Out and back roller coaster

Out and back refers to the layout of a roller coaster. An out and back coaster is one that climbs a lift hill, races out to the far end of the track, performs a 180 degree turn and then races its way back to the station.

Drop off the Comet, an out and back roller coaster.

This particular design is very popular and is easy to design and construct. With an out and back design the hills on the way "out" usually are quite large and gradually decrease in size. The hills on the way "back" are usually "bunny hops", or small hills created to maximize air-time.

Double out-and-back

A variation on the theme is to have the track travel from point A to point B, then back to A twice. Examples of this type of ride include the venerable Comet, which was moved from Crystal Beach in Ontario to The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom at Queensbury, New York, and the Phoenix at Knoebels' Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania.

Triple out-and-back

These coasters travel back and forth between A and B thrice; the resulting appearance is often hard to discern from true twisters, which are usually free-form in design. An example of this type of ride is the Coney Island Cyclone.

Examples

• American Eagle at Six Flags Great America
• Apollo's Chariot at Busch Gardens Europe
• Arkansas Twister at Magic Springs and Crystal Falls
• Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland
• Big Dipper at Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom
• Blue Streak at Cedar Point
• Boulder Dash and Wildcat at Lake Compounce
• Cannon Ball at Lake Winnepesaukah
• Cheetah at Wild Adventures
• Comet at Hersheypark
• Comet at The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom
• Giant Dipper at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
• The Predator at Darien Lake
• The Goliath at La Ronde
• Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia
• Great American Scream Machine at Six Flags Over Georgia
• High Roller at Valleyfair!
• Intimidator at Carowinds
• Jack Rabbit at Seabreeze Amusement Park
• Judge Roy Scream at Six Flags over Texas
• Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point
• Mamba at Worlds of Fun
• Millennium Force at Cedar Point
• The Mighty Canadian Minebuster at Canada's Wonderland
• Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure
• Pepsi Max Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach
• Phoenix at Knoebels' Amusement Resort
• Racer at Kings Island
• Rebel Yell at Kings Dominion
• Rolling Thunder at Six Flags Great Adventure
• Rollo Coaster at Idlewild Park
• Scenic Railway Roller Coaster at Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach
• Screamin' Eagle at Six Flags St. Louis
• Shivering Timbers at Michigan's Adventure
• The Starliner from Miracle Strip, now at Cypress Gardens
• Thunder Road at Carowinds
• Thunderbolt at Kennywood
• Tornado at Adventureland
• Wild Thing at Valleyfair!
• Wild Beast at Canada's Wonderland
• Yankee Cannonball at Canobie Lake Park
• The Wild One at Six Flags America