100 Hersheypark Dr
Hershey, PA 17033
(717) 534-3900
Discover why the best days are Hershey days with over 70 rides including 13 thrilling coasters, live entertainment, 20 kiddie rides, water rides and more!
Great Bear is an inverted roller coaster located at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Designed by Werner Stengel, the roller coaster was built by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) and opened in 1998 in the Kissing Tower Hill section of the park. Due to surrounding terrain and proximity to other attractions, the coaster was one of B&M's most difficult installations. The supports weren't permitted to be built in nearby Spring Creek, and the limitation resulted in an unusual support structure design for a B&M coaster.Ride experienceRiders exit the station and climb a 90ft hill. Unique to Great Bear, there is a helix immediately after the lift, swinging riders around into the 124ft drop into The Hollow. After the drop, train enters a loop, followed immediately by an Immelmann loop, and then going into a zero-g roll. Riders continue through The Hollow over midway areas, making a sharp turn over Spring Creek. After a short straightaway, the train goes into a corkscrew, and then up a hill with two wide turns. For the 2014 season, the on-ride camera's location was changed to just after the corkscrew inversion, on the same pole that houses the on-ride camera for SooperDooperLooper. The train then enters a short brake run; after the brake-run, riders return to the station. Great Bear was the first inverted looping coaster in Pennsylvania.