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Park Queue TimesPQT

Hersheypark
vs
Kennywood

Hersheypark and Kennywood queue about the same on a typical day - 22 minutes against 22 minutes across 51 and 11 tracked rides. Pick on travel time or on which rides you actually want.

See both right now

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.

Hersheypark and Kennywood compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyHersheyparkUnited StatesKennywoodUnited States
Average wait per ride 22 min22 min
Rides with recorded waits 51 (best of the two)11
Longest typical queue Laff Trakk - Dark Coaster72 minExterminator50 min
Shortest typical queue Minty Bees5 minAero 3609 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running61%92% (best of the two)

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.

Hersheypark and Kennywood compared on live queue times
Right nowHersheyparkUnited StatesKennywoodUnited 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 Hersheypark and Kennywood queue about the same on a typical day - 22 minutes against 22 minutes across 51 and 11 tracked rides. Pick on travel time or on which rides you actually want.

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 Hersheypark if…

  • Queue length will not decide it: both parks average around 22 minutes a ride
  • You want more to do: 51 rides here have recorded wait data against 11 at Kennywood
  • Laff Trakk - Dark Coaster is on your list - it is Hersheypark's longest typical queue at about 72 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Hersheypark's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Kennywood if…

  • Queue length will not decide it: both parks average around 22 minutes a ride
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Kennywood's rides run 92% of opening hours against 61% at Hersheypark
  • Exterminator is on your list - it is Kennywood's longest typical queue at about 50 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.

Hersheypark

Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania was founded in 1906 as a leisure park for Milton Hershey's chocolate factory workers and has grown into one of the best coaster parks in the United States. It runs more than a dozen roller coasters: Skyrush and the racing wooden Lightning Racer, the launched Storm Runner and Fahrenheit, the classic Comet, the newer Candymonium and Wildcat's Revenge, and the Great Bear inverted coaster. The Boardwalk water park is included with admission.

The park is busiest on summer weekends and during Hersheypark in the Dark in October, and because it closes several rides early on some days, the schedule matters as much as the crowds. Check the live wait times before you go and use the crowd calendar to find a weekday when the big coasters run with short queues.

Hersheypark 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

Hersheypark or Kennywood?

Which is better, Hersheypark or Kennywood?

On queues there is nothing in it: both average about 22 minutes a ride on a typical day. Hersheypark has 51 rides with recorded waits against 11 at Kennywood. Kennywood also runs its rides more reliably - 92% of opening hours against 61%. So pick on travel time, or on which park has the rides you actually want.

Which has shorter queues, Hersheypark or Kennywood?

They are level. Hersheypark averages 22 minutes a ride on a typical day and Kennywood averages 22 - close enough that the day you pick matters more than the park. See Hersheypark best time to visit and Kennywood best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Hersheypark 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 Hersheypark and Kennywood for the full ride lists.

Is Hersheypark bigger than Kennywood?

By rides we track waits for, Hersheypark is the bigger day out: 51 rides against 11. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours.

Then pick
the quiet day.

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

Hersheypark calendarKennywood calendar