bucket list. :)

[@CanobieCoaster]

Understandable!

[@urbex_coasters]

I don't know if it's the best wooden coaster in the world given that 3/4 of it is just above average, but that last run of airtime hills is the best coaster moment I have experienced. I would compare it to the 3 consecutive hills on Twisted Timbers, except Phoenix does it with a buzbar that's positioned higher than other buzbar woodies. It certainly deserves to be in the discussion because of that finale.

[@CanobieCoaster]

I'm not used to getting room like this on a coaster, which is why most of the ride stands out to me.

[@BrianBarbera-o9k]

The Phoenix is a legend

[@CanobieCoaster]

Yes

[@michellegade9021]

One of my favorites!

[@CanobieCoaster]

Agreed!

[@SkyrushFanboy]

Had an insane ride at Hallow fun in the pouring rain at night back row in 2018. It was freezing and the ride was hauling ridiculously fast. Every hill gave crazy ejector "even those weak hills you talked about gave airtime. The ride slowed at the top of the double up, and FLEW down the double down. Last turnaround (which was flying with unreal laterals) I was swearing my head off because I was terrified of how strong the finale was gonna be. And it was insane ejector the entire way through. One of the most insane experiences I've ever had on any coaster. Only time on a coaster I genuinely feared for my life (even tho it's completely safe lol)

[@CanobieCoaster]

This ride runs great for me in every visit. I was there the last day of the season in 2020. It was cooler, but it was still hauling.

[@OldsVistaCruiser]

Phoenix HAULS ASS when it's wet out!!

[@jonb2911]

I rode this yesterday. Now I haven’t been to holiday land. I would give this my top two and may put this in front of el torro. Because el torro does something great (ejector airtime) but you can still get that on other coasters. Phoenix is the only coaster to where it gives you (Standing air time) and standing airtime is an absolutely unbelievable feeling. Only time I’ve ever felt standing airtime was jackrabbit for like a half second but on this coaster it’s just something crazy. It’s a freakin coaster with no seatbelt. It’s a coaster that literally sends you flying. To me nothing beats that feeling on any coaster. Plus I rode it at night at the holloween event.

[@CanobieCoaster]

It's insane.

[@jaydenchrist6152]

Looks like a great woodie.

[@CanobieCoaster]

It's amazing!

[@sustainedfloatercoasters5103]

I just rode this for the first time today. It made my top 10 lol. I’ve never felt closer to death on a roller coaster. I was legitimately terrified for my life. The ejector seems too strong for those buzz bars.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Nice!

[@pixelythegamer3260]

Let me say something very honest about buzz bars. Back when PTC buzz bar trains that Phoenix use today starting to appear on wooden coasters around the late 50’s to early 60’s, they where manufactured during a time when roller coaster safety was quite different, and not many coasters ran with seatbelts. I believe around the 70’s and 80’s when amusement parks started adding seat belts to their older wooden coasters. The final nail in the coffin was in 1990, when six flags commissioned PTC to design newly designed trains for the texas giant coaster at SFOT. These new trains had newly designed orange individual lap bars. These new trains proved to be safer, and became the no. 1 choice for most trains in wooden coaster trains. While some coasters built after 1990 did open with buzz bars, and that buzz bars are indeed safe, it’s just the fact that individual lap bars are just safer.

[@CanobieCoaster]

I agree individual bars are safer, especially since it makes it near impossible for someone to stand-up.

[@djsugarc1075]

best review ive seen of phoenix

[@CanobieCoaster]

Thanks! I love this ride.

[@SlimFury]

Phoenix is a hidden gem in the coaster world. While I don't think it's a top wood coaster contender, it's still tons of fun. I like how it only has a 42 inch height requirement.

[@CanobieCoaster]

It's shockingly low for a ride this wild.

[@alantrotter2077]

Great review! Can't wait to try out this ride and compare it to some of the best wooden coaster I have been on. I'm planning on a PA trip in 2021, so this will be one of the bucket list coasters for me.

[@CanobieCoaster]

It's a fantastic ride and I hope you enjoy it!

[@StamfordBridge]

I’m surprised you haven’t been on it, Alan! I hope you fall in love with the park the way I did (but ignore everything I’m saying so you keep your expectations down 😂).

[@alantrotter2077]

@@StamfordBridge I missing the Northeast, Virginia, and most of I-4 down in Florida ( Waiting for Iron Gwazi ). I generally find the positives with wooden coasters. The only one I feel is a bit over hyped is Mystic Timbers but hey I'm giving it another try in a little over a week when I get to ride Orion. Maybe the third visit will be the charm with that one. I still like it but not as much as everyone else. I'm really looking forward to when I get to Knoebels, Kennywood, and Hershey.

