Remember that roller coaster that everyone talked about when you 
were young? That one ride that was considered a kind of local legend of sorts. These rides were sometimes the focus of juvenile horror stories, myths, and just plain made up stories. The folklore often stemmed from respect and fear of that one wild roller coaster that you just had to conquer.
Kings Dominion’s Grizzly was that roller coaster for me. There were all kinds of silly stories about people losing limbs and even their heads as the coaster dropped into an underground tunnel. I can confidently report that there’s no underground tunnel on the Grizzly. And I’m not aware of it being responsible for dismembering anyone. The non-outrageous stories about the ride were accurate. It was in the woods (even more so before Hurler) and it was scary.
So after about 15 or 16 years of avoiding larger roller coasters, I was coaxed to ride Kings Dominion’s entire arsenal by a high school girlfriend. Looking back at it 15 years later it’s safe to say that things turned out okay for me. But again I don’t recommend forcing, 
cajoling, or coaxing friends to ride a roller coaster. That day there was no warm up lap before the adventurous Grizzly. It was the first stop.
Grizzly’s tough to see from Kings Dominion’s walkways and I’m sure many guests have missed it entirely. It’s located in a wooded section in the Old Virginia part of the park. The entrance is very easy to miss. Sure there’s a sign and a bear statue, but it’s crammed into a little dead end next to an arcade. As you move down the long queue you enter the cool shady woods and climb up into the station. Grizzly’s layout sends the trains charging right by the station. It’s impossible to miss the ride’s support structure rattling like it was hit by a brief earthquake. The occasional seismic disturbances and resounding cacophony of screams and a racing train only heighten the anticipation. It was unnerving as I had never seen wood sway and give so much.
As the train leaves the station it takes a left u-turn and begins to climb the lift hill. To your left another train of riders, most with all of their limbs, returns to the station. While on your right, there’s nothing but trees and more trees. The clickety-clack of the lift chain echoes in the woods. As you reach the top, some of the ride’s hidden course is revealed. Before you can analyze it, you drop down the eight story drop that angles to the left a bit. As you’re catching your breath, the train climbs another hill.
At the top, Grizzly stalks around a left turn where you can see more of the vast wilderness that surrounds the park. As you finish the turn you’re reminded that you’re in a modern theme park and you see the Eiffel Tower and a few of the park’s other rides before a second drop. This is followed by another short drop that’s probably the ride’s best for
airtime. Immediately after, the train drops into that legedary tunnel responsible for so much folklore. It’s still pretty wild and one of the loudest tunnels I’ve experienced. The covered section (close to the ground, but not underground) is dark and throws you around a good bit.
After the tunnel has had its way with you, the train is spit out the other end and around a wide turn. Here, Grizzly really shows its age as it shakes and rumbles its way around the turn causing some strong lateral g-forces for riders and making the guests in the queue wonder why the supports next to the station are moving so much. The next few hills are short and rough. They lead you to a flat left turn inside the ride’s layout. At this point, Grizzly feels like it might be struggling a bit to make it home. The ride finishes with a succession of small hills that might have been fun long ago, but now are pretty rough. Finally, the station brakes slow the train as another train is headed up the lift hill to your left.
Just as the Joker created Batman, the Grizzly probably created the Coaster Critic. At the time, conquering Grizzly felt like quite an accomplishment. That first drop felt like it would never end in my early coaster riding years. I started to look at roller coasters as fun and challenging as I got over my fear. And, Grizzly was probably my top woodie before I started traveling more. As you can imagine, it’s not easy for me to rate a ride that I look at with so much nostalgia.
But, because I’ve been around the block a bit and really notice how rough and out of gas it seems towards the end, it’s plain to see Grizzly’s not a top woodie by any means. I’ve definitely ridden rougher woodies. I’d say the ride is worth a spin especially for 
it’s mostly wooded atmosphere. Unlike Six Flags New England’s Cyclone and Darien Lake’s Predator, I would recommend Grizzly with the caution that it’s a bit rough. I think that a 6 is fair, because there’s some fun left in its layout even though the fun is limited by the roughness. Final Rating 6.0 (Above Average)
What’s Your Take?
