Great Bear — Attraction in Derry Township

Great Bear is one of my all time favorite inverted coasters. I haven't ridden Candymonium, but it's currently my favorite coaster at Hersheypark. It's a forceful and well paced coaster with a cool setting.

I think every inverted coaster is better with a helix, and usually that comes at the very end. For Great Bear it happens high in the sky right before the first drop, and it's quite forceful.

The 3 inversions right after the first drop are excellent. Two forceful loops back to back, with one turning you the other way. The zero-g roll is probably my favorite on any invert, as the twist is forceful, whippy, and rapid with no gradual entry or exit into it.

After this the layout gets unconventional again, taking a hill that banks hard left crossing the water on the way down. This is an awesome element which has airtime in the front row on the rise, and strong g forces on the turn on the way down. After this is a straightaway over the water, where you can really feel the ride's speed as you zoom past SooperDooperLooper and you go through keyhole supports for a unique footchopper effect.

For the finale, a hard bank left underneath the monorail, which aggressively then twists to the right into a final corkscrew, followed by a gentle meander over Sooper again into the brake run.

Aside from the great pacing, unique layout, speed, footchoppers, and forceful elements, Great Bear has an awesome setting, either over water, midways, or past other rides. This is the icing on the cake for an...

Great Bear is an inverted roller coaster. Similar rides of the same model line are known to offer high G-Forces and have a tangle of track stuffed into a tight space. However, Great Bear differs from the pack, but not exactly in the best way. To give credit where it’s due, Hersheypark had to fit this ride into an awkward spot; with the station area replacing the first Sky Ride’s and the coaster working its way above the SooperDooperLooper looping coaster and Coal Cracker log flume. After reriding Great Bear in 2018, it’s better than I last remembered it being in 2016 but is still not a top-tier roller coaster. The ride provides moderate G-forces, and an uncommon gliding sensation; the manufacturer of Great Bear, Bolliger and Mabillard, offers Flying Coasters two of which I have ridden. Therefore Great Bear feels most comparable to those, than the other eight Inverted Coasters that I have experienced. It’s still not a bad coaster, but it isn’t necessarily the most thrilling or exciting either. Great Bear, however, rounds out the collection of Hersheypark’s adult roller coasters by offering an unsuspecting middle-ground thrill that isn’t too...

Great Bear is a wonderful B&M invert. In my opinion, it's better than Talon at Dorney Park. It's a very odd invert as well. This ride doesn't have your typical layout that you see on other inverts. It is very spread out but surprisingly, pretty intense. That first helix pulled some good Gs. The inversions on this coaster are also really fun. The immelmann is by far my favorite part of the ride. This is a very smooth roller coaster as well. There was no head banging, jostling, or any of that. I also love the sound to this roller coaster. All of the supports are hollow, giving it that roar as it crosses over the midway. It's one heck of a ride and I think you will scream for more by...