Jersey Devil at Six Flags: The Coaster and the Legend

What is the Jersey Devil coaster at Six Flags?

The Jersey Devil Coaster is a steel, single-rail roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey. It was built by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) and designed by Alan Schilke. The model is RMC’s Raptor Track, a design in which the train rides on one I-beam rail rather than the usual pair of running rails.

That single rail changes the whole experience. Riders sit on low seats, in single file, with a leg on each side of the track. There is no seatmate and very little structure around you, so the sensation is closer to straddling a narrow beam in the sky than sitting in a car. The track itself, painted a bright orange-yellow, was manufactured by TCN & Co. of Marlton, New Jersey, which gives the ride a locally made spine to go with its locally born monster.

When Six Flags announced it, the ride was billed as the tallest, fastest and longest single-rail coaster in the world. It was also the park’s first new roller coaster since The Joker, which had opened five years earlier.

The ride sits in an area of the park called The Pine Barrens, a nod to the southern New Jersey forest where the creature is rumored to live. If you want the full story of the monster itself, our long read on the Jersey Devil legend, its sightings and the facts behind it goes deep on the folklore.

Jersey Devil Six Flags Coaster: Stats and Specs

Coaster fans tend to want the numbers first. Here is the Jersey Devil Six Flags ride by the figures that are on record.

A few of those numbers deserve context. The 130-foot height is not the tallest at the park, and 58 mph is not the fastest. What makes the Jersey Devil Six Flags coaster stand out is the combination of a single rail, a near-vertical first drop and three inversions packed into a layout that keeps snaking in and out of itself. A Six Flags engineer has described Raptor Track as sturdier than conventional coaster track, which is why the ride needs relatively few supports and looks almost skeletal against the sky.

What the ride feels like, element by element

Reviewers who rode it at opening kept coming back to the same point: the coaster does not let you settle. One national travel write-up noted that the train barely lingers at the top before it is climbing the next hill and heading into the inversions. Here is the sequence of the course as it is laid out.

1. The lift hill. A chain pulls the 12-seat train up 130 feet. With no rider beside you and only a narrow rail beneath, the climb is when most people feel how exposed the seating is.
2. The 87-degree drop. Just shy of vertical, it falls 122 feet. From the front seat the rail seems to vanish under the devil’s head.
3. The dive loop, styled as a “raven drop”. The train twists up and over into a plunging half-loop, the first of three inversions.
4. The zero-g stall. An airtime hill with a 180-degree stall, where the train turns over and seems to hang for a moment before righting itself.
5. The turnaround and zero-g roll. The train climbs into a turn, then drops into a floating roll, the third inversion.
6. Mid-course brake and airtime hills. After a brake run, a run of smaller hills delivers the pop-out-of-your-seat moments before the final brakes and the turn back to the station.

Critical reception was warm. A New Jersey reviewer called it among the park’s best and singled out its smoothness and the uniqueness of its layout. A theme park magazine framed it not as the park’s tallest, fastest or most intense ride, but as a balanced one that mixes big moments with fun twists, turns and hills. That is a fair summary: it is a ride people rerun, not just survive.

Front seat or back seat?

Because every seat is a single seat, row choice matters more than on most coasters. The front row offers the unobstructed view down the 87-degree drop with the devil’s head leading the way. Farther back, the train in front of you is part of the view, and the drops arrive with less warning. Neither is objectively better; it depends on whether you want to see what is coming or be surprised by it.

The number 13 and other nods to the legend

The theming on this ride is more thoughtful than a name slapped on a sign. Six Flags built it around the number 13 and its unlucky associations, and the Jersey Devil Six Flags design keeps finding new ways to work it in.

• The 13th passenger. Each train seats 12 riders. The Jersey Devil head on the front car is treated as the 13th.
• Thirteen stories. The 130-foot lift hill was marketed as a 13-story climb.
• Opening day. The ride opened to the public on June 13.
• Thirteenth coaster. At its debut it was the 13th roller coaster operating at Six Flags Great Adventure.

