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Park Queue TimesPQT

Kings Dominion
vs
Lake Compounce

On a typical day Kings Dominion queues less: about 13 minutes a ride against 16 at Lake Compounce, a difference of roughly 3 minutes on every queue you join.

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.

Kings Dominion and Lake Compounce compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyKings DominionUnited StatesLake CompounceUnited States
Average wait per ride 13 min (best of the two)16 min
Rides with recorded waits 2225 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue Rapterra25 minBoulder Dash37 min
Shortest typical queue Carousel4 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.

Kings Dominion and Lake Compounce compared on live queue times
Right nowKings DominionUnited 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 On a typical day Kings Dominion queues less: about 13 minutes a ride against 16 at Lake Compounce, a difference of roughly 3 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 Kings Dominion if…

  • You want shorter queues: Kings Dominion averages 13 minutes a ride against 16 at Lake Compounce
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Kings Dominion's rides run 70% of opening hours against 67% at Lake Compounce
  • Rapterra is on your list - it is Kings Dominion's longest typical queue at about 25 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Kings Dominion's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Lake Compounce if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 16 minutes a ride here against 13 at Kings Dominion - for what Lake Compounce has that Kings Dominion does not
  • You want more to do: 25 rides here have recorded wait data against 22 at Kings Dominion
  • 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.

Kings Dominion

Kings Dominion sits in Doswell, Virginia, about 25 minutes north of Richmond. The park has one of the strongest regional coaster line-ups on the US East Coast: Intimidator 305 (a 305-foot giga coaster), Twisted Timbers (a Rocky Mountain Construction hybrid), Apple Zapple, Dominator (a 215-foot floorless coaster), and Racer 75. A Soak City water park is included with admission during summer.

Virginia summer school breaks, weekend visits from the DC / Richmond area, and the Halloween Haunt drive Kings Dominion's busiest periods. Weekdays in May, September and October are dramatically calmer. Check live queue times for Intimidator 305 and Twisted Timbers first thing on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a midweek date for shorter waits.

Kings Dominion 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

Kings Dominion or Lake Compounce?

Which is better, Kings Dominion or Lake Compounce?

If you are judging on queues, Kings Dominion: it averages about 13 minutes a ride on a typical day against 16 at Lake Compounce, roughly 3 minutes back on every queue you join. Kings Dominion has 22 rides with recorded waits against 25 at Lake Compounce. Kings Dominion also runs its rides more reliably - 70% of opening hours against 67%.

Which has shorter queues, Kings Dominion or Lake Compounce?

Kings Dominion, by about 3 minutes a ride. On a typical day Kings Dominion averages 13 minutes against 16 at Lake Compounce. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Kings Dominion best time to visit and Lake Compounce best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

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

Is Kings Dominion bigger than Lake Compounce?

By rides we track waits for, Lake Compounce is the bigger day out: 25 rides against 22. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Kings Dominion 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.

Kings Dominion calendar