We’re inaugurating our new ranking series with Coaster Kings’ original home park! Our first Crown Rating will rank Six Flags Magic Mountain based on five categories: Roller Coasters, Non-Coasters, Other Attractions, Food and Beverage, and Atmosphere. What will Magic Mountain’s Crown Rating be?
– In the past, many of our images have been posted, featured, and shared on forums, social media platforms and websites around the web. We work hard to provide the coverage that we do, and we encourage our audience to share our content and use our images, BUT ONLY IF proper credit is given to thecoasterkings.com. Thank you! –
The Coaster Kings Crown Rating currently features five (5) categories. In each category a park can score one (1) thru five (5) possible crowns. The more crowns, the higher the score. The average amount of crowns awarded among the categories creates a final overall rating: the Crown Rating.
Six Flags Magic Mountain opened simply as “Magic Mountain” in 1971 in Valencia, California, with famous attractions such as Gold Rusher, Log Jammer and the Sky Tower. Magic Mountain made an impact early on by opening record-breaking attractions such as Revolution (1976) and Colossus (1978). The coaster-heavy legacy continued after the park was acquired by Six Flags in 1979 – let’s see how the park hold up in regards to, and beyond, their coasters.
It’s no surprise: Six Flags Magic Mountain scores high in the roller coaster department. After all, they have the World’s largest and most diverse collection. Suffice to say, we believe Magic Mountain to have the strongest lineup industry-wide; even the lower-tier coasters offer a solid experience.
In coaster-focused parks, a good lineup of non-coaster rides is never guaranteed. On a global scale, Six Flags Magic Mountain falls in the middle: they’ve a few flat rides, a phenomenal drop tower, a classic flume, a rapids ride, and a 4D dark ride. If you’re visiting the park and aren’t a big fan of coasters, this isn’t a whole lot.
When talking “other attractions,” we’re talking non-rides – this includes shows, parades, meet ‘n greets, walk-throughs, exhibits, and more. Like the non-coaster category, a park heavily focused on thrills doesn’t really shine here. Magic Mountain has some seasonal shows, as well as standard character meet ‘n greets of the Looney Tunes and DC Comics variety, but beyond that (special events aside), there isn’t much here that isn’t a ride.
Over the years, Six Flags Magic Mountain’s Food and Beverage quality certainly improved. It’s better than the average Six Flags, but all things considered, it’s merely mid-pack. Magic Mountain features several bars, a full-service restaurant, dietary-specialized food locations, and a variety of quick service options.
Park atmosphere is made up of a variety of different aspects, and Six Flags Magic Mountain is no exception. The Southern Californian mountain setting offers gorgeous vantage points, and the cornucopia of colorful steel giants has a beauty all its own. Their operations aren’t perfect, but generally speaking they know how to staff for their attendance, and Magic Mountain is an enjoyable destination any time of year crowd-wise (just avoid those Friday and Saturday Fright Fest nights). Over the years the park has cleaned up nicely and most areas have been refurbished, making this one of the fresher looking Six Flags parks despite the tough climate and 365-day ops.
Our overall Six Flags Magic Mountain’s Crown Rating came out to 3.4 Crowns. To avoid over-complicating the score, we’ve rounded it to 3.5 Crowns. Flaws aside, Six Flags Magic Mountain should be on every coaster fan’s bucket list.
Thank you for checking out our first Crown Rating! With a backlog of over 800 parks around the World, we’ll slowly be chipping away at some of your favorites! Suggest what park we should review next on our social media platforms. We’ll catch you on the next Crown Rating!
