The Yankee Cannonball, still rolling

The Yankee Cannonball is the wooden roller coaster at Canobie Lake Park in Salem, NH. It was built in 1930 at Lakewood Park in Waterbury, Connecticut, moved to Canobie and reopened here in 1936, and it still delivers about 60 seconds of quick drops and air time. American Coaster Enthusiasts calls it New Hampshire’s oldest operating roller coaster and named it a Coaster Landmark in 2013. Riders must be at least 48 inches tall.

Yankee Cannonball at a glance

Built in Connecticut in 1930

The ride began life in 1930 at Lakewood Park in Waterbury, Connecticut, under the plain name Roller Coaster. Herbert P. Schmeck of the Philadelphia Toboggan Company designed it, and Frank Hoover oversaw construction. It was the company’s coaster No. 86, and the Roller Coaster Database notes that it was also known as the Meteor at Lakewood. Its first career was short. The coaster closed at Lakewood in the early 1930s, after only a couple of seasons.

The move to Salem

Meanwhile, Canobie had come back to life. The park had closed in 1929 when the trolleys stopped, and Patrick J. Holland, a road-building contractor, reopened it in 1932. In 1936 Holland negotiated the purchase, transport and rebuilding of the Connecticut coaster. According to ACE, it came to Salem by rail, and the structure needed major changes to fit its new site. It reopened that year as the Greyhound.

The ride picked up other names along the way. In the late 1950s, people called it the Roller Coaster, the Coaster or the Giant Coaster. In 1983 the park officially renamed it the Yankee Cannonball.

Hurricane Carol and the landmark plaque

On Aug. 31, 1954, Hurricane Carol destroyed parts of the coaster, including the lift hill. It was rebuilt in time for the next season. A hurricane is one of the setbacks the park’s history lists among the reasons the Holland family sold Canobie in 1958; the whole story is in our Canobie Lake Park history.

On June 20, 2013, American Coaster Enthusiasts named the Yankee Cannonball an ACE Coaster Landmark, presented during Coaster Con XXXVI, the group’s national convention. ACE started the landmark program in 2000 to honor rides of historical significance.

Survival is the point. By the time Canobie changed hands in 1958, the park’s history notes, the more than 2,000 roller coasters once running in the United States had dwindled to about 200. The Cannonball outlasted the Depression, a hurricane and several names, and it has been retracked a number of times over the decades to keep it running.

What the ride is like

The Cannonball is an out-and-back coaster laid out in an L: the train climbs the lift hill, runs out along a string of hills and comes back. ACE points to its airtime speed bumps, the small hills that lift you off the seat for a split second, and its top speed of about 35 mph. Canobie calls it “a living piece of Americana” and lists it among the most thrilling rides in the park, with quick drops and plenty of air time. The whole ride takes about a minute.

There are no loops or inversions. Each train has three cars of two-across rows, and riders sit under a lap bar with a headrest behind them. It makes a good contrast with Untamed, the park’s 2011 steel coaster, which climbs 72 feet, drops at 97° and uses over-the-shoulder restraints. With the Canobie Corkscrew gone since 2021, the park’s coaster lineup is the Cannonball, Untamed and the family-size Dragon Coaster. See them all in our Canobie rides guide.

Tips for riding the Yankee Cannonball

• Height: 48 inches minimum, the same as Untamed. If a younger child can’t ride, use Parent Swap so adults can take turns without waiting in line twice.
• Loose items: cameras, large bags, food and drinks aren’t allowed on rides, and ride attendants can’t hold them. Rent a locker by the Giant Sky Wheel (from $10 for the day in 2026) or leave things with a non-rider.
• Who should skip it: the park says not to ride if you’re afraid of heights. As on every ride, guests with heart, back or neck trouble, recent surgery or a pregnancy may be restricted.
• Accessibility: wheelchair users enter through the exit gate and ramp and must be able to sit upright on their own. A companion may need to help with boarding and, in an emergency, with stairs.
• After dark: the Cannonball was not on the park’s closed-for-the-season list in October 2026, so you can ride it at Screeemfest, Fridays through Sundays until Oct. 31.

When to ride

Canobie’s season runs from mid-May through Oct. 31. In summer, the park says weekdays are less busy than weekends; in spring, weekends tend to be quieter than weekdays. During Screeemfest, Fridays and non-holiday Sundays draw smaller crowds than Saturdays. Some ride lines close up to an hour before the park does, so don’t leave your coaster laps for closing time. Tickets are sold online only, parking is free, and the GPS address is 85 North Policy Street. Our Canobie Lake Park tips cover the rest, and Salem, NH with kids has ideas for the rest of the weekend.