Cedar Point

Ride experience

After a 78-foot climb (24 m) up its lift hill, the train descends 72 feet (22 m) at a 45-degree angle reaching a top speed of 40 miles per hour (64 km/h). Riders then enter a series of two short hills which provide the ride’s maximum airtime followed by a larger, third hill that slows the train slightly. After the next drop, the train climbs into a 180-degree turn that sends riders over a short hill followed by three medium-sized hills on its way back. The ride ends on the track’s final brake run before returning to the station.[4]

History

Cedar Point went without a roller coaster for more than a decade following its removal of Cyclone in 1951.[1] Blue Streak was the only roller coaster at Cedar Point when it opened on May 23, 1964. The attraction’s success led to a rebirth of roller coasters at Cedar Point, including the installation of Cedar Creek Mine Ride (1969), Corkscrew (1976), Gemini (1978) and Jr. Gemini (1979).[1]

Blue Streak features a traditional “out-and-back” layout design from Philadelphia Toboggan Company. The roller coaster was named after the style of the wooden roller coaster, commonly referred to as a streak, and the color of the wood, which is blue. Cedar Point invested US$200,000 (equivalent to $1,578,112 in 2017) to construct the wooden roller coaster, and it remains a favorite at the park and within annual roller coaster polls.[2] In Amusement Today’s 2013 Golden Ticket Awards, Blue Streak was ranked 27th among wooden roller coasters worldwide – its highest ranking to date.[3]