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Hersheypark · US & Canada · typical hours 10 AM–10 PM
The one-minute version: be at the gate 30–45 minutes before opening and ride Skyrush first. Waits peak from late morning to mid-afternoon — do shows and meals then. The final hour is often as quiet as rope drop. There is no headline evening show, so the final operating hour is usually the quietest time to ride.
Worth it on busy days: Fast Track is a summer Saturday product.
See today's live waits free Ready-made touring plansQueues here follow a predictable daily shape. Lines are shortest in the first hour and the last, and peak 3 PM–5 PM — that is the window to spend on shows, meals or indoor attractions rather than headliners.
Typical shape of a Hersheypark day, shown as each hour's share of that day's own peak wait. Actual minutes vary by season and day of week — check today's live waits.
| Hour | Typical wait level |
|---|---|
| 10 AM | 30% of the day's peak |
| 11 AM | 45% of the day's peak |
| 12 PM | 65% of the day's peak |
| 1 PM | 82% of the day's peak |
| 2 PM | 95% of the day's peak |
| 3 PM | 100% of the day's peak |
| 4 PM | 100% of the day's peak |
| 5 PM | 92% of the day's peak |
| 6 PM | 78% of the day's peak |
| 7 PM | 60% of the day's peak |
| 8 PM | 42% of the day's peak |
| 9 PM | 30% of the day's peak |
Be at the gate 30–45 minutes before opening and ride in this order. Skyrush has the smallest trains and the longest sustained line; Candymonium moves quickly despite its popularity.
The first hour is the cheapest capacity of the day — no pass, no fee, and typically the shortest waits you will see.
Red = busiest, green = quietest, grey = moderate.
Expect the year's longest waits during the summer holiday and Christmas Candylane weekends.
The best value for short lines is May weekdays and September weekends once school returns.
Worth it on busy days
Fast Track is a summer Saturday product. On most other days Hersheypark's capacity keeps up with its crowds.
Price: roughly $40–$100 limited quantity. Prices change often and by date — treat this as a range, not a quote.
Maben Parks shows every wait live with a "vs typical" marker, and your magical fairy will run the numbers for your party and date — including telling you to keep your money when the answer is no.
Check today's waits before you buyPlanning ahead? The free Hersheypark crowd calendar scores every day for the next four months, 1 to 10 — no sign-up.
Median posted wait across the rides we track, on moderate days — the crowd level most visitors get. The shaded band is the middle half of readings at that hour.
Detected automatically from the live feed — each of these reported closed all day, every day, for at least three operating days. Observed through September 7, 2026.
| Attraction | Closed since | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Hershey Triple Tower - Reese's Tower | August 26, 2026 | 13 operating days |
| Shoreline Sprayground | August 26, 2026 | 13 operating days |
| Hershey Triple Tower - Hershey's Kisses Tower | August 28, 2026 | 11 operating days |
| Intercoastal Waterway | September 3, 2026 | 5 operating days |
| Twin Turnpike - Speedway presented by Sunoco | September 3, 2026 | 5 operating days |
| Coal Cracker | September 4, 2026 | 4 operating days |
| Tiny Tracks | September 4, 2026 | 4 operating days |
| Wild Mouse | September 4, 2026 | 4 operating days |
| Attraction | Was closed from | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Jolly Rancher Remix | August 27, 2026 | 11 operating days |
| Ferris Wheel | September 3, 2026 | 3 operating days |
| Mini Pirate | September 3, 2026 | 3 operating days |
| The Claw | August 26, 2026 | 3 operating days |
Generated from wait-feed observations, not an operator announcement: a long closure usually means refurbishment, but we report what the feed shows rather than guessing why. Always check the operator's own page before travelling for one specific ride.
Every wait we have recorded here, grouped by how busy the day turned out to be. The bold figure is the middle half of what we saw — a quarter of the time it was shorter, a quarter of the time longer. Read it against today’s crowd level to know whether the number on the sign is good or bad.
| Ride | Lightlevel 1 | Busylevel 4 | Packedlevel 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intercoastal Waterway | 5–55 typical | — | 5–12060 typical |
| Star-Spangled Laff Trakk | 5–3020 typical | 35–6050 typical | 50–10575 typical |
| Reese's Cupfusion | 15–4530 typical | 75–9075 typical | 60–9090 typical |
| Fahrenheit | 5–2510 typical | 15–6045 typical | 30–9060 typical |
| Storm Runner | 5–105 typical | 20–5045 typical | 40–9050 typical |
| Candymonium | 5–105 typical | 15–4525 typical | 35–7545 typical |
| Great Bear | 5–105 typical | 20–5030 typical | 30–7545 typical |
| Wildcat's Revenge | 5–105 typical | 5–4030 typical | 45–7545 typical |
| Breakers Edge Water Coaster | 5–2510 typical | 5–7545 typical | 10–6040 typical |
| Tidal Force | 5–55 typical | 5–4515 typical | 10–6030 typical |
| Comet | 5–1510 typical | 20–4530 typical | 25–6045 typical |
| Skyrush | 5–55 typical | 5–3020 typical | 15–6030 typical |
| Monorail | 5–155 typical | 40–5045 typical | 30–6050 typical |
| Cocoa Cruiser | 5–105 typical | 5–2010 typical | 10–4530 typical |
| Twin Turnpike - Classic Cars presented by Sunoco | 5–105 typical | 20–4030 typical | 30–4540 typical |
| Lightning Racer | 5–55 typical | 5–2020 typical | 10–4525 typical |
| Mix'd Flavored By Jolly Rancher | 5–55 typical | 10–2015 typical | 15–4530 typical |
| Coastline Plunge - Hydro | 5–155 typical | 15–4525 typical | 10–4020 typical |
Minutes of posted standby wait, from our own recorded snapshots — up to 6 days per figure. Cells stay blank until a ride has enough observations at that crowd level to be worth printing. Posted waits are what the park displays, which is not always what you queue.
Aim to be at the gate 30–45 minutes before the posted opening time of 10 AM. The first hour consistently has the day's shortest waits, and arriving even 45 minutes late typically costs you two headliners.
10 AM–11 AM and 9 PM–10 PM — the opening hour and the final hour of the operating day. Waits peak 3 PM–5 PM, so plan meals, shows and indoor attractions for that window.
Skyrush, then Candymonium and Wildcat's Revenge. Skyrush has the smallest trains and the longest sustained line; Candymonium moves quickly despite its popularity.
May and September — May weekdays and September weekends once school returns. Avoid June, July, August and December, when the summer holiday and Christmas Candylane weekends.
Fast Track is a summer Saturday product. On most other days Hersheypark's capacity keeps up with its crowds.