There was a time when Hersheypark in Hershey, PA wasn’t exactly a prime spot for coaster lovers. Actually, they really didn’t have crap at one point. It wasn’t that long ago, really! 1996 brought the first of many roller coaster additions to Hershey with Wildcat, a knot of wooden track designed by GCI. Prior to that, Sidewinder, a Vekoma Boomerang built in 1991 was their newest coaster…prior to that, their newest was Sooperdooperlooper, built in 1977. However, since 1996, coasters have been added every few years with 1998’s Great Bear being the next major addition.
Great Bear is a Bolliger & Mabillard inverted roller coaster. It’s a little different than many B&M inverts in that the layout wanders around instead of staying in one general area. The layout takes riders close to water, near trees, and over adjacent rides. It’s a lot more scenic than your average “plopped into a giant field” B&M.
