Straddling the border in between southern Nevada and California is a little unincorporated town called Primm. The tiny town is home to just 1,000 people or so. It’s not exactly a huge tourist destination. In fact, most of the time people pass through Primm on the way to Las Vegas. It’s a pretty typical small town in southern Nevada that’s loaded with casinos and outlet malls. However, there’s one incredibly notable thing about this town that most people aren’t aware of. It’s home to what was once considered the tallest roller coaster in the world.
Located 40 miles south of Las Vegas is a little-known town called Primm, Nevada. This small town is pretty typical, but there’s one truly strange thing that sets it apart: the Desperado Roller Coaster.
Thomas Hawk/Flickr
The Desperado is a hypercoaster (which means it measures greater than 200 feet tall) hiding out in this little town. It’s part of the Buffalo Bill’s Hotel and Casino of the Primm Valley Resorts Complex.
Robert Ciavarro/Flickr
The roller coaster was built back in 1994 as a way to attract people driving along Interstate 15 to Buffalo Bill’s, which also recently opened. At the time of its construction, it was considered one of the tallest and fastest roller coasters in the entire world. It was even in the Guinness Book of World Records.
chriggy1/Flickr
The ride features a 209-foot tall lift hill with a drop length of 225 feet. Riders will enjoy thrilling speeds of up to 90 miles per hour as they traverse the roller coaster.
Robert Ciavarro/Flickr
It may not be considered the tallest coaster in the world anymore, but you can still ride this beauty today. It’s open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays only. People describe it as a rickety ride, but it’s adrenaline-inducing nonetheless.
Stefan/Flickr
The ride starts off nice and slow to ease you into it. Admire the lovely desert scenery as you slowly crawl up the first hill. Once you hit the peak, you’ll be dropped into a tunnel where you’ll get that amazing heart-in-throat feeling.
Miss Shari/Flickr
Don’t worry, it’s not over yet. The second drop is a crazy 155-foot tall spiral that is sure to fill your stomach with some butterflies.
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The sight of this massive roller coaster in such a small town is certainly strange, to say the least. However, it makes for an awesome pit stop for travelers either leaving or entering Nevada on their way to somewhere else.
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Did you know this interesting tidbit about Primm? It seems we’re constantly discovering new things about our state! Check out these 14 Bizarre Roadside Attractions In Nevada that you may not have heard of before.
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Robert Ciavarro/Flickr
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Stefan/Flickr
Miss Shari/Flickr
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