Dorney Park
vs
Kennywood

On a typical day Dorney Park queues less: about 20 minutes a ride against 22 at Kennywood, a difference of roughly 2 minutes on every queue you join.

See both right now Compare other parks

01 · On a typical day

What you would normally queue.

Averages across recent weeks, so one broken ride or one wet Tuesday cannot decide it. This is the comparison to plan a trip on; the live figures below are the one to act on today.

Dorney Park and Kennywood compared on their typical recorded queue times
Typically	Dorney ParkUnited States	KennywoodUnited States
Average wait per ride	20 min (best of the two)	22 min
Rides with recorded waits	13 (best of the two)	11
Longest typical queue	Wild Mouse42 min	Exterminator52 min
Shortest typical queue	Dominator Red9 min	SwingShot5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running	90%	Not recorded

Averaged across every ride at each park with recorded waits. A ride that never opened is left out, so a park is not flattered by counting a shut ride as a queue of zero.

02 · Right now

Both parks, this minute.

Live queue times at both parks. These fill in as soon as the page loads, and keep updating while you are here.

Dorney Park and Kennywood compared on live queue times
Right now	Dorney ParkUnited States	KennywoodUnited States
Average wait right now	-	-
Rides open	-	-
Opening hours today	-	-
Longest queue	-	-
Shortest queue	-	-

These keep refreshing while this page is open. A closed park posts no waits, so its rows read as dashes rather than zeroes.

Verdict, on a typical day On a typical day Dorney Park queues less: about 20 minutes a ride against 22 at Kennywood, a difference of roughly 2 minutes on every queue you join.

03 · Choosing

Which one is your day out.

Every line here is earned by one of the figures above - nothing is a generic sentence with a park name dropped into it.

Pick Dorney Park if…

You want shorter queues: Dorney Park averages 20 minutes a ride against 22 at Kennywood
You want more to do: 13 rides here have recorded wait data against 11 at Kennywood
Wild Mouse is on your list - it is Dorney Park's longest typical queue at about 42 minutes, so it is the one to do first
You want Dorney Park's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Kennywood if…

You will accept a longer queue - 22 minutes a ride here against 20 at Dorney Park - for what Kennywood has that Dorney Park does not
Exterminator is on your list - it is Kennywood's longest typical queue at about 52 minutes, so it is the one to do first
You want Kennywood's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

Dorney Park

Dorney Park sits in Allentown, Pennsylvania, about 90 minutes north of Philadelphia. It's a mid-sized theme park with a strong coaster line-up for its size: Steel Force (a 200-foot hyper coaster), Talon (an inverted coaster), Hydra the Revenge (a floorless coaster), and Possessed. A Wildwater Kingdom water park is included with park admission during the summer season.

Dorney Park's season runs May to October, with peak crowds on summer weekends and during the Halloween Haunt. Weekdays in May, September and October are dramatically quieter. Check live queue times for Steel Force and Hydra on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a midweek visit - most of the coasters stay under 15 minutes of wait time on quieter days.

Dorney Park live queue times

Kennywood

Kennywood is a historic traditional amusement park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, just outside Pittsburgh. It has been running since 1898 and is a US National Historic Landmark - home to three classic wooden coasters (Thunderbolt, Jack Rabbit, Racer) alongside modern additions like Phantom's Revenge (a steel coaster known for a near-400 ft second drop) and Steel Curtain (part of a Steelers-themed area).

Kennywood's season runs roughly May to October, with peak crowds concentrated on summer weekends, July 4th, and during the Phantom Fright Nights event. Weekdays in June and September stay noticeably calmer. Check live queue times before committing to Phantom's Revenge or Steel Curtain, and use our crowd calendar to pick a quieter day if you want plenty of re-rides.

Kennywood live queue times

05 · Questions

Dorney Park or Kennywood?

Which is better, Dorney Park or Kennywood?

If you are judging on queues, Dorney Park: it averages about 20 minutes a ride on a typical day against 22 at Kennywood, roughly 2 minutes back on every queue you join. Dorney Park has 13 rides with recorded waits against 11 at Kennywood.

Which has shorter queues, Dorney Park or Kennywood?

Dorney Park, by about 2 minutes a ride. On a typical day Dorney Park averages 20 minutes against 22 at Kennywood. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Dorney Park best time to visit and Kennywood best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Dorney Park and Kennywood in the same trip?

Yes - both parks are in United States, so a two-park trip is realistic over a long weekend. Split the days so you start at whichever opens earliest and drive to the other in the evening.

How many rides does each park have?

See the tables above for ride counts - or jump to Dorney Park and Kennywood for the full ride lists.

Is Dorney Park bigger than Kennywood?

By rides we track waits for, Dorney Park is the bigger day out: 13 rides against 11. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Dorney Park is the quicker park.

Then pick
the quiet day.

Both parks have a crowd calendar with six weeks of forecast and the best day left to go.

Dorney Park calendar Kennywood calendar Compare other parks