[@StamfordBridge]

Alan Trotter I’m with you in both senses on Mystic Timbers: 1. I like it but don’t rate it as highly as most others seem to, but 2. I know I need to get more rides on it to judge it fairly (I only got one solitary ride on it, which is not enough - would have ridden it again this summer if it weren’t for the pandemic). I’ve been to about a hundred parks, and while I haven’t formally ranked them all, I think the three you named - Knoebels, Hershey, and Kennywood - would probably all make my top ten. But again, it all depends on the day, one’s mood, the park conditions at the time, the weather, what you like in a park, your company, etc., etc. For each of those parks I know experienced enthusiasts with good judgment who don’t like the place.

[@OldsVistaCruiser]

@@StamfordBridge - The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is responsible for amusement park ride safety inspections. We have the most stringent safety standards in America. That's why PA parks are so great!

[@colorizedenhanced-silentmo9027]

Greeting, Canobie Coaster. it is actually intriguing video. thanks. :)

[@CanobieCoaster]

Thanks!

[@chargedonpc9989]

Hopefully I can come to knoebels soon

[@CanobieCoaster]

Hopefully!

[@phyllissnook]

"In the Middle of Nowhere," yes, but absolutely the most wonderful Amusement Part to visit!....Maybe our "Nowhere" actually is a "somewhere" and this is coming from a former New Yorker!

[@CanobieCoaster]

I love this park.

[@gregorymoore2877]

The fact that it's "in the middle of nowhere" is one of the things I like about it.

[@chadok464]

That airtime looks legit

[@CanobieCoaster]

It is!

[@OldsVistaCruiser]

Oh, it is! Especially from the 3rd to the last row on back. Another thing - ride just after a rain shower. Phoenix HAULS ASS when wet!!

[@esw01407]

Overall good video, but one correction: That model has been there for years (even had a separate small building) and if I remember correctly, it was a HS students project of some sort. It is also the second Phoenix model, there used to be another around the area of the exit ramp.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Thanks! Someone else pointed that out. I never noticed it before.

[@Whatchamawhozit]

Actually that model was built into the stations front facade and removed around 2015 and placed in a stand alone kiosk. The model was refurbished once in 1997, and again in 2010, it is due for another refurbishment as the heat and humidity takes it toll on it, but that model has been at the park since Phoenix Opened.

[@Metalmanparts]

He say's Phoenix is at the rear of the park. It used to be the front. Most traffic would go in the park near Phoenix, past the pool and then to the main parking. When Phoenix was installed you could park right in front of it. We would go out many evenings park, at the Phoenix ride a few times and be headed back home very shortly.

[@CanobieCoaster]

That explains the road and weird gravel back there.

[@henrymayer8264]

Rode this when I was like 7 and was scared I'd fly out the ride

[@CanobieCoaster]

I can imagine!

[@StamfordBridge]

So glad to see what feels to me like an appropriate review for this coaster after so much backlash from so many enthusiasts for so many years. I mean, in truth I don’t really care what anyone thinks of this ride, but after seeing a hundred people who haven’t ridden it call it “overrated,” I can’t help but roll my eyes after a while. For me it’s a top five woodie in the world.

[@CanobieCoaster]

It's definitely different than a lot of the other woodies you find atop enthusiast lists, but I love it for how different it is.

[@StamfordBridge]

Canobie Coaster It is hard to compare with the Holy Trinity of El Toro, Voyage, and Lightning Rod, but for me it is in that company. Sooner or later, I have to get to PNE Playland.

[@CanobieCoaster]

That ride is like Phoenix on steroids.

[@TheMrLebaron]

Another thing is that lots of people have not ridden this ride in a long time. When I was much younger, like 15. So 15 years ago, the coaster wasn't running like it is now. The park has done a great job with tinkering with it to make it better and better every year. Lots of people make a judgement before the ride is over, every new person I take on it, I warn them don't expect much until your around the second turn around, then it cranks it into overdrive and goes completely crazy. Very good fun.

[@CanobieCoaster]

@@TheMrLebaron I agree Phoenix has gotten better with age and every element improves over the last element.

[@jtwoolley]

it has great airtime.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Sure does

[@coasterdaddy7123]

Ok, you can stop rubbing salt in my wounds now 😉 RIP my 2020 trip... My top three bucket list coasters: El Toro, Skyrush and Phoenix. Would've knocked them all out 😭

[@CanobieCoaster]

Hopefully you can take that trip next year for those three!

[@dawnshepard1958]

I really want to ride this

[@CanobieCoaster]

It's one of my favorites.

[@44bthknuckles]

Yes

[@CanobieCoaster]

I love this ride!

[@ThrillsofColdplay]

I can see the airtime on the POV

[@CanobieCoaster]

The benefit of a chest mount!

[@stanleykrupinski441]

I was on it 10 times it is a 10. Plus

[@CanobieCoaster]

It's excellent.

