The Grizzly — Attraction in Santa Clara

Generally considered to be amongst the worst wooden coasters in the U.S. by enthusiasts, The Grizzly (Fizzly) disappoints after the first big drop. The first turnaround coming of the first hill is so slow you could play a hand of cards before it picks up speed on the next drop, which is unfortunately pretty much the last drop of size for the ride. The rest of the ride consists of a bumpy, painful course out and back with curves but no steep drops nor the airtime of most wooden coasters (Gold Striker or Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk's superb Giant Dipper.)

PROs: It's wooden structure is pleasing to the eye. It offers a nice view of the other much better coasters in the park.

CONs: It's unpopularity makes this ride easy for the park to ignore and the lack of maintenance makes the coaster bumpy and painful for the average rider. Ride crew has no interest in short dispatch times, so even when lines are shorter than the other coasters, the wait is still as long.

I think it should be given the RMC treatment like Roar at SFDK, now known as The...

I haven't ridden this ride for over 15 years. It was just as I remember... bumps and jerks... except I feel like my old age made it seem a lot faster. I brought my 15 year old and 10 year old on this ride and we had a blast. We had to wait in line for about 30 to 45 minutes but most of the rides in Great America were about this long anyways. There was a mix of people with and without masks although we...

One of the oldest coasters at CGA (and the only wooden one until Gold Striker opens), but still manages to provide some fun. The first drop is one of my favorites at CGA. Plus, the coaster always feels like it's about to break, which adds to the experience. Downside is the slow turn-around times compared to the other coasters in the park, which translates to long lines (I think this will change a bit...