Nightmare at Crack Axle Canyon

Nightmare at Crack Axle Canyon (formerly known as Starchaser and Nightmare at Phantom Cave) was a twister roller coaster at Great Escape amusement park in Queensbury, New York. The relatively simple steel coaster was enclosed in a warehouse-like building allowing the cars to run in the dark giving a heightened sense of disorientation around sharp twists and turns. The ride was situated in the park's Ghosttown area and was appropriately-themed to the Old West.

Nightmare at Crack Axle Canyon
Building exterior and entrance to the Nightmare.
Great Escape
Park section	Ghosttown
Coordinates	43.352491°N 73.692515°W / 43.352491; -73.692515
Status	Removed
Opening date	1999 (1999)
Closing date	2006 (2006)
Darien Lake
Coordinates	42.929°N 78.385°W / 42.929; -78.385
Status	Removed
Opening date	1996 (1996)
Closing date	1998 (1998)
Kentucky Kingdom
Coordinates	38.195°N 85.747°W / 38.195; -85.747
Status	Removed
Opening date	May 23, 1987 (1987-05-23)
Closing date	1995 (1995)
Beech Bend
Coordinates	37.024°N 86.395°W / 37.024; -86.395
Status	Removed
Closing date	1984 (1984)
General statistics
Type	Steel – Enclosed
Manufacturer	Anton Schwarzkopf
Model	Twister roller coaster
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height	44 ft (13 m)
Length	1,765 ft (538 m)
Speed	31 mph (50 km/h)
Inversions	0
Height restriction	48 in (122 cm)
Nightmare at Crack Axle Canyon at RCDB

History

Before arriving at The Great Escape, Nightmare at Crack Axle Canyon was located at Beech Bend Park, Kentucky Kingdom as Starchaser and at Darien Lake as Nightmare at Phantom Cave. The 2006 season was the last season that the roller coaster was open at The Great Escape. The park later confirmed that the coaster had been scrapped, possibly shortly after its closure. In 2013, at The Great Escape during Fright Fest (Halloween event) the building is used for a haunted house.

Capacity issues

The trains were single cars with two rows of two riders each, for a total capacity of four riders per car. The low capacity could result in long wait times. To remedy this, the new Flash Pass system (named for the Flash, a licensed DC Comics character) was introduced in 2006. Riders arriving at the attraction were given a ticket and asked to return at a designated time, when lines were noticeably shorter.

References

• Nightmare at Crack Axel Canyon listing at RCDB.com