Knott's Berry Farm · The Boardwalk
HangTime
California's only infinity coaster — a 96-degree beyond-vertical drop that hangs you over the crest before dropping into five inversions.
Ride facts
- Type
- Roller coaster
- Height
- 48in (122cm)
- Intensity
- Intense
- Motion sickness
- High motion risk
- Getting wet
- Stay dry
- Indoor / outdoor
- Outdoor
- Air conditioned
- No
- Rider Switch
- Available
- Inversions
- Yes
Last verified July 2026
What it is
HangTime is a Gerstlauer infinity coaster, the type known for its beyond-vertical first drops, and its 96-degree opening remains among the steepest in the country. The train crests the lift, tips past vertical, and pauses — a deliberate hold that makes the drop a genuine freefall beat — before releasing into a compact, inversion-heavy layout over the Boardwalk.
The ride is the park's most modern thrills-per-foot: five inversions including a zero-g stall, all visible from the midway and photogenic in the way the Boardwalk demands.
It shares the 48-inch tier with GhostRider and Xcelerator, forming a trio that makes Knott's genuinely strong for the 48-to-54 crowd — no ride in the park's headliner tier demands more than 48.
What riding it is actually like
The lift climbs the Boardwalk's skyline. At the crest the train tips forward past vertical — 96 degrees, past straight-down — and holds. The release is a fall, not a drop, and the layout below spends it immediately on a dive loop.
The middle runs the inversion sequence: zero-g roll, corkscrews, the stall where the track banks and hangs. The compact footprint means elements arrive without recovery time between them.
The brake run arrives at ninety-odd seconds. Ride the middle rows first, then the front for the drop's full exposure — the hold at the crest is worth the second lap.
Is HangTime scary?
The 96-degree beyond-vertical first drop holds the train at the crest for a beat before releasing — a genuine freefall feeling. Five inversions follow on a compact layout. The hold at the top is the fear moment.
Scores are editorial, on a 1–5 scale, judged against what frightens a typical four- to seven-year-old rather than an adult.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair
- Must transfer to the ride vehicle
- Audio description
- Not offered
- Handheld captioning
- Not offered
- Assistive listening
- Not offered
- Sign language
- Not offered
- Service animals
- Must use a kennel or wait with a companion
Transfer into infinity-coaster trains with lap-bar and shin restraints.
Tips that actually help
- Front row for the crest hold — the pause before the drop is the signature and reads best from the lead car.
- Ride after Xcelerator in the morning Boardwalk window; their queues grow together.
- The inversion count is high for the ride's length — motion-sensitive riders take note.
Timing
- Best time to ride
- The morning Boardwalk window.
- Typical wait
- 30–60 minutes in season.
- line-skip passes
- Covered by a line-skip pass
HangTime: common questions
What does 'beyond vertical' mean?
The first drop angles at 96 degrees — six degrees past straight-down. The train briefly tips forward past vertical at the crest, which creates the ride's signature held freefall moment before the drop releases.
What is the height requirement for HangTime?
48 inches. Knott's headliner trio (GhostRider, Xcelerator, HangTime) all sit at 48 — unusually generous for rides this intense, and the reason the park works so well for the 48-to-54 bracket.
Where does HangTime rank at Knott's?
Top three with GhostRider and Xcelerator. It is the park's most modern ride and its most photogenic — the beyond-vertical crest is visible from the Boardwalk midway. Riders who rank coasters by intensity put it second behind Xcelerator's launch.