Millennium Force

Millennium Force
Millennium Force is a popular giga coaster located at Cedar Point. The ride replaced the park's former Giant Wheel, and opened to the public on May 13, 2000.

Ride history
On July 2, 1999, Cedar Fair filed a trademark for the name Millennium Force. The attraction was announced a few weeks later on July 22, 1999. It was built on ground in the Frontier Trail section of the park and the amusement park's Giant Wheel had to be relocated to build the coaster. At the announcement, the park stated the coaster's speed was 92mph. During early testing, it showed the speed was 93. The ride's first media event was held on May 11, 2000, and two days later, on May 13, 2000, the ride officially opened to the general public.

Records
When the coaster opened, it set many records and standards theme parks still continue to beat. The attraction was the first coaster to pass 300 feet, and was the tallest at the time, surpassing Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain, which opened two months before. It had the longest drop on a roller coaster (300 feet) and was the fastest at 93 mph. The ride had the steepest non-inversion banked turn which was 122 degrees. It was also the first coaster to use the cable lift and magnetic braking system.

Park Records
Out of park records, the ride helped out. Out of the 74 rides in the park, Millennium Force was the park's 68th attraction. When the park had the most roller coasters in a theme park, the coaster was the fourteenth out of sixteen to open. When Cedar Point set the record for most steel coasters at a park, the ride was twelfth out of fourteen at the park. The park, when broke the record, had 52,126 ft of roller coaster track throughout the park. Millennium Force raised the park's former total to 44,013 ft, later helped out by Top Thrill Dragster and Maverick.

Ride synopsis
Once the train is cleared to go on the ride, the cable lift sends riders up a 45-degree hill at 15 mph to a height of 310 feet. Slowly, the ride plummets 300 feet at an 80 degree angle at reaches its top speed of 93 mph. It then reaches a 169 foot-long overbanked turn at an angle of 122 degrees, then travels through a tunnel which passes the Frontier Trail, the part of the park where the ride was built. It then ascends up an 182 foot tall hill, which descends over Adventure Island and a small lagoon. While over the lagoon, the ride completes a 360 degree, 105-foot, right helix, followed by an overbank turn and then a right turn before going up another hill to exit over the island. It is followed by a left turn and a small hill, which passes the ride's queue. Finally, the ride goes through a 68-foot hill, before stopping at the magnetic brake system, and going back into the ride's indoor station.