Desperado roller coaster

Ride facts Length: 5,843 feet Max Height: 210 feet Biggest Drop: 225 feet Max Speed: 80 mph Ride Duration: 2 minutes, 45 seconds Capacity: 1,700 people per hour on three trains Designer: Arrow Dynamics, Clearfield, Utah Special Features: A high-speed dive down a 55-degree hill into a tunnel kicks off the ride followed by a 155-foot second hill. That's higher than most other coasters' first drop.

With a 225-foot drop down a 55-degree descent on the first hill, the Desperado is one of the tallest roller coasters in North America. The ride is well worth the price of admission.

As the coaster makes it slow ascent to the top of the first hill, passengers can take in scenic views of the entire Primm Valley. But shortly after it reaches the peak, the roller coaster goes barreling down at an incline so steep that you can barely see the track below, all at speeds of about 80 mph.

Just when you start to catch your breath from the first drop, you reach the second hill on the track. A high-speed helix, the second hill takes off from 155 feet -- higher than most coasters' first drop.

But the action never stops on this thrill-packed ride as the coaster takes on the camelback hills leading to the front of the property, providing plenty of "airtime," the thrilling zero-gravity sensation of floating off your seat.

Just when you start getting used to gripping anything you can find within your reach, the ride wraps up with a high-speed upward spiral through a man-made mountain and returns passengers safely to the loading area.

-- Review by Noelani Jones