Much like a real volcano, the landscape making up the mountain located at Kings Dominion has evolved over time, bringing various forms of entertainment to guests since the late 1970s.

A seventeen-story mountain was constructed at Kings Dominion in 1979 and known as The Lost World, housing three attractions: Journey to the Land of Dooz (a mine train/roller coaster), Journey to Atlantis (a themed flume ride), and The Time Shaft (a rotor flat ride). Outside the mountain tucked in an alcove was a “Himalaya”-style flat ride called Mt. Kilimanjaro.

In 1980, Journey to Atlantis was changed to the Haunted River.

In 1984, Smurf Mountain replaced Land of Dooz.

In 1995, Smurf Mountain was closed.

As the mountain sat vacant, Paramount Parks opted to fill the structure with a launched linear induction motor (LIM) roller coaster and renamed Volcano: Blast Coaster for the 1998 season.

On August 3, 1998, Kings Dominion sent out the proceeding news release, announcing the opening of Volcano: Blast Coaster, the world’s first suspended roller coaster powered by linear induction.

“Riders begin their journey in the heart of the mountain, suspended in their seats with legs dangling and steel track overhead. Electromagnetic energy then sends the coaster cars flying out, in and out of the mountain at speeds up to 70 M.P.H. Riders will then travel back into the mountain before being catapulted vertically and blasted 155 feet out of the center of the crater. After bursting out of the top of the peak, the track follows the first of four heartline roll inversions, circling back around the mountain before dropping another 80 feet and returning into the mountain. Extensive themeing completes the ride experience, including special effects such as smoke and a fiery eruption that simulate an active volcano.”

Kings Dominion announced the permanent closure of Volcano on their blog on February 8, 2019.

Looking back at the history of the mountain formerly known as Volcano: Blast Coaster, our only hope is that it will continue to evolve as we look to the future. Could we see another roller coaster, such as a dive coaster, incorporated into the mountain? Given the recent implementation of B&M dive coasters at Cedar Point (Valravn) and Canada’s Wonderland (Yukon Striker), it seems like a feasible option.

As an alternative, could we see the park close down the Shenandoah Lumber Company log flume and create a modern era version at the mountain? Our guess on this is not likely.

What would you like to see replace Volcano?

A special thanks to Robert Coker for allowing us to share and archive this historic piece of Kings Dominion history.

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