The History of GateKeeper

GateKeeper is the first thing you see at Cedar Point. Its track flies straight over the front gate, threading two tall keyhole towers that frame the entrance, and its riders sit out on wings to either side of the rail with nothing above or below them.

A statement at the front gate

GateKeeper is a wing coaster, built by Bolliger and Mabillard in 2013 for about thirty million dollars, in which the seats hang off the sides of the track rather than on top of it. Cedar Point used it to rebuild its whole entrance. The coaster soars over the main gate and dives through two hundred-foot keyhole towers that stand at the plaza, so the ride greets every guest walking in. To make room, the park cleared two old attractions, the enclosed bobsled ride Disaster Transport and the Space Spiral observation tower.

Records in a new category

At its opening GateKeeper claimed several wing coaster records, including the longest of its type, and it set a broader record too. Its 170-foot Wing Over drop registered as the tallest inversion in the world, a different measure than the tallest coaster. Its six inversions include an Immelmann, a zero-gravity roll, and a pair of spins spread over more than four thousand feet of track.

Sister coasters

GateKeeper is one of B&M's wing coasters, a family in which riders always sit out on the wings. Its relatives include X-Flight at Six Flags Great America, Wild Eagle at Dollywood, Thunderbird at Holiday World, and The Swarm at Thorpe Park in England. GateKeeper was the largest of the group when it opened.

One thing to know

GateKeeper's claim to fame was not its height, which is modest by Cedar Point standards, but that its Wing Over drop was the tallest inversion on earth when it opened, a records category all its own.

GateKeeper is one chapter in the history of Cedar Point.

GateKeeper at a glance