TH13TEEN at Alton Towers: Ride Guide and Height Limit

What TH13TEEN Is

TH13TEEN is an Intamin family coaster that made its debut in 2010, built on the site once occupied by the Corkscrew. The manufacturer matters here: Intamin designed a lightweight track so the ride could include a moving track section, which is why the train can fall straight down inside the building.

The park has styled it as a psychocoaster, leaning on atmosphere and anticipation rather than height or speed. The Wraith storyline, the excavated crypt and the surrounding trees do most of the work, so riders who expect a Nemesis-style intensity often come off surprised by how gentle the outdoor track feels.

The ride mixes indoor and outdoor sections, and trains hold 20 riders across ten rows of two. That layout matters when you are planning a queue: the throughput is steady rather than vast, so a busy Dark Forest midday still means a wait.

The Ride Experience, Step by Step

The train leaves the station, turns sharply and climbs a lift hill before the first outdoor drop. From there it runs through banked turns and airtime hills among the trees, giving riders a conventional family coaster sequence before anything unusual happens.

The train then enters the crypt and slows as if something has gone wrong, with creaking effects building the tension. The track itself drops five metres in the dark, and the train is then sent backwards through the final section of the ride.

That vertical drop is the moment the ride is built around, and it explains both the hype and the split in opinion. It is a short, sharp jolt rather than a sustained thrill, which is exactly why younger riders often handle it better than adults expecting a full-scale horror coaster.

Height Limit and Who the Ride Suits

Riders need to be at least 1.2m tall, and there is a maximum height of 1.96m. Groups should measure children before travelling rather than at the entrance, because the minimum applies to the coaster itself and is not negotiable at the ride.

The 1.2m minimum makes TH13TEEN a first big coaster for many children, and the marketing scare is bigger than the physical ride. Families with a nervous but tall enough child usually find the outdoor section reassuringly ordinary, and the crypt drop is the part worth talking through beforehand.

Thrill-seekers should treat TH13TEEN as a warm-up rather than a headline. The moderate height and speed suit riders building confidence, while anyone chasing intensity will get more from the larger coasters elsewhere in the resort on the same day. Coasting families weighing up other UK parks can also read this Thorpe Park guide when they want to compare how a thrill-led park pitches its ride line-up.

Where TH13TEEN Sits in Dark Forest

Dark Forest holds Rita alongside TH13TEEN, so the two rides share an area and a queueing crowd. Rita is the faster, more forceful option, and pairing them back to back gives a useful contrast between an adrenaline coaster and a story-led family one.

The area also has its own food and drink outlets, including an Eastern Express counter and a Rita Freestyle refill station, so you can treat Dark Forest as a self-contained stop rather than walking back to the main hub. For the full spread of eating options across the resort, the Alton Towers food guide covers the rest of the park.

Fastrack and Ride Photos on TH13TEEN

TH13TEEN runs a Fastrack queue and offers an on-ride photo, so a paid queue-jump product can shorten the wait if Dark Forest is your priority. Fastrack on this ride is a separate purchase from park entry, and the park sells it per ride or in bundles, so compare what each option covers before buying.

Because the drop happens in darkness, the photo captures the outdoor section rather than the crypt moment. If the picture is the souvenir you want, sit where the camera can see your face and ride earlier in the day when the train is full.

When to Ride TH13TEEN

Dark Forest sits at the far end of the park from the main entrance, which makes it a sensible rope-drop target for anyone who wants TH13TEEN and Rita done early. Heading there first also means you cross the rest of the park later, when queues elsewhere have settled.

Later in the afternoon, TH13TEEN often becomes the easier of the two Dark Forest coasters because its family appeal spreads demand across the day. Check the official Alton Towers calendar for opening hours and event days before fixing a date, since the park's season includes Halloween and Christmas periods with different timetables.

The outdoor section is exposed, and UK weather can interrupt coaster operation, so a wet or windy forecast is worth factoring into which day you pick for Dark Forest. Indoor and covered attractions across the resort are the usual fallback when the coasters pause.

Accessibility and Rider Swap

Alton Towers runs an accessibility scheme that lets guests who cannot queue in the standard line wait elsewhere and return at their allotted time. Registering for it takes time at the start of the day, so start at Guest Services rather than at the TH13TEEN entrance.

Families splitting up because one child is under 1.2m can use rider swap so adults take turns without queueing twice. The practical version: one adult waits with the child while the other rides, then they swap at the exit, which keeps the day moving when a younger sibling cannot join.

Nearby Rides and Lands for Younger Children

Dark Forest itself offers little for children below 1.2m, so families with a mix of ages should plan a split: the taller riders take TH13TEEN and Rita while the rest move on to gentler areas. CBeebies Land at Alton Towers is the obvious base for younger children, with rides built around preschool characters.

For a full day out with mixed ages, use the Alton Towers guide to map lands before you arrive and decide where the group regroups. That planning matters more than ride order on busy days, because the walk between CBeebies Land and Dark Forest is one of the longer ones in the park.

Tickets, Travel and Planning the Day

Alton Towers sells dated and flexible day tickets plus multi-day and annual options, and prices move with the date you choose. Booking a quieter weekday in advance usually costs less than turning up on a school-holiday weekend, so compare Alton Towers tickets before locking in a date.

The resort sits near Alton village in Staffordshire, with road access from the M6 and rail connections via nearby stations plus onward bus or taxi. If you are weighing up how to get to Alton Towers by car, train or bus, the journey options and times are worth reading before you book accommodation.

On-site hotels and the Alton Towers water park, based at Splash Landings Hotel, make a two-day trip realistic for families who want TH13TEEN without a single long day. Staying over also puts you closer to the gates at opening, which helps if Dark Forest is your first stop.

The Wraith Storyline and the Crypt Drop

TH13TEEN's backstory is worth knowing before you ride, because the story is what the coaster is built around. The ride opened in 2010 on the site of the former Corkscrew, