10 Most Thrilling Disneyland Rides You Can’t Miss

Disneyland is filled with attractions for the whole family, from the youngest guests to the most adventurous park-goers! Whether it be a fun and thrilling rollercoaster or a drop tower ride, Disneyland has an exhilarating experience for everyone.

We will be covering the top 10 Disneyland rides for thrill-seekers, where we will provide you with more information about these attractions and encourage you to challenge yourself and try something new!

Chip n Dale's GADGETcoaster—Disneyland Park

This adorable ride in Mickey's Toontown is perfect for younger guests! Inspired by the beloved Chip' n' Dale Rescue Rangers, this ride will introduce kids to Gadget, Chip ‘n' Dale's intelligent inventor friend. Explore Gadget's workshop in the queue before approaching her grandest invention: a rollercoaster made out of acorns!

With sight twists and turns without the intensity of larger rides, this ride is a great one for younger members of your party. I would recommend this coaster for children or adults looking to try out Disneyland coasters for the first time as well as guests who love the animated series.

Height Requirement: 35 inches (89 cm)

Top Speed: 22 mph

Good for: kids, tweens

Contains: small drops, twists and turns

Goofy's Sky School—Disney California Adventure

This ride allows guests to get some flight training from our favorite pal Goofy! Based on the Disney “How-To” cartoons of the early 1940s and 1950s, Goofy's Sky School encourages guests to hop into their flight-training vehicles and join Goofy as he teaches you how to fly “the Goofy way”!

Goofy's Sky School is a fun coaster-style attraction with jerky motions, sharp twists and turns, and small drops. Do not be fooled by its theming—this ride is still intense for older guests! Its fun and thrilling quality of motion will ensure that every rider has fun on this coaster, no matter their age. 

Height Requirement: 42 inches (107 cm)

Top Speed: 27 mph

Good for: kids, tweens, adults

Contains: small drops, loud sounds, jerky motions

Radiator Springs Racers—Disney California Adventure

Travel through Radiator Springs and come face-to-face with some of the most beloved characters from the Cars franchise. Prepare for the race against your opponents while friends like Lightning McQueen, Mater, and Doc cheer you on!

Radiator Springs Racers has a slower dark ride sequence at the beginning of the adventure and then takes off at the end at a thrilling top speed of 40 mph as you travel over hills and through quick turns. Radiator Springs Racers is perfect for younger riders who want to dabble into higher speeds and more intense elements without having to endure them for a long period of time. The theming of Radiator Springs Racers, along with the engagement of the iconic Cars characters, will be sure to make the experience exhilarating for all guests and Cars fans!

Height Requirement: 46 inches (117 cm)

Top Speed: 40 mph

Good for: kids, tweens, teens, adults

Contains: small drops, darkness, loud sounds

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad—Disneyland Park

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is inspired by the legends of the 1850s that once gold was collected, trains would take off on their own throughout the mines. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad takes guests on a thrilling adventure through a mining landscape, dipping into caverns along the way. In the last part of the ride, dynamite crackles over you inside the mines, adding to the thrill. 

Big Thunder Mountain is a medium-intensity coaster for guests of all ages and capacities, as it provides a fun and thrilling experience without the extreme intensity of a larger coaster like the Incredicoaster. 

Height Requirement: 40 inches (102 cm)

Top Speed: 35 mph

Good for: kids, tweens, teens, adults

Contains: Small drops, jerky motions, loud sounds

Matterhorn Bobsleds—Disneyland Park

Matterhorn Bobsleds is an iconic ride at Disneyland, as it was the first rollercoaster-style ride at the park and the first tubular steel coaster in the world. On the ride, guests take a trip through the snowy mountain inspired by the Swiss Alps and encounter the Abominable Snowman.

Travel through the mountain, through waterfalls and caves, and even splash into an Alpine lake. There are two different tracks, one on the Fantasyland side and the other on the Tomorrowland side. This thrilling ride has some scary elements as well as a jerky quality of motion that has been called out many times by Disney fans.

Though Big Thunder Mountain may be the “wildest ride in the wilderness,” Matterhorn Bobsleds is definitely the roughest. Keep in mind you may get a little wet on this ride! 

