Skip to main content
Park Queue TimesPQT

Hersheypark
vs
Lake Compounce

Hersheypark and Lake Compounce queue about the same on a typical day - 16 minutes against 16 minutes across 52 and 25 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 Lake Compounce compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyHersheyparkUnited StatesLake CompounceUnited States
Average wait per ride 16 min16 min
Rides with recorded waits 52 (best of the two)25
Longest typical queue Skyrush72 minBoulder Dash37 min
Shortest typical queue Minty Bees5 minRainbow Riders5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running70% (best of the two)67%

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 Lake Compounce compared on live queue times
Right nowHersheyparkUnited StatesLake CompounceUnited 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 Lake Compounce queue about the same on a typical day - 16 minutes against 16 minutes across 52 and 25 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 16 minutes a ride
  • You want more to do: 52 rides here have recorded wait data against 25 at Lake Compounce
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Hersheypark's rides run 70% of opening hours against 67% at Lake Compounce
  • Skyrush 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 Lake Compounce if…

  • Queue length will not decide it: both parks average around 16 minutes a ride
  • Boulder Dash is on your list - it is Lake Compounce's longest typical queue at about 37 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Lake Compounce'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

Lake Compounce

Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut, opened in 1846 and is the oldest continuously operating amusement park in North America. Boulder Dash is the standout, a wooden coaster that runs along the side of the mountain, alongside the 1927 Wildcat, the triple-launch Phobia Phear and Thunder N Lightning. The park also has the Crocodile Cove water park, and in the autumn it adds Halloween haunts on select dates.

Summer weekends and the July holiday week are the busiest. Weekdays in June and the autumn weekends before the haunts open are quieter. Check the live queue times before you go and use the crowd calendar to choose a day.

Lake Compounce live queue times

05 · Questions

Hersheypark or Lake Compounce?

Which is better, Hersheypark or Lake Compounce?

On queues there is nothing in it: both average about 16 minutes a ride on a typical day. Hersheypark has 52 rides with recorded waits against 25 at Lake Compounce. Hersheypark also runs its rides more reliably - 70% of opening hours against 67%. So pick on travel time, or on which park has the rides you actually want.

Which has shorter queues, Hersheypark or Lake Compounce?

They are level. Hersheypark averages 16 minutes a ride on a typical day and Lake Compounce averages 16 - close enough that the day you pick matters more than the park. See Hersheypark best time to visit and Lake Compounce best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Hersheypark and Lake Compounce 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 Lake Compounce for the full ride lists.

Is Hersheypark bigger than Lake Compounce?

By rides we track waits for, Hersheypark is the bigger day out: 52 rides against 25. 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 calendar