Nightmare at Crack Axle Canyon

Nightmare at Crack Axle Canyon (formerly known as Nightmare At Phantom Cave and Starchaser) was an enclosed Jet Star roller coaster at Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor in Queensbury, New York. The relatively simple steel coaster, manufactured by Anton Schwarzkopf, was enclosed in a dark warehouse-like building, giving a heightened sense of speed and disorientation around sharp twists and turns. The ride was located in the park's Old West-themed Ghosttown area.

Nightmare at Crack Axle Canyon
Building exterior and entrance to Nightmare at Crack Axle Canyon
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)
Noble Park Funland
Status	Removed
Opening date	1985 (1985)
Closing date	1986 (1986)
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	Jet Star
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

The ride originally opened at some point between 1968 and 1972 at Beech Bend in Bowling Green, Kentucky, as Jet Star. It operated there until 1984, when it was moved to Noble Park Funland in Paducah, Kentucky. It operated there in 1985 and 1986, before it was then moved to Kentucky Kingdom, where it reopened in 1987 as Starchaser. It operated at Kentucky Kingdom until 1995. The following year, it was moved to Darien Lake (now Six Flags Darien Lake) as Nightmare At Phantom Cave. It operated at Six Flags Darien Lake from 1996 to 1998. It then saw its final relocation to Six Flags Great Escape (known then simply as Great Escape), operating there from 1999 to 2006 as Nightmare at Crack Axel Canyon. It closed for the final time at the end of the 2006 season, and the park later confirmed that the coaster had been scrapped.^{[citation needed]} In 2013, the building was used for a haunted house attraction during Fright Fest, the park's Halloween event.^{[citation needed]}

Ride experience

The ride was a Jet Star roller coaster, so it focused on tight turns and small dips in a relatively compact area. The trains were single cars with two rows of two riders each, for a capacity of four riders per car.

References

• Nightmare at Crack Axel Canyon listing at RCDB.com