Have your ridden Grizzly at Kings Dominion? What did you think? Leave a comment below. Images courtesy of Coaster Image.
July 27, 2011 at 04:33
I like how you intergated the story of how you originaly started riding coasters with this review. The ride sounds like it would be fun, and with the review you gave it, it'll definiteley be something I'll search for if I go to King's Dominion.
July 27, 2011 at 07:22
I rode this and my back hurt for 3 days after. At the bottom of the drop, it smashed my back into the seat harshly. The layout is fun but with roughness it was horrible. My least favorite woodie at kings dominion, and probrably my 3rd least favorite woodie. I like the hurler, right next to it, much better. It is smooth and has good airtime. And the tunnel was very loud and unpleasant. I would give it a 4.5 or 5 at most.
July 27, 2011 at 08:21
Riding this thing in the front first I thought it was the most intense woodie I had been on at time, throwing me around like a rag doll, but still fun in that out of control wooden fasion. The layout was enough to look past the roughness. But getting a second ride in the back, it beat the holy hell out of me. The differance for me personally is a 6.5 rating in the front but a lousy 3 or maybe even a 2 in the back. I will never ride in the back again…but I still enjoy a ride on the Grizz.
July 27, 2011 at 09:35
According to the comics, Joe Chill created Batman who, in turn created The Joker. Nice play by play by the way. You ever done sporting events?
July 28, 2011 at 19:39
Nice call Prof.BAM. I didn't know that until I checked it with my comic book-loving brother. I'm more familiar with the movie version of Batman though. Plus he's a DC super hero and I mostly just collected Marvel.
And I've never done sporting events.
Glad you liked the post.
July 27, 2011 at 09:47
I rode this a couple years ago, and I agree with your review 100%. This ride is everything you want from a wooden roller coaster – fast paced and full of suprises. It was rough, but tolerable, unlike on other woodies such as Hershey's Wildcat. Grizzly isn't a ride that you'd skip at Kings Dominion.
July 27, 2011 at 12:01
this wasn't my FIRST coaster, but it was my favorite for a long time (pretty much from the time it was built until Flight of Fear opened).
It is a shame that it's not as wooded as it once was back there, but it still gives a wild ride. the unexpected sideways jerk in the tunnel and the final high-speed turnaround are my favorite parts.
July 27, 2011 at 13:51
I love the Grizzly. I don't think it's that rough except, ironically, the first slow turn has/had some little pot-holes that did give me a bit of a head ache after a while. It felt like rolling over the gaps in a transfer track– Bang. Bang. Bang.
The rest of the ride is pure bliss, especially the double-down drop into the tunnel.
July 28, 2011 at 09:51
I've been riding coasters since 1977 and the Grizzly has always been one of my favorite woodies. Yes it's rough, but even at my age, I can take it. You know what you're in for. This coaster does not mess around.
My tradition at KD (which I hit probably every other year) is to hit the Grizzly very late when it's dark. It is pitch black out there in the woods and very intense. And it feels a lot faster at the end of the day. Plus you can usually just stay on the train and get multiple rides.
For me, it's easily a 9, but I'll admit I'm biased.
July 28, 2011 at 12:12
I thought back in the day the ride was more hidden back in the wood. It really felt like you were hiking out into the middle of nowhere while you snaked the queue. Some of the trees in the area had been torn out in recent years to make way for less-than-stellar attractions like Go Karts. The Grizzly lost a little something then, but it's still a great ride. I got to go on it last year for the first time in about 16 years.
July 28, 2011 at 19:52
You're right. They added Go Karts back there. And as they expanded that neighboring area with Hurler and the glad to see it go Hypersonic XLC, Grizzly's definitely not as secluded as it used to be.