The trains are painted red and themed to a devil. Riders enter the station through a themed portal, and the queue line includes signboards telling the creature’s backstory, so the wait doubles as a short lesson in New Jersey folklore.

The centerpiece of the queue is a large statue of the Jersey Devil: a red demon with horns and red eyes, squatting on top of a boulder. It is a recycled piece with a history of its own. The statue was originally built for El Diablo, a different ride at the same park that operated from 2015 to 2017. When that attraction went away, the devil found a new perch.

There is a long tradition of attractions built around legends rather than facts, from roadside monster displays to the endless staircases of the Winchester Mystery House. The Jersey Devil coaster belongs to that tradition, but it is notable for honoring a legend from the same state where the ride stands.

From announcement to opening: a delayed debut

The ride’s road to the public was longer than planned. Here is the documented timeline.

• August 29, 2019: Six Flags Great Adventure announces the coaster for the 2020 season, replacing the former Looney Tunes Seaport area. A national newspaper later lists it among the ten most anticipated new coasters of 2020.
• March 13, 2020: Six Flags suspends all operations as the COVID-19 pandemic takes hold in the United States. In April the company announces it will defer many capital projects to limit losses.
• June 2020: The park announces the coaster is pushed to 2021. Many parts are held up by pandemic manufacturing slowdowns. The park itself reopens July 3, 2020.
• Late December 2020: Construction resumes.
• January 25, 2021: The final piece of track goes in at a topping-out ceremony. The chain lift, ride controls and trains are still to come, and state permits still have to be secured.
• Late May 2021: First test runs, using water-filled dummies to simulate rider weight.
• June 9 to 13, 2021: A soft opening on June 9, a media preview on June 10, then the public opening on June 13.

That date, the 13th, fits the theme. Even the schedule was part of the joke.

The Pine Barrens legend behind the Jersey Devil name

The ride’s name comes from one of the best-known regional monsters in America. The Jersey Devil is a mythical creature of New Jersey folklore, rumored to live in the Pine Barrens of the state’s southern half. The park’s crouching statue gives it the look of a classic red, horned demon, and the queue signboards walk riders through its backstory.

Like most folklore, the legend varies by teller. Its origin stories and the reported sightings are a whole subject in themselves, covered in our article on the Jersey Devil and the Pine Barrens. What matters here is that the creature is local, recognizable and a little frightening, which is exactly what a coaster theme needs.

It helps to keep the layers separate when talking about the ride and the creature it borrows from.

Skeptics point out that the Jersey Devil, like many cryptids, has no physical specimen, photograph or track that holds up to scrutiny. Those who enjoy the legend counter that the story’s persistence in one specific landscape is part of what makes it compelling. Both things can be true: a legend can be unproven and still culturally real. Readers who like that tension will find more of it in our folklore and legends section, and in regional monster stories like the Flatwoods Monster of West Virginia.

Planning a ride: height rule, lines and mistakes to avoid

If you are heading to Jackson to ride the Jersey Devil Six Flags coaster, a little planning goes a long way.

Know the basics before you go

• Height requirement: 48 inches (122 cm) minimum. Measure kids at home so there is no disappointment at the entrance.
• Capacity: Only 12 riders per train, so each dispatch moves fewer people than a coaster with paired seats. Expect lines to build.
• Fast Lane: The park’s paid skip-the-line product covers this ride.
• Seating: You sit with a leg on each side of the rail. Dress for straddling a seat rather than sitting in one.

A sample approach for a busy day

One practical plan: head to The Pine Barrens section first thing, ride once while lines are short, then circle back later in the day. Because the ride runs one rider per seat, groups do not sit side by side, so agree on a meeting spot at the exit before you board. If the line is long at midday, the queue’s signboards and statue at least give you something to look at.

