New England’s Longest Mountain Coaster Is Opening For the Season in May

Wheeee! Put your hands up, because it's almost open for the season, and it's best to make reservations.

If you're ready to whiz through the Berkshires on 3,780 feet of track in your own car or double up with someone, this is a must on the longest mountain coaster in New England. It's the third-largest in America.

It's called the Thunderbolt Mountain Roller Coaster, and whether you're alone or with wanna ride with someone, you control the speed.

Think of it as a combination of an alpine slide and a roller coaster. It takes you 1,580 feet of track toward the sky and through the forest before gravity takes over.

The 3,870 feet of downhill track will take you through swooping turns, banked corners, rolling drops, and 360° turns. If it becomes too much, each cart has its own braking system where you can slow things down a bit or accelerate to G-Force inducing levels.

This mountain roller coaster is at the Berkshire East Mountain Resort in the town of Charlemont, nestled in the Massachusetts region of the Berkshires. But you don't have to be a guest of the resort to ride it.

Like I said, "Wheeeeeeee!"

No matter how you plan to tackle the Thunderbolt Mountain Roller Coaster, get ready for opening day on May 24 through mid-November.

There are a limited number of rides when it's running, so reservations are a must unless you want to walk up and take a chance simply because you're in the area. It's cheap, too.

$10 for six years old and up. Otherwise, it's just five bucks.

By the way, the two longest in the country are in New York and Tennessee.