Sidewinder
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Sidewinder is an attraction in Colorado, at a modelled elevation of 1,583 m. Centralia Mountain stands 2,982 m to the west-northwest, 20 miles off. The nearest named place is Troika, a attraction less than a tenth of a mile away. Lariat Loop Scenic and Historic Byway passes 10.0 miles off.
The story
Sidewinder is a steel roller coaster located at Elitch Gardens in Denver, Colorado. This is a fairly simple coaster that takes rides through one loop. Instead of starting from the ground, riders have to ascend stairs fifty feet up to the loading station. The train is launched down a hill, goes into the loop, then ascends a slope opposite of the station with a braking section. The train repeats the layout backwards, and returns to the station. Before being operated at Elitch Gardens this roller coaster was at the Magic Springs & Crystal Falls amusement park as the Roaring Tornado. The coaster operated at the original Elitch Gardens from 1990 to 1994, then was relocated to the current Elitch Gardens in 1995. It is one of only three Arrow Dynamics launched loop coasters to be operating around the world, the others being Diamond Back at Frontier City, and the Revolution at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. The ride has received new paint for the 2010 season, and is now more of a lime green than the darker shade it has been since being repainted from its original white. In 2014, riders were trapped after mechanical issues stopped the ride. In 2025, the ride was reopened after two years of closure.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q7508555, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
How to reach it
- 10.0 mi off the Lariat Loop Scenic and Historic Byway, National
Overlooks nearby
- Jumbo Tron · 10 mi
- Point of Geological Interest · 11 mi
- Hawk Watch · 11 mi
- Denver Basin Overlook · 11 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Troika: 0.0 mi
- Turn of the Century: 0.1 mi
- Sling Shot: 0.1 mi
- Crazy Bus: 0.1 mi
- Sunflower Swings: 0.1 mi
- Platte River at Elitch Gardens Park: 0.1 mi
- Gates Crescent Park: 0.2 mi
- Fishback Landing Park: 0.3 mi
- REI Park: 0.4 mi
- Confluence East Park: 0.5 mi
- Visions Born With This River: 0.2 mi
- Cloudscape: 0.2 mi
- Hopscotch the Cow: 0.2 mi
- Cloudscape: 0.2 mi
- Cloudscape: 0.2 mi
- Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus: 0.2 mi
- Museum of Contemporary Art Denver: 0.5 mi
- Colorado Sports Hall of Fame: 0.6 mi
- The Money Museum: 0.9 mi
- National Ballpark Museum: 1.0 mi
- Centennial Gardens: 0.3 mi
- Commons Park Community Garden: 0.8 mi
- Morey Middle School Community Garden: 2.0 mi
- Community Garden: 2.2 mi
- Barnum Community Garden & Orchard: 2.3 mi
- The Grove at Commons Park: 0.6 mi
- Lowell Ponds Wildlife Area: 3.6 mi
- Park Hill Park: 4.4 mi
- Niver Creek Open Space: 7.8 mi
- Farmers High Line Canal Open Space: 9.0 mi
- Denver's Historic Chinatown: 0.7 mi
- Denver's Historic Chinatown: 0.7 mi
- Denver's Historic Chinatown: 1.1 mi
- Isabella Thallas Memorial: 1.2 mi
- Voorhies Memorial: 1.4 mi
- Inspiration Point: 3.6 mi
- Ruby Hill: 4.5 mi
- Green Mountain: 9.4 mi
- Mount Carbon: 9.5 mi
- North Table Mountain: 10.4 mi
- Maroon Bells Picnic Pavilion: 0.1 mi
- Sunlight Picnic Pavilion: 0.1 mi
- Pepsi Groves: 0.1 mi
- Pikes Peak Picnic Pavilion: 0.1 mi
- Mount Evans Picnic Pavilions: 0.1 mi
- Shale Soil Creep: 10.1 mi
- The East Quarry: 10.3 mi
- Gothic Overlook: 15.1 mi
- Wildcat Point: 19.6 mi
- Front Porch: 21.5 mi
- Beach (No Swim): 11.2 mi
- Swim Beach: 11.3 mi
- Swim Beach: 14.7 mi
- Swim Beach: 20.3 mi
- Boat Beach: 20.3 mi
- Arapahoe: 9.0 mi
- Mount Vernon: 11.2 mi
- Serene: 19.0 mi
- Dick: 19.9 mi
- Lee Gulch: 11.5 mi
- Maxwell Falls: 23.0 mi
- Keyhole Rock: 12.7 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 19.8 miles of Sidewinder. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centralia Mountain | WNW 286° | 2,982 m | 19.8 mi |
| Mount Tom | WNW 285° | 2,969 m | 18.6 mi |
| Douglas Mountain | W 278° | 2,927 m | 19.5 mi |
| Blue Mountain | WNW 297° | 2,846 m | 19.4 mi |
| Crescent Mountain | WNW 302° | 2,724 m | 18.8 mi |
| Doublehead Mountain | SW 226° | 2,711 m | 18.4 mi |
| Grannys Head | WNW 288° | 2,686 m | 17.7 mi |
| Centennial Cone | W 271° | 2,640 m | 18.4 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:04 | 18:37 | 19:12 |
| June solstice | 05:33 | 19:52 | 20:32 |
| September equinox | 06:48 | 18:23 | 18:59 |
| December solstice | 07:18 | 15:57 | 16:39 |
Local time (America/Denver).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 35 | 35 | 44 | 50 | 59 | 71 | 77 | 75 | 66 | 53 | 42 | 34 |
| Precip in | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.5 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Denver Water Dept, 1 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element way/767957677
Day trips start here
- Denver · 1 mi
- Arvada · 5 mi
- Golden · 11 mi
- Boulder · 23 mi
- Idaho Springs · 27 mi
Take the scenic way to Sidewinder.
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