The Happiest Place on Earth isn’t the most thrilling place on Earth, but it’s not all sunshine and fairies and rainbows here, either. With classics like Space Mountain and modern titans like Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout!, Disneyland resort offers plenty of thrills. So which ones are the best? Read on to find out!
About This Post and Related Posts
In this post I rank all the thrill rides at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. I treat the parks separately, but if you wanted a combined ranking you could probably just alternate between the lists and get close enough.
I try and mention specifics to getting on some of the key rides when I discuss them. I’ve noted the height requirements for the rides throughout, too. If you’d like a more general look at all the rides in the two parks, we’ve got a Guide to the Rides of Disneyland and a Guide to the Rides of Disney California Adventure.
Disneyland Thrill Rides Ranked
1. Indiana Jones Adventure
Height Requirement: 46 inches / 117 centimeters
Type: Dark Ride
Indiana Jones Adventure is a fantastic ride, where you and Indy go on an adventure through the Temple of the Forbidden Eye. It’s exciting and comes with a fun story, a pretty cool (but too long) queue, great sets throughout, and a variety of impressive practical effects.
Despite having the same ride system and near identical layout at DINOSAUR at Walt Disney World, this one comes with a slightly higher height requirement. If you’ve been on DINOSAUR the ride mechanics here might not surprise you, but the experience is overall really different.
Indiana Jones Adventure has been our favorite thrill ride at Disneyland for a while, even beating out some pretty impressive newcomers. This one is a cornerstone of a perfect day at Disneyland, so make sure you plan for it.
2. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Height Requirement: 40 inches / 102 centimeters
Type: Trackless Dark Ride
Rise of the Resistance is everything a theme park attraction should be. It’s part dark ride part thrill ride. It’s got great practical effects and stunning special effects. The story is always with you. The queue is an integral part of the story and even part of the “ride” itself. It’s a thriller from start to finish and an absolute must-do at Disneyland. Make sure you know how to fit it into your day, usually at rope drop or by paying for a Lightning Lane Single Pass.
3. Space Mountain
Height Requirement: 40 inches / 102 centimeters
Type: Coaster
I’m a big fan of Disneyland’s Space Mountain, which I find to be much smoother than its Florida counterpart. It’s in the dark, which adds to the thrill of the already great coaster. No inversions on this or any coaster in the park, you’ll have to go over to Disney California Adventure’s Incredicoaster (more below) for that. This one has a pretty hidden single rider line that is a great way to get on with a short wait, too.
4. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Height Requirement: 40 inches / 102 centimeters
Type: Coaster
I think Space Mountain’s darkness makes it a little more thrilling than Big Thunder, but Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is probably the better overall ride. It’s also an exciting coaster, but the scenery and views set it a little bit apart from most every other ride in this post. Yes, you’ll always see what’s coming, but you get to feel like you’re a part of the energy of the park and the fun scenes throughout. Such fun vibes.
5. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
Height Requirement: 38 inches / 97 centimeters
Type: Motion Simulator
To a large extent, the critics are right—Smugglers Run is a ton of fun if you’re the pilot, and not much fun otherwise. I don’t mind being engineer, but I’ve been pilot several times and nowadays I just get a kick out of watching other people try and handle it.
The experience does a great job at creating the sense of urgency around the smuggling operation. The story is a bit chaotic and wonky, but just take a second to look around—you’re flying the Millennium Falcon!
6. Matterhorn Bobsleds
Height Requirement: 42 inches / 107 centimeters
Type: Coaster
Matterhorn is fun but just doesn’t hit to the same level as the two coasters higher on this list. Matterhorn feels a lot more like a really good carnival coaster.
7. Star Tours — The Adventures Continue
Height Requirement: 40 inches / 102 centimeters
Type: Motion Simulator
Star Tours is the gift that keeps giving. The storylines get refreshed every few years, breathing new life into this bumpy adventure through space. The stories themselves are exciting enough, but screen-based motion simulation only carries you so far.
8. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Height Requirement: 40 inches / 102 centimeters
Type: Log Flume
You could argue that Tiana’s isn’t really a thrill ride since it’s mostly a dark ride, but so is Rise of the Resistance (albeit a more thrilling dark ride), so rather than just split hairs I’ll say that the drops in this one are thrilling enough to call it a thrill ride.
That said, on a post ranking thrill rides, well, this one boils down to one really thrilling drop. I love that drop, but you’ll spend a lot of time in line and on the ride getting to it.
