Canobie Lake Park rides, by thrill level

Canobie Lake Park rides run from a beyond-vertical steel coaster to a carousel carved in 1903, and the park counts more than 85 rides, games and attractions in all. This guide sorts the rides by thrill level, with the height rules Canobie posts on each ride’s page as of October 2026. Heights are strictly enforced at the entrance and can change, so check the sign before you get in line. For tickets, lockers and parking, start with our Canobie Lake Park tips.

Canobie Lake Park rides for thrill seekers

These draw the long lines on summer Saturdays. Most require riders to be 48 inches tall.

Untamed opened in 2011 and is still what the park calls its newest coaster; Canobie says there is nothing like it in New England. Each rider gets a single seat in the grizzly-bear cars, with an over-the-shoulder restraint. The Yankee Cannonball is the classic: a wooden out-and-back coaster built in 1930 and running at Canobie since 1936. Its whole story is in our Yankee Cannonball guide. For both coasters, the park suggests riding with one or two companions and skipping them if you’re afraid of heights.

The Turkish Twist is physically demanding. At speed, riders are pinned to the wall by a force just under three times Earth’s gravity. Time Winder, a family thrill ride with four rotating arms and 32 seats, was listed as closed for maintenance in October 2026.

Family rides the whole group can do

Many of these let shorter kids ride with a supervising companion. The heights below are the park’s.

• Dragon Coaster: a dragon-shaped family coaster that makes two circuits of the track, with swift turns and moderate hills. 42 inches, or younger riders with a supervising companion.
• Giant Sky Wheel: an 80-foot Ferris wheel with 20 gondolas, each holding up to four adults. Riders must be 48 inches to ride alone.
• Sky Ride: a slow, ski-lift-style ride over the north end of the park. A good way to rest your feet.
• Psychodrome: an indoor scrambler with music and strobe lights. 48 inches alone, 36 inches with a supervising companion.
• Over the Rainbow: spinning carts that rise 20 feet in the air. 42 inches, or with a supervising companion.
• Twist & Shout and Caterpillar: 48 inches, or with a supervising companion. Boston Harbor Patrol, a rocking ship ride: 42 inches, or with a companion.
• Skater and Wave Blaster, the grown-up version of Jump Around: 48 inches alone, 42 inches with a supervising companion.
• Dodgem bumper cars: 48 inches. Canobie 500, old-style sports cars that top out at 5 mph: drivers must be 48 inches.
• Crazy Cups (six spinning teacups on a figure-eight track), Rowdy Roosters (an updated Flying Scooters you steer with the rooster’s head fin) and the Antique Cars, Model A-style cars that go 3 mph. Their pages list no height rule.
• Mine of Lost Souls: a slow dark ride in an old mine car that tells the story of two Salem boys, Billy and Bobby Hollander, with singing miners and Grim Reapers. Closed for the season in fall 2026.

Classic rides and lake views

• Antique Carousel: carved in 1903, with 46 animals, benches and music from a 1922 Wurlitzer band organ. There’s a wheelchair lift, and children under 5 ride with a safety belt.
• Venetian Carousel: a two-level carousel with carved animals, benches, two spinning cups and a rocking chair. 48 inches to ride alone, or with a supervising companion.
• Canobie Express: a real steam train along the shore of Canobie Lake, past the Dancehall Theater and the Skating Rink. Folded strollers and wheelchairs can ride along.
• Blue Heron Lake Cruise: a 20-minute pontoon boat ride on Canobie Lake, with views of the park and the Salem and Windham shore.

The train and the cruise were closed for the season in fall 2026.

Kiddie rides for kids 48 inches and under

Canobie’s kiddie rides carry a recommended maximum height of 48 inches. They include the Kiddie Carousel, Fire Engines with working bells, Boats, Jeeps, Tanks, Helicopters that kids raise and lower themselves, Sky Fighters, the Sea/Land Rescue biplanes, Pony Carts, Junior Sportscars, Mini Skooter bumper cars, the Autobahn (one of the park’s oldest kiddie rides, with 19 vehicles), Alpine Swings (a smaller DaVinci’s Dream) and Kiddie Canoes, which float through a tunnel. A few have extra rules:

• Mini Dinos: 36 inches minimum, 48 inches recommended maximum.
• Flower Power: a small version of the Whip; 48 inches maximum and at least 3 years old.
• Jungle Bounce: lifts riders about 18 feet and hops them back down; 36 inches minimum.
• Jump Around: a bouncing ride for up to four kids, or one adult and two kids; 36 inches, or with a supervising companion.

Several kiddie rides will stop for a child who is crying or looks frightened. If an older sibling wants a big ride the little one can’t do, use Parent Swap, explained in our tips guide. More ideas for a family day are in Salem, NH with kids.

Water rides and Castaway Island

Water rides are a summer thing. In 2026 the Log Flume and Boston Tea Party ran through mid-September, and Castaway Island closed Sept. 7.

• Log Flume: a float through the woods and over the rapids that ends in a 40-foot drop. 42 inches alone, 36 inches with a supervising companion.
• Boston Tea Party: 20-passenger boats climb a hill and drop 50 feet, throwing up a wall of water 50 feet high and 100 feet wide. 40 inches alone, 36 inches with a supervising companion. You will get wet.

Castaway Island, the water park inside Canobie, is included with admission, and swimwear is required. In 2026 it opened May 23 for weekends, then ran 10:30 a.m.–6 p.m. every park day from June 19 to Labor Day. Expect a wait to get in on hot days.

• River Slides: three twisting tube slides. 48 inches minimum; weight limits are 300 pounds for a single tube and 400 for a double.
• Tidal River: a lazy river with waves every 12 seconds. Anyone under 42 inches must wear a life jacket, which is free.
• Rain Fortress: a splash structure for all ages. The park’s height chart sets 40 inches for the tall dark-green slides.
• Lil’ Squirts Lagoon: water play for kids 48 inches and under, with parents welcome.

Plan a hot-weather visit with our summer in Salem guide.

Rides you won’t find anymore

Old maps may show rides that are gone. The Canobie Corkscrew, a steel looping coaster, last ran in 2021, and the Tall Timber Splash water coaster closed after 2023. Neither is on the 2026 ride list. In fall, many rides stay open at night for Screeemfest, while the water rides, train, cruise and dark ride close for the season.