Wild Thing
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Wild Thing is an attraction in Minnesota, at a modelled elevation of 221 m. Norwegian Hill stands 294 m to the northeast, 19 miles off. The nearest named place is Breakers Bay, a attraction less than a tenth of a mile away. Grand Rounds Scenic Byway passes 11 miles off. 5 named summits stand within 25 miles.
The story
Wild Thing is a hypercoaster located at Valleyfair. It is an out and back roller coaster with more than one mile (1.6 km) of track. Its first hill is 207 feet (63 m) with a 60 degree drop, and the roller coaster reaches speeds of up to 74 mph (119 km/h). Wild Thing's height was set by the Federal Aviation Administration due to the nearby presence of Flying Cloud Airport. Designed and manufactured by D. H. Morgan Manufacturing, it was the first hypercoaster to be built by the company, opening in 1996. It was the 5th tallest coaster in the world when it opened. The ride's success led to the construction of Steel Force at Dorney Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1997 and Mamba at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri the next year.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q1714470, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What to expect
How to reach it
- 10.9 mi off the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway, National
- 14.3 mi off the Great River Road, National
- 18.5 mi off the Minnesota River Valley Scenic Byway, National
Overlooks nearby
- Minnehaha Falls View Area · 15 mi
- Ford Dam Scenic Overlook · 15 mi
- Horace W. S. Cleveland Overlook · 15 mi
- Drs. Dorothy & Irving Bernstein Scenic Rest Area · 16 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Breakers Bay: 0.0 mi
- Breakers Pipeline: 0.1 mi
- Snoopy vs. Red Baron: 0.1 mi
- Breakers Plunge: 0.1 mi
- Cosmic Coaster: 0.1 mi
- The Landing: 1.4 mi
- Savanna Oaks Park: 1.6 mi
- Emerald Lane Park: 1.8 mi
- Langdon Terrace Park: 1.8 mi
- Prairie Bend Park: 2.0 mi
- Cobra Helicopter: 2.0 mi
- Brewery: 4.8 mi
- Chanhassen Welcome Monument: 5.6 mi
- Chanhassen Veterans Memorial: 5.9 mi
- 1st Brigade Memorial: 7.0 mi
- Riley Creek Conservation Area: 2.7 mi
- Raguet Wildlife Management Area: 4.1 mi
- Fox Woods Nature Preserve: 5.0 mi
- Rudy Kraemer Nature Preserve: 6.9 mi
- Pleasant View Preserve: 7.4 mi
- Samuel Pond statue: 3.3 mi
- Chief Sakpe statue: 3.3 mi
- Prince Crying Doves Mural: 5.7 mi
- Pixel Yeti: 6.7 mi
- Pixel Jared: 6.7 mi
- Reading Garden: 3.9 mi
- Normandale Japanese Garden: 6.6 mi
- Neill Community Garden: 7.9 mi
- Nut Trees: 8.6 mi
- Linden: 8.6 mi
- Wings of the North Air Museum: 2.4 mi
- Scott County Historical Society: 3.4 mi
- Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center: 5.5 mi
- Chanhassen First City Hall: 5.6 mi
- Bloomington Historical Museum: 7.4 mi
- Bush Lake Beach: 4.7 mi
- Sand Point Beach: 4.9 mi
- Round Lake Beach: 5.0 mi
- Watzl's Point Beach: 5.5 mi
- Bryant Lake Park Swimming Beach: 5.9 mi
- Picnic Point Pavilion: 0.4 mi
- Woodcrest: 4.7 mi
- North Lotus Lake Park Picnic Shelter: 6.9 mi
- Picnic Glen: 14.7 mi
- Wabun G: 14.8 mi
- Minnehaha Falls: 14.6 mi
- West Clay Pit: 18.8 mi
- Middle Clay Pit: 18.9 mi
- East Clay Pit: 19.0 mi
- Sand Castles: 21.8 mi
- Mount Gilboa: 5.3 mi
- Sky Hill Park Overlook: 13.3 mi
- Pilot Knob: 15.2 mi
- Norwegian Hill: 18.9 mi
- Seminary Hill: 23.1 mi
- Minnehaha Falls: 14.6 mi
- Hidden Falls: 15.2 mi
- Shadow Falls: 16.2 mi
- Hamm’s Memorial Waterfalls: 20.0 mi
- Phalen Regional Park Waterfall: 23.7 mi
- Boiling Springs: 3.6 mi
- Coldwater Spring: 14.6 mi
- Hajduk Spring: 16.2 mi
- White Worm Springs: 23.6 mi
- wayside rest: 17.1 mi
- New Market Rest Area - Southbound: 18.7 mi
- Elm Creek Rest Area: 21.6 mi
- San Francisco: 13.8 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Wild Thing. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norwegian Hill | NE 34° | 293.522 m | 18.9 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:18 | 18:48 | 19:26 |
| June solstice | 05:29 | 20:19 | 21:04 |
| September equinox | 07:02 | 18:35 | 19:13 |
| December solstice | 07:49 | 15:48 | 16:36 |
Local time (America/Chicago).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Sep.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 16 | 20 | 33 | 47 | 60 | 69 | 74 | 71 | 64 | 50 | 35 | 22 |
| Precip in | 0.7 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 3.1 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 0.9 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Minneapolis Flying Cloud AP, 2 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOfficial siteOpenStreetMap element way/171989263
Day trips start here
- Minneapolis · 16 mi
- Twin Cities · 16 mi
- Minneapolis/Southeast · 17 mi
Take the scenic way to Wild Thing.
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