Extreme Terror Rides 3

Visit the tallest, fastest and craziest thrill rides on the planet.
By: Erica Walsh

If you've ever felt the need for speed, then this list of adrenaline-packed thrill rides is for you. Visit the tallest, fastest and craziest thrill rides on the planet.

Jet Boat Tour
 Snake River, Idaho
Courtesy of Snake River Adventures, one of the most extreme ways to ride Snake River's 100+ rapids is on an intense trip lasting 11 hours and covering 216 miles. The first half of the tour is a relatively calm experience, but it's no-holds-barred after lunch when passengers board the Boogie Boat, created for maximum white-water thrills. The Boogie Boat is equipped with 3 engines that pack a combined 1,000 horsepower thrust, propelling the boat at speeds up to 70 mph.

Hades
 Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
At Mt. Olympus Park, Hades peaks 160 feet off the ground and plummets riders on a 65-degree drop reaching speeds up to 70 mph. Sure that's fast -- but it's at this point in the ride that Hades gets extreme. This devilish coaster drops riders from broad daylight to total darkness in an 800-foot passage underneath the parking lot. That's the length of 2 football fields. Just as you think it's time to catch your breath, Hades whips around a 90-degree banked curve and starts climbing for a second trip through the tunnel.

SkyCoaster
 Kissimmee, Florida
Offering the adrenaline rush and speed of skydiving without climbing aboard a plane or strapping on a parachute, Fun Spot USA's SkyCoaster sends riders soaring through the air at speeds approaching 80 mph. Don't be fooled by the name, this ride isn't a coaster at all; passengers decked in flight suits ascend a 300-foot tower and are secured in a hang gliding-type harness. Three people can fly together at the same time, and 1 of them has to have the courage to pull the ripcord that sends you plummeting in a 120-foot free fall.

Steel Dragon 2000
Nagoya, Japan
Nagashima Spaland's Steel Dragon 2000 is the longest roller coaster in the entire world; at a length of 8,133 feet, it's about 6,000 feet longer than the average coaster. The 1 1/2-mile steel track allows the Dragon to reach lightening speeds -- up to 95 mph. The Steel Dragon is also 1 of the top 5 tallest coasters in the world; the first hill alone reaches 318 feet.

Pilgrim's Plunge
 Santa Claus, Indiana
Pilgrim's Plunge at Holiday World and Splashin' Safari is one of the world's wettest and fastest coasters. In fact, at a height of 135 feet, this is the world's tallest water ride. Passengers board at the Tower, where an open-air boat-like elevator hauls 10 brave souls 13 stories in 22 seconds. An agonizing 3-second pause must be endured before Pilgrim's Plunge drops 131 feet to a very wet splash landing.

Wave House
 San Diego, California
The gnarliest waves in Southern California aren't at the beach -- they're at Wave House, a 33,000-square-foot entertainment complex that houses one of the wildest man-made wave machines in the country. The FlowBarrel is an endlessly perfect 10-foot barrel that challenges everyone from bodyboarding tourists to professional surfers. Anyone wishing to ride the FlowBarrel first must conquer the smaller FlowRider -- and sign a waiver -- before they can ride these monster waves.

Star Flyer
Orlando, Florida
At Magical Midway Thrill Park, thrill-seekers can ride the highest and fastest carousel ride in the entire country. This high-flying swing ride towers 235 feet off the ground and reaches speeds of 54 mph -- that's over twice as fast as the average swing ride and almost as tall as the Statue of Liberty.

Ring Racer
Nurburg, Germany
This Formula 1 racetrack in Germany is now home to the fastest coaster in the world, Ring Racer. Passengers blast off on a track that runs parallel to the famous Formula 1 racetrack and reach speeds of 134 mph in 2.5 seconds -- that's a greater rate of acceleration than any car on the Formula 1 track.

River Boarding
 Merced River, California
On the mighty Merced River in Yosemite National Park, adrenaline junkies are ditching the paddles (and their fear) and diving headfirst into white-water rapids. On specially constructed boards inspired by boogie boarders, brave souls can navigate Merced River's white water at speeds reaching 25 mph. Before plunging into the water, boarders must gear up to protect themselves from jagged rocks, hypothermia and drowning. The few who are truly courageous can brave "the hole" -- a pocket formed when white water pours over rocks and rebounds upstream creating a strong (and incredibly hard to navigate) whirlpool.

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