Boulder Dash- Review

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Boulder Dash is a wooden roller coaster located at Lake Compounce, in Bristol, CT. The ride was built by Custom Coasters International and opened in May of 2000. Boulder Dash speeds down a 115 foot drop, at speeds of 60+ mph, through over 4,725 feet of track. The ride has been voted The Number One Wooden Roller Coaster in the World 5 times in the Golden Ticket Awards. What makes this ride unique, is that it was built entirely into the side of a mountain. Because of this, most of the ride is not visible, and provides AMAZING night rides!  Now on to the review. Each category will receive a score 1/10, and at the end I will give my final opinion and score of the ride.


  • Scenery- Boulder Dash is built into the side of a mountain. When building the ride, they were very careful not to remove more trees than necessary, and this decision has definitely payed off. Surrounded by foliage, the ride is barely visible from anywhere in the park. When the park has its annual Haunted Graveyard, Boulder Dash is surrounded by colorful leaves, and it is amazing. 10/10
  • Theming-  Boulder Dash does not incorporate theming throughout the ride, but it does not detract from the experience. The logo is on both of the trains, though. 0/10
  • Trains- Boulder Dash runs with two PTC-2 bench trains. This is actually a tough category to review. These trains were not designed to handle a ride as fast and intense as Boulder Dash. This shows with some of the roughness experienced on the coaster. The trains also have a hollow seat divider, which can be uncomfortable on certain parts of the ride. One thing about the trains on this ride is that they provide an out-of-control feeling. this definitely provides a thrill that would not be there, had this coaster run with Millennium Flyers or Timberliners. 5/10
  • Smoothness- Wooden roller coasters need a little bit of roughness. I believe that is part of the charm. For the most part, Boulder Dash has the perfect amount of shakes and jerks mixed with smoothness. The one part of the ride that is extremely rough, to the point of unbearable, is the Triple-Up on the return run. According to the park, this element will be removed during the off-season and be replaced with a smoother element. 6/10
  • Speed- The top speed of Boulder Dash is 60mph. While on the ride, it feels much faster, and does not lose its speed until it reaches the brake run. 8/10
  • Airtime- This coaster is full of airtime. Both floater and ejector air can be found on Boulder Dash. Each hill uses it terrain to its advantage. In my opinion, Boulder Dash has the best airtime of any wooden coaster that I have ridden. 10/10
  • Drop- Boulder Dash has a 115 foot curved drop. This drop is full of laterals and insane airtime towards the back of the train. Boulder Dash proves that a first drop does not need to be ridiculously steep to provide great thrills! 9/10
Final Opinion- Boulder Dash lives up to its title of Worlds Best Wooden Coaster. It has the perfect mix of airtime, laterals, and speed. While the triple-up is terrible, I know that Lake Compounce will have the ride back to running perfectly for the 2017 season. All in all, Boulder Dash is an amazing Coaster and will be receiving an overall score of 8/10


Take a virtual ride on Boulder Dash Below!

 Video Credit: Coasterforce

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