Common mistakes

1. Loose items. With a near-vertical drop and three inversions, anything in an open pocket can fall. Follow the park’s posted policy for bags and phones.
2. Assuming a seatmate. Couples and friends expecting to sit together are often surprised. Every seat is solo.
3. Judging the ride by its height. Some visitors skip it because 130 feet sounds modest next to the park’s bigger coasters. The intensity comes from the layout and the single-rail seating, not raw height.
4. Ignoring posted rules. Parks set rider requirements on body size and health conditions for their coasters. Read the sign at the entrance and follow ride operator instructions rather than relying on what a friend said.
5. Treating the woods as part of the attraction. If the ride sparks an urge to look for the creature in the real Pine Barrens, stick to public trails during daylight and never enter private or closed land.

Why a monster coaster works so well in New Jersey

Many theme park rides borrow their names from movies or comic books. This one borrows from the state’s own folklore, and that gives it a local pull that licensed characters rarely achieve. A New Jersey reviewer singled out “the Jersey of it all” as one of the ride’s best qualities, and it is easy to see why: the track was made in Marlton, the creature comes from the Pine Barrens, and the whole design winks at a superstition about the number 13 that riders from anywhere understand.

The coaster also does something folklore has always done. It takes a shapeless fear, the thing that might be out in the dark pines, and gives people a safe way to brush up against it, scream, and walk away laughing. Legends from the Loch Ness Monster to the Jersey Devil endure in part because they are fun to be a little afraid of.

Whether you came for the stats or the story, the Jersey Devil Six Flags ride is one of the rare attractions where both are worth your time. For long-form conversations about monsters, legends and the stranger corners of the map, the Troubled Minds Vault collects the radio show’s archive, and the rest of the journal is open to explore.

Questions and answers

What Six Flags park is in New Jersey?

New Jersey's Six Flags park is Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township. The complex also includes the Hurricane Harbor New Jersey water park and the Wild Safari Adventure experience. Great Adventure is home to the Jersey Devil Coaster, which sits in a section of the park named The Pine Barrens, after the forest where the legendary creature is rumored to live.

How many roller coasters are in Six Flags, NJ?

The park's operating lineup lists fourteen roller coasters, including El Toro, Nitro, Medusa, Batman: The Ride, The Joker, Skull Mountain, Superman: Ultimate Flight and the Jersey Devil Coaster, with another coaster, Bakunawa, listed as under construction. The count shifts as rides open and close; Kingda Ka, for example, is now listed among former rides. Check the park's current ride list before a visit.

When did the Jersey Devil coaster open?

Six Flags announced the coaster on August 29, 2019, for the 2020 season. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed parts and construction, so the final track piece went up on January 25, 2021. After test runs in late May with water-filled dummies, a soft opening on June 9 and a media preview on June 10, it opened to the public on June 13, 2021.

What is the height requirement for the Jersey Devil coaster?

Riders must be at least 48 inches (122 cm) tall. Because each seat holds one person and riders sit low with a leg on each side of the single rail, the seating is different from a typical coaster. Guests should read the posted rider requirements at the entrance, since parks can apply additional rules for body size, health and loose articles.

Why is the Jersey Devil coaster linked to the number 13?

The theming leans on the number's unlucky reputation. Each train seats 12 riders, and the Jersey Devil head on the front car is treated as a 13th passenger. The ride is about 13 stories tall, opened to the public on the 13th of June, and was the 13th coaster operating at Six Flags Great Adventure when it debuted.

Is the Jersey Devil a real creature?

The Jersey Devil is a mythical creature from New Jersey folklore, rumored to live in the Pine Barrens. Despite reported encounters, no physical evidence has ever confirmed that it exists, and it is treated as a regional legend rather than a known animal. That legend is what Six Flags borrowed for the coaster's name, its devil statue, red trains and queue signboards.

Stay curious. Keep the question open.
Follow the evidence wherever it leads.