Honorable Mention: Chip ‘n’ Dale’s GADGETcoaster
Height Requirement: 35 inches / 89 centimeters
Type: Kiddie Coaster
GADGETcoaster is a kiddie coaster. It’s thrilling to some kids, but not to most adults. Nonetheless, its a coaster, so I figured I’d include it here for completeness. It’s a short ride (less than a minute), so I’d try hard to not go out of your way to squeeze this one into your thrill-focused trip.
Disney California Adventure Thrill Rides Ranked
1. Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout!
Height Requirement: 40 inches / 102 centimeters
Type: Elevator Drop Ride
Mission: Breakout! is an absolute banger. If you asked me 10 years ago what I thought of the idea of “Tower of Terror, but fun instead of scary” I would have told you that you knew nothing about theme parks. I would have said that the tension of the eerie buildup is what separates Tower of Terror from every other drop ride.
But wow was I wrong.
Tower of Terror still rocks, don’t get me wrong. But Mission: Breakout! is just so much fun. The surprises still hit, but in between there’s laughs and music and the Guardians of the Galaxy at their best. 10/10 ride.
2. Radiator Springs Racers
Height Requirement: 40 inches / 102 centimeters
Type: Dark Ride / Racing Ride
Radiator Springs Racers is another “mostly not thrills” thrill ride. It ends with a 40mph race, enough to qualify it as a thrill ride in my book. But the real highlight of the ride is the stunning sets and animatronic cars. It’s altogether a transporting experience and the cherry on top of the stunning Radiator Springs sundae. It’s a cornerstone of California Adventure rope drop and otherwise only available on Lightning Lane Single Pass, so make sure you’ve got a plan for it.
3. Incredicoaster
Height Requirement: 48 inches / 122 centimeters
Type: Coaster
Incredicoaster is notable as the only coaster with an inversion (one, exactly) at Disneyland Resort. It’s also apparently the longest coaster in the world with an inversion. So its thrill-ride bona fides probably best most everything else on this list, and I don’t argue with people who want to bump it up one spot (but don’t even try to knock off Mission: Breakout!).
That said, there are a lot of better coasters in the world (this one is nearly 25 years old, you know), and the story can be a bit clunky at time. Overall the Incredibles make for a lot of fun, though, and luckily this one is usually pretty easy to fit into your day.
4. Grizzly River Run
Height Requirement: 42 inches / 107 centimeters
Type: Water Rapids Ride
Grizzly River Run is a pretty standard water rapids ride. The thrill here is mostly the tension of waiting to see who in your raft is going to get soaked. It’s fun in 80 degrees, but maybe too much thrill in 40 degrees.
5. Goofy’s Sky School
Height Requirement: 42 inches / 107 centimeters
Type: Wild Mouse Coaster
I can’t tell you why I (or anyone else) ride Goofy’s Sky School, but I do…sometimes. I find the wild mouse experience to be notably uncomfortable and lacking in anything properly called “thrills”, but it’s fun enough for a lot of people I guess.
Honorable Mention: Soarin’
Height Requirement: 40 inches / 102 centimeters
Type: Motion Simulator
Soarin’ isn’t really a thrill ride, but with simulated hang gliding and a height requirement…it’s an honorable mention. It’s a stunning ride. It won’t shock you or scare you, but there’s at least some awe there as you fly over the dozen scenes around the world.
All Your Other Disneyland Planning Questions Answered
Don’t be overwhelmed by Disneyland planning! Take a second to check out our most important content and you’ll not only be an expert, but you’ll save big $$$ along the way.
Just starting out? Check out our Disneyland Planning Guide. When it comes to hotels, we’ve got reviews of all three Disney hotels: Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, and Disney’s Pixar Place Hotel. As for tickets, check out where to find discount Disneyland tickets.
Know what to ride with our: Disneyland Rides Guide and Disney California Adventure Rides Guide. And just as important, know how to get on the best rides without the wait with our Disneyland Lightning Lane Strategy! For the complete guides to a day at the park, we have a One Day Disneyland Itinerary and a One Day Disney California Adventure Itinerary.
We always recommend arriving at the parks early. If you can get access to Early Entry at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, you’ll have the most time in the parks. Even without those bonus hours, you’ll need to know Rope Drop Strategy at Disneyland and Rope Drop Strategy at Disney California Adventure.
Finally, before you head out, be sure to check out our to-the-point packing list, 10 essentials you forget to pack for every Disney trip. And if you’re interested in saving, there’s no better list than our 53 Ways to Save on your Disney trip from start to finish.