Six Flags Great America has revealed a major new family area for 2027, combining a record-setting suspended coaster with new attractions, refreshed rides and a wider transformation of the Illinois theme park.
Camp Timber Trail will open within the park's existing Yukon Territory and feature nine attractions built around a new woodland adventure theme.
At the centre of the development will be Sky Hawk, a new suspended family roller coaster that Six Flags describes as the tallest, fastest and longest attraction of its kind in the Midwest.
The project will also introduce new children's attractions, transform several existing rides and incorporate longtime Great America favourites including Little Dipper and Logger's Run.
Sky Hawk will headline Camp Timber Trail
Sky Hawk will become the signature attraction of the new area when Camp Timber Trail opens in 2027.
Unlike a conventional roller coaster, riders will sit beneath the track with their feet hanging freely below them as the train travels through the woodland-themed landscape.
Six Flags says the coaster will send guests soaring through the treetops while combining family-friendly thrills with views across the surrounding area.
The park is currently billing Sky Hawk as the Midwest's tallest, fastest and longest suspended family coaster.
Exact statistics including its height, top speed and track length have not yet been revealed, meaning further details are likely to follow as construction progresses.
The coaster is intended to sit between children's attractions and Great America's larger thrill rides, giving families another option that can be experienced together without removing the sensation of a full roller coaster.
Two completely new family attractions are also coming
Sky Hawk will be joined by two additional new experiences.
Trail Trotters will invite younger visitors to board animal-themed vehicles for what Six Flags describes as a wilderness journey focused on exploration and discovery.
The development will also introduce Forest Grove Play Park, a large outdoor play area featuring nature-inspired elements designed for children to climb, explore and discover.
Together, the additions point towards Camp Timber Trail being designed as more than simply a home for a new coaster.
The emphasis on rides, play areas and existing family attractions should allow groups with children of different ages to spend considerably more time within one section of the park.
Existing Great America rides will receive new identities
Several existing attractions will be incorporated into the Camp Timber Trail story through new names and enhanced theming.
Sprocket Rockets will become Chirp Chaser, transforming the existing family coaster into a bird-inspired journey through the wilderness.
Crazy Bus will be renamed Wilderness Wagon, while Yahoo River will become Creek Cruiser.
Buzzy Beez will also return with a refreshed identity as Bee Boppin'.
Six Flags says the reimagined attractions will receive enhanced theming and storytelling intended to make them feel like integrated parts of Camp Timber Trail rather than simply existing rides surrounded by new scenery.
The historic Little Dipper wooden family coaster and Logger's Run log flume will also become part of the new area while retaining their existing names.
That gives Camp Timber Trail a mixture of new investment and established Great America attractions rather than replacing the area's existing family ride collection entirely.
Nine attractions will make up the new area
When complete, the Camp Timber Trail line-up will include:
- Sky Hawk - new suspended family roller coaster
- Trail Trotters - new animal-themed family ride
- Forest Grove Play Park - new outdoor play area
- Chirp Chaser - the reimagined Sprocket Rockets
- Wilderness Wagon - the reimagined Crazy Bus
- Creek Cruiser - the reimagined Yahoo River
- Bee Boppin' - the refreshed Buzzy Beez
- Little Dipper
- Logger's Run
The result should give Six Flags Great America a substantial dedicated family area while preserving several attractions already familiar to regular visitors.
Camp Timber Trail is only the beginning
Perhaps the most significant part of the announcement extends beyond the new land itself.
Six Flags Great America president John Krajnak described Camp Timber Trail as the first step in a multi-year transformation of the park.
Further improvements are planned across Great America's approximately 300 acres, including upgrades to landscaping, walkways, guest amenities, facilities and the overall appearance of the resort.
The announcement suggests Six Flags intends to combine major ride investment with wider improvements to the guest experience rather than limiting its development programme to individual attractions.
Camp Timber Trail follows the opening of Wrath of Rakshasa in 2025, which brought a new record-setting dive coaster to Great America's thrill ride collection.
The contrast between that coaster and the newly announced family expansion also shows a broader approach to investment, with the park now turning its attention towards attractions designed to appeal to younger visitors and multi-generational groups.
A major family investment for 2027
Six Flags has not yet confirmed an exact opening date for Camp Timber Trail beyond the 2027 season, while technical specifications for Sky Hawk also remain under wraps.
Even without those figures, the scale of the project makes this considerably more than a straightforward new coaster announcement.
Nine attractions, new play space, refreshed theming and a wider programme of improvements across the park give Great America a substantial family-focused project to follow its recent thrill ride investments.
And with Six Flags calling Camp Timber Trail only the beginning of a multi-year transformation, the new woodland area may ultimately prove to be the first visible stage of much larger changes ahead.