Height Requirement: 42 inches (107 cm)

Top Speed: 27 mph

Good for: kids, tweens, teens, adults

Contains: drops, jerky motions, water, darkness, scary animatronics

Space Mountain—Disneyland Park

Space Mountain is a thrilling ride through space that takes place fully in the darkness and is filled with sudden drops and turns. I would categorize this coaster as a medium-intensity coaster or a ride for thrill-seekers who want to venture into more intense rides. The beloved soundtrack helps enhance the overall experience and atmosphere as you soar through the cosmos! 

This ride will occasionally feature a Hyperspace Mountain overlay for limited runs, with Star Wars music and projections throughout the ride as you battle an unexpected force of TIE fighters. Make sure to try this version out if you are looking for a new experience of a classic ride!

Height Requirement: 40 inches (102 cm)

Top Speed: 35 mph

Good for: tweens, teens, adults

Contains: Dark, small drops, loud

Rise of the Resistance—Disneyland Park

Rise of the Resistance is an amazing ride where you come face-to-face with the first order and Kylo Ren, encountering iconic characters and elements of the Star Wars franchise. In the ride, your group is captured on a First Order Star Destroyer and embarks on a high-stakes mission to escape.

This ride experience, including its pre-shows, is about 18 minutes long in total. The trackless vehicle engages in soft twists and turns, and there is also a small drop towards the end. I recommend riding this even if you are worried about this drop, as it is only 10-20 ft and is over in a heartbeat, so it will allow you to prepare for other thrilling drop rides like Guardians: Mission Breakout! There are also some loud and scary elements that may be too intense for younger riders, but the ride is overall an exciting and thrilling experience for Star Wars fans.

Height Requirement: 40 inches (102 cm)

Good for: teens, adults

Contains: small drops, darkness, loud sounds, small drop of 10-20 ft, trackless vehicle with sudden movements

Indiana Jones Adventure—Disneyland Park

Follow the legendary Indiana Jones into the Temple of the Cursed Eye in this fast-paced and intense attraction, and try to escape with his help!

Though this ride may not be a rollercoaster, the ride vehicles move around in a jerky manner, with several abrupt turns and motions. The themed elements of this ride include booby traps, mummies, molten lava, and even the iconic giant boulder. For some younger and less experienced riders or those who have sensitivities to certain lights and sounds, this may be a bit too intense. Do not underestimate the thrill of this ride!

Height Requirement: 46 inches (117 cm)

Top Speed: 14 mph

Good for: kids, tweens, teens, adults

Contains: small drops, darkness, loud sounds, jerky motions, scary scenes

Incredicoaster—Disney California Adventure

The Incredicoaster is the only ride at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure with inversions, making it one of the most thrilling rides at the parks. This ride has an extreme 0-55 MPH launch, and it is also the longest coaster and fastest ride at Disneyland.

Despite the ride's intensity, its theming (based on The Incredibles) gives it a more family-friendly feel. Join the Incredibles as they chase Jack-Jack, who has gotten loose and is teleporting throughout the ride, wreaking havoc wherever he goes. The iconic Incredibles soundtrack also enhances the urgency and fun of this ride. I would recommend the Incredicoaster to thrill-seekers of all ages!

Height Requirement: 48 inches (122 cm)

Top Speed: 55 MPH

Good for: teens, adults

Contains: inversions, big drops, loud sounds, 0-55 MPH launch in 4 seconds

Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout!—Disney California Adventure

Previously the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout! is a similar drop tower ride but with fun and dynamic theming based on the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Travel through the Collector's eccentric collection, where you realize he has abducted the Guardians of the Galaxy. Help the Guardians escape through fun drop sequences, backed by a rotating selection of iconic background music. There are 6 different storylines to experience and a variety of songs inspired by the soundtrack of the movies.

This ride is an amazing experience but filled with thrills that may be more intense for some. The drop sequence for this ride varies each time you experience it, so it doesn't allow for much anticipation. If you are looking to try out a more thrilling ride, I would recommend Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout, especially if you are a fan of the movies!

Height Requirement: 40 inches (102 cm)

Top Speed: 39 mph fall, 130 ft drop

Good for: teens, adults

Contains: Big drops, darkness, loud sounds

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