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Park Queue TimesPQT

Knoebels
vs
Lake Compounce

On a typical day Knoebels queues less: about 9 minutes a ride against 16 at Lake Compounce, a difference of roughly 7 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.

Knoebels and Lake Compounce compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyKnoebelsUnited StatesLake CompounceUnited States
Average wait per ride 9 min (best of the two)16 min
Rides with recorded waits 54 (best of the two)25
Longest typical queue Flying Turns35 minBoulder Dash37 min
Shortest typical queue Umbrella Ride5 minRainbow Riders5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running82% (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.

Knoebels and Lake Compounce compared on live queue times
Right nowKnoebelsUnited 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 Knoebels queues less: about 9 minutes a ride against 16 at Lake Compounce, a difference of roughly 7 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 Knoebels if…

  • You want shorter queues: Knoebels averages 9 minutes a ride against 16 at Lake Compounce
  • You want more to do: 54 rides here have recorded wait data against 25 at Lake Compounce
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Knoebels's rides run 82% of opening hours against 67% at Lake Compounce
  • Flying Turns is on your list - it is Knoebels's longest typical queue at about 35 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Knoebels'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 9 at Knoebels - for what Lake Compounce has that Knoebels does not
  • 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.

Knoebels

Knoebels is a free-admission, pay-per-ride park in Elysburg, Pennsylvania - one of the last major "trolley parks" in America, family-owned since 1926. The park is famous among coaster enthusiasts for two wooden coasters: Phoenix (rebuilt from a 1948 design and widely considered one of the best woodies in the world) and Flying Turns, a rare modern bobsled-style coaster.

Because it's free to enter, Knoebels stays genuinely busy on summer weekends and holidays, with queues building on the signature wooden coasters well before dinnertime. Weekdays are usually very relaxed. Check live wait times before queueing for Phoenix or Flying Turns, and use our crowd calendar to pick a quieter day if you want to re-ride freely.

Knoebels 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

Knoebels or Lake Compounce?

Which is better, Knoebels or Lake Compounce?

If you are judging on queues, Knoebels: it averages about 9 minutes a ride on a typical day against 16 at Lake Compounce, roughly 7 minutes back on every queue you join. Knoebels has 54 rides with recorded waits against 25 at Lake Compounce. Knoebels also runs its rides more reliably - 82% of opening hours against 67%.

Which has shorter queues, Knoebels or Lake Compounce?

Knoebels, by about 7 minutes a ride. On a typical day Knoebels averages 9 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 Knoebels best time to visit and Lake Compounce best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

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

Is Knoebels bigger than Lake Compounce?

By rides we track waits for, Knoebels is the bigger day out: 54 rides against 25. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Knoebels 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.

Knoebels calendar