July 28, 2011 at 14:28
Wish I could've rode it 15 years ago when I was teenager. My first ride was two years ago and horribly disappointing. I would probably rate it around a 5. One thing I find interesting about wooden coasters is how where you sit seems to change the ride each time significantly. I've found that most of my good rides on wooden coasters are in the front whereas the bad rides are normally in the back. For instance I had a great first ride on the dueling wooden coaster at Carowinds in the front(sorry can't remember the name;thunderoad maybe?). Then I re rode in the middle and it was rough and unenjoyable.
July 28, 2011 at 20:02
That makes sense Mike. On woodies especially, I typically avoid the back seats like the plague. Even if it means I won't be able to compare how it rides in the front vs the middle vs the back. If a woodie's rough in the front of the train, it'll almost always be even worse towards the back. At least in my experience.
July 28, 2011 at 20:03
Fond memories, at least early on. I rode it when it was only a couple of months old, in its sweet stage of infancy. I'm not sure who the designer was, but it aged like a Summers & Dinn or a Bill Cobb. Fortunately, it was never a huge monster so it's never gotten as rough as, say, Mean Streak or even Hercules.
I'll admit that I thought the first drop was just okay, followed by that flat, relatively slow turn. Boy was I in for a surprise! After that, the bear starting running through the woods. The trees obscured most of the ride back then and that sudden left turn into that surprise tunnel even made me snatch my hands down a bit.
I fondly remember many great rides on The Grizzly, even though I had a major case of coaster envy. (Kings Island just got The Beast.) I happily found out later that we got the best in that deal. The Grizzly ,well, all of the woodies, still gets a ride or two whenever I visit KD, especially since there's no longer lines for them
July 29, 2011 at 08:54
Grizz is IMO among the best of KD's woodies(hurler stinks) & the rehab given this past offseason really shows,sure it's rough in a few spots but it throws you around in a good way compared to a certain piece of firewood next door & that tunnel always gets me each & every time I ride.
Despite the removal of trees in the area this coaster still shines when the sun goes down…it is dark as pitch back there in the first turn approaching the drop in the tunnel.The figure-8 finale could use a little bit of re-tracking though but other than that a sweet ride from start to finish.
July 30, 2011 at 06:09
I feel like the ride has lost something over the years. I think it's a result of the go-karts, and neighboring attractions. I rode it earlier this season and they have done a lot of work on the ride (replacing boards) and it seemed like it was running much smoother than it had in previous years.
July 31, 2011 at 22:41
That is good news, Brian! I wish they'd restore all three of their full-sized woodies to their original, fun, SMOOTH states!
August 14, 2011 at 05:58
I have ridden it a lot this summer and love it. I was surprised to see matt say that Hurler was smoother. I thought Hurler was much rougher. Both were fun but worth the pain.
August 15, 2011 at 11:31
It's funny that my first large coaster was the Grizzly @ Great America.
August 18, 2011 at 13:52
If you get the chance to visit KD again soon, give Grizzly another try. They just retracked it and it shows, the ride really shines again. I just got off it, and it was the smoothest woodie I've ridden in years. Fast, tons of air, really an amazing ride again, very nearly Phoenix or Boulder Dash amazing.
September 11, 2011 at 14:11
I rode this a night and it was the best wooden coaster I've ever been on (coming from georgia where thier woodies are mediocre execpt for GASM which is fun) maybe it was because I was young or whatever but t wasnt rough to me at all it was amazing
October 1, 2011 at 22:06
Not nearly as rough as you people are saying.
I rode the Grizz 5 times straight last night. It's an awesome coaster, especially at night. There's nothing like that insane tunnel with the big airtime gap in the middle of it.
Rebel Yell and Grizzly alone make KD a destination spot.
August 5, 2012 at 22:57
Grizzly before the retracking was sort of rough, but it wasn't horrible for me until coming back towards the station, we hit a bump that made a loud banging noise, and I'm not kidding, my boob came out of my shirt and smacked me in the face. LOL It makes me laugh every time I think of it now, but then I thought something was wrong and we were all going to die. I'd really like to ride this again now that it's been retracked.