Giant Dipper

This article is about the roller coaster in the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. For the roller coaster at Mission Beach in San Diego, California, see Giant Dipper (San Diego).

Giant Dipper
Track overview from skyglider
Location	Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Coordinates	36°57′53″N 122°00′55″W
Status	Operating
Opened	May 17, 1924
Type	Wood
Manufacturer	Arthur Looff
Designer	Frank Prior, Fredrick Church
Track layout	Double Out and Back
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height	70 ft (21 m)
Drop	65 ft (20 m)
Length	2,640 ft (800 m)
Max speed	55 mph (89 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	1:52
Height restriction	4 ft 2 in (127 cm)
Giant Dipper at RCDB
Pictures of Giant Dipper at RCDB
Amusement Parks Portal

The Giant Dipper is a historic wooden roller coaster located at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, an amusement park in Santa Cruz, California. It opened on May 17, 1924. It is the fifth-oldest roller coaster in the United States; over 55 million riders have ridden it since its opening. The United States National Park Service recognized the Giant Dipper as part of a National Historic Landmark also covering the nearby Looff carousel in 1987. It was named an American Coaster Enthusiasts Coaster Landmark on May 5, 2007. The ride appeared in many television commercials and movies, including The Lost Boys, Sudden Impact and Dangerous Minds.

The Giant Dipper, which is located between walkways 3 and 4 at 400 Beach Street in Santa Cruz, California, was designed by Frank Prior and Fredrick Church (1878–1938), with a double out and back layout similar to the Mission Beach Roller Coaster built in 1925 in San Diego, California. The Giant Dipper was built by Arthur Looff (1888–1970) in 1924 in just 47 days at a cost of $50,000. It replaced the much tamer miniature railway ride designed by LaMarcus Adna Thompson. Looff described his plans for the coaster as a, "combination earthquake, balloon ascension, and aeroplane drop." Looff's father, Charles I. D. Looff, built the carousel on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in 1911; both attractions continue to operate today.

The ride originally cost riders 15 cents per ride. As of 2010 it costs $5.00 (5 tickets) for riders who do not have an all-day wristband. It also originally had an outdoor station; the indoor station and the tunnel at the beginning of the ride were added later. The trains have been repainted several times from the original green. For example, in February 2007 the fronts of the trains were covered with a "100 Years" sign and the sides were painted red and blue. The signage remains, despite the anniversary being four years ago.

Image gallery

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  Track from Skyglider

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  Train coming into loading area

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  Lift hill

Giant Dipper in popular culture

The Giant Dipper is referred to in the song 'Big Dipper', from the 1996 album 'The Golden Age' by David Lowery's band Cracker.

External links

• Official website
• Coaster-net
• Rollercoaster Database

Preceded by Unknown

World's Fastest Roller Coaster May 1924–June 1927

Succeeded by Cyclone