[@josiemcbride3646]

He added the last humps after he bought it. But I love this ride.

[@CanobieCoaster]

They were?

[@josiemcbride3646]

@@CanobieCoaster well from what I heard from people who were alive around the time it was rebuild. I wasn't born in the area or surrounding area.

[@mateoalvira3514]

What do you think about Phoenix at Knoebels, famous or infamous?

[@CanobieCoaster]

Famous

[@leosamontesdad]

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t biased, but I think Phoenix is has a case as the best roller coaster in the world

[@CanobieCoaster]

I get the argument.

[@ThrillsofColdplay]

It was very smooth I found that so odd

[@CanobieCoaster]

Knoebels takes incredible care of this ride.

[@TheMrLebaron]

@@CanobieCoaster Yep, as I've mentioned before the oldest family business is logging, saw milling and cutting lumber. They know everything about wood and how to keep the track in tip top condition

[@OklahomaCoasterFan]

Not the best woodie in the world, but it's still an outstanding, elite coaster! The front row ride I got was out of this world. I knew then what true standing airtime was. I wish I had gotten more than 2 rides. When I went, Knoebels was not allowing anyone to pick their rows on any coaster. It was extremely strict assigned seating, filling front to back as you enter the station, with no exceptions under any circumstances. Hopefully, this is only temporary, because of Mr. Corona.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Usually they let you wait for your row even on busy days. The assigned seating on this and Twister are just due to corona. At least you got the best seat for one ride!

[@CoasterHorizons]

Imagine el toro with buzzbars 😳 I wouldn’t even ride it because it would literally be deadly. No exaggeration

[@CanobieCoaster]

Agree! The closest feeling to that is Coaster at PNE Playland.

[@mitchellries256]

Do you have a countdown of your favorite wooden coasters? I'd love to know which ones you think are slightly better than this.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Yes I made a video about that!

[@CoasterKey]

I have a theory to why some like and don't like it. Those who like are not as used to getting a lot of room on coasters, and when you get that much room, it makes the ride MUCH better. Meanwhile, if you are sued to getting a fist or 2 or more of room you might not be as impressed.

[@CanobieCoaster]

That could be an entirely fair point. I definitely don't come close to getting this much room on other coasters.

[@StamfordBridge]

Coaster Key So ... fat people like Phoenix? 😂

[@CoasterKey]

@@StamfordBridge if you view it from that perspective, kind of?

[@StamfordBridge]

Coaster Key Well, let me be another datum to support your theory because I love Phoenix and I definitely have a belly going on right now. 😂

[@westcoastcoasters4292]

This or Coaster at Playland?

[@CanobieCoaster]

Coaster. The airtime is even stronger and the restraints are similar.

[@RollyCoaster]

But is it better than Swamp Fox?

[@ThrillsofColdplay]

Not to me

[@CanobieCoaster]

I think so. The lack of seatbelts really helps.

[@ArrowLooper]

I snagged a whole train to myself

[@CanobieCoaster]

Nice!

[@jg-7780]

That model isn’t new, they just moved it to a nice display case

[@CanobieCoaster]

Where was it previously?

[@jg-7780]

In front of the exit ramp, closer to the antique cars. You can see it in google streetview.

[@lehudragon9402]

Phoenix is a wooden standup coaster.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Lol true.

[@micoasters]

If six flags operated this it would probly be jackhammer simulator the ride with 3 seatbelts, over the shoulder and lap bar restrains

[@CanobieCoaster]

Seatbelts for sure and individual lap bars. Some Six Flags parks can maintain a wood coaster at least.

[@Musicrafter12]

Row 3 on the orange train is the best seat in the house. Why the yellow train isn't as good, don't ask me why.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Both trains run equally as great for me.

[@Musicrafter12]

@@CanobieCoaster Orange tends to get just one extra little pop of airtime on the third run out that yellow doesn't

[@frenchlick2051]

The airtime looks cartoonish on the finale.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Agreed!

[@jonathanfrancesco3305]

My father is convinced that somehow the car itself is jumping off the track in that finale and not just the riders.

[@konnichiwacoasters4029]

no restraint is odd

[@CanobieCoaster]

That's what makes Phoenix special.

[@anonymousresident4349]

I don't get what's so special about this ride. Just loosen the seatbelt on the other buzz bar woodies and they feel the same.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Phoenix has stronger airtime than most of the other buzz bar woodies and I also don't recommend circumventing the restraints on another ride.

[@ThrillsofColdplay]

This isn’t my favorite traditional wooden coaster either

[@CanobieCoaster]

What is?

[@ThrillsofColdplay]

Canobie Coaster Either Blue Streak Or Swamp Fox

[@ralphjinks9651]

I think this ride is overrated

[@CanobieCoaster]

What about it don't you like?