Six Flags Magic Mountain has seemingly set out to build some of the fastest, tallest, longest and most thrilling roller coasters anywhere. The facts speak for themselves:

* Magic Mountain has more than a dozen roller coasters.

* The park opened its first coaster, Goldrusher, in 1971.

* When Magic Mountain's Colossus coaster opened in 1978, it was the world's tallest and fastest wooden coaster.

* Superman the Escape goes from 0 to 100 mph in a mere seven seconds.

* TATSU is the world's longest, tallest and fastest flying roller coaster.

* The Riddler is the tallest and fastest stand-up coaster in the world.

A visit to Magic Mountain and its adrenaline-pounding coasters might leave you wind-whipped, jostled, disoriented and buzzing with the feeling of invincibility. If that sounds like your kind of place, hit these rides first: Batman the Ride, Goliath, Scream, The Riddler's Revenge, Deja Vu, Viper and TATSU.

On the other hand, maybe you are traveling with kids or your more timid friends. Fortunately, Magic Mountain has rides and activities for them too. The park has more than 100 rides and attractions--and only a half-dozen or so of them are geared for extreme excitement. The rest are moderate coasters, water rides, carousels, carnival games, shows and other stuff that caters to more mainstream tastes.

The Layout of Magic Mountain

The park is organized into eight areas: Gotham City Backlot, Colossus County Fair, The Movie District, Cyclone Bay, Baja Ridge, Samurai Summit, Bugs Bunny World and High Sierra Territory. 2008 should see the addition of a new kids' area called Thomas Town. Here are a list of the main attractions to be found in each of the park areas:

Baja Ridge
Viper
X2
Revolution

Bugs Bunny World
More than 10 kid-friendly rides
Tweety's Escape
Elmer's Weather Balloons
Merrie Melodies Carousel
Taz' Trucking Co.

Colossus County Fair
Buccaneer
Colossus
Goliath
Scream
Swashbuckler

Cyclone Bay
Cyclone 500
Deja Vu
Dive Devil
Jet Stream
Thrill Shot
Gotham City Backlot
Atom Smasher
Batman the Ride
Grinder Gearworks

High Sierra Territory
Log Jammer
Sierra Falls
Yosemite Sam

Samurai Summit
Ninja
TATSU

The Movie District
Goldrusher
Sandblasters
Scrambler
The Riddler's Revenge

Magic Mountain Location

Magic Mountain is located in Valencia, California, some 35 miles northwest (by car) from the center of Los Angeles. The park is very easy to find once you're on Interstate 5 heading north; from the LA area, you'll pass by Glendale, San Fernando and Sylmar before you get to the signs that direct you off the freeway and into the parking lot. If you miss the signs, you won't miss the massive coaster structures on the west side of the freeway as you drive by.