Despite how I pretty much had an all-around awful day at Marineland, there are two reasons that I may possibly make a return trip in the future. One was their incredible S&S triple tower, Sky Screamer. And the other reason would be for Dragon Mountain, the park’s 27 year old Arrow terrain coaster that is shockingly pleasant considering its age and the manufacturer.

Nestled in the back right corner of the park, Dragon Mountain’s sprawling layout is almost entirely concealed from view due to the ride hugging the ground, traveling through several tunnels, and flying by a myriad of trees. Because of this, anticipation mounted prior to hopping in line since I heard the terrified screams of riders and the roar of the track, yet I did not see the ride itself. That changed once I entered the coaster’s line since I then saw one of the ride’s beautiful trains navigating the heralded bow-tie element.

Onto the ride’s queue line. After making my way through a long winding path through the woods, I then entered Dragon Mountain’s massive and iconic dragon-head entrance. Pictures simply do not show the sheer size, scope, and detail of this impressive sculpture. It just has to be seen in person! Once entering the dragon-head, an incredibly dark tunnel leads to the dimly-lit station. While I personally thought that the lack of lighting definitely added to the ride’s mysterious atmosphere, I saw several people crashing into walls and struggling to reach the station, so just be careful.

Dragon Mountain turned out to be a walk-on when I visited for every seat except the front. The front row typically was a one or two train wait. Being how Marineland is such a poor park and the fact that you probably are going to record several rides on this coaster, I definitely recommend trying the front row at least once. Also, for those with long legs, definitely grab the front row since there is twice the leg room due to the colossal dragon head on the front of the train. With that said, I personally liked the back row best since it was the most intense. Now when I mentioned that Dragon Mountain had a beautiful train, I was not kidding. Sporting an intricately designed dragon head on the front of the train and flames along the sides of the train, Dragon Mountain’s train is definitely one of the most unique and marvelous trains that I have seen at any park.

The ride itself begins with an incredibly slow climb up a gigantic hill. On the way up, I marveled at the lush landscape that surrounded the train. Upon cresting the long lift (it literally took 1 and a half minutes or so), there is a quick turn and then the real action begins. Dragon Mountain starts it off with a very good, steep first drop. Like most Arrow coasters, the first drop provided a sensational moment of ejector air. Without giving me a chance to catch my breath, Dragon Mountain navigates two intense vertical loops, back-to-back, in rapid fire succession. Both loops had fairly strong positive Gs to boot.

Following that, Dragon Mountain enters a fairly mundane middle portion. This middle section begins with a downward helix housed within a crater. While I thought that the crater was a nice touch, the helix overall just wasn’t very good. It certainly was not rough; it was actually smooth. Unfortunately though it is taken far too slowly to provide any real thrills. Following the sub-par helix are a couple of rough transitions that give some acute jolts of head-banging. Now this head-banging does not ruin the entire ride; however, after four consecutive rides I had a minor headache from the cumulative beating.

Finally, Dragon Mountain slowly creeps into a pitch-black and incredibly long tunnel. Midway through the tunnel, there is a sudden drop that completely caught me off-guard. The drop gave a good pop of air-time in the back of the train. Then I saw the end of the tunnel approaching and Dragon Mountain’s last surprise- the bowtie. Immediately after exiting the tunnel, Dragon Mountain swiftly executes its unique and very disorienting bowtie element. Much to my amazement, this element was glass-smooth, which is a real shock considering the manufacturer’s infamous pedigree. Following that, the train returns to the station, ending the ride.

Overall, Dragon Mountain is a pretty good coaster that was one of the few highlights of my trip to Marineland. Despite the boring middle section and some pesky head-banging, Dragon Mountain is a really enjoyable coaster thanks to the thrilling inversions, two excellent drops, and the ride’s stellar setting. Again, this head-banging wasn’t a bother following my first ride, but after four consecutive rides I had a minor head-ache so I would try to avoid riding this beast several times back to back. With that being said, no visit to Marineland would be complete without Dragon Mountain, as it is not only a great coaster, but it is also one of the few redeeming qualities at an all-around awful park.

Times Ridden: 4
Favorite Seat: Back Row (7:2)
Best Part: Final Tunnel

I had a tough time trying to figure out how to rate this ride since I have been to MarineLand just one time in my life and have been on this coaster two or maybe three times. At the time I visited this park, I was elementary aged, and it was by far my favorite ride at the park. I loved walking into the dragon&#39.s mouth at the queue entrance and boarding the train in a cave! The track is hidden from most of the park....and the most of world for that matter. I think this coaster deserves a little more hype than it gets. I remember how excited I was coming off of this coaster! The only bad thing I remember is it was a little bit of a head banger, but like I said, I was young and may not have been able to control my head as well as I can now. Dragon Mountain has a double vertical loop, double helix with decent g-forces, two dark tunnels, and the only bowtie element in the world! The wait back in those days was not long at all, although the ride itself is long! If this coaster were in a big time park, I&#39.m sure it would be getting more attention than it currently gets. Dragon Mountain really is a hidden gem!

A great coaster in a horrible park. Whatever you do, don&#39.t go to Marineland. No matter what other people say about the park, one good coaster is NOT enough to explain that admission price!

While a little rough by todays standards it is still a decent and thrilling ride. After riding multiple times you learn that the ride can beat you up if you sit in the wrong seats.

Good Arrow looper than certainly was my favorite ride at Marineland. The dragon entrance looked cool and I loved how the entire ride worked well with the terrain. The first drop was huge and gave a little air in the back and the following two vertical loops were smooth. After that the ride slowed down a bit and traveled around a few turns and the following helix was cool since it had the volcano structure, but it still was on the slow side. Then after a long tunnel was a very intense bowtie element that was completely smooth and it had some strong Gs. Dragon Mountain was a very long coaster as well.

A very long ride with unique elements. I really liked the tunnels and station. Hard to believe this coaster is over twenty years old. Worth the trip to Marineland.

This is a very scenic well themed terrain coaster with a long slow climb up the side of a hill before the first drop. The coaster is long but seems even longer than it is because the train goes so slow. If the elements were taken at a faster pace this coaster could be much more enjoyable. Overall, a decent ride but nothing amazing enough to give it a rating to put it up there with the best coasters.

I rode this 3 years ago- my first loopng coaster
The themeing is what I remember most. The entrance is a dragon mouth and the paint on the cars. The ride was fun but not too intense. Best of all there is never a wait over 10 minutes

i went to canada about ten years ago, and this coaster was the only highlight of the day spent at marine land. the park itself can get a bit boring, and i had to be coaxed and bribed to get onto the coaster in the first place as i was 12 years old at the time, but it was worth it. the setup they had was cool, and despite the coaster obviously not being completely finished, it was really fun.

I went to Marine Land back in 1991 and rode the Dragon Mountain. It was outstanding! It was also the second coaster I rode that had inversions (the first was the Corkscrew at Michigans Adventure). This coaster is dubbed the Worlds Largest Coaster, which, IMO, is up for debate (see Son Of Beast, Beast, Magnum XL 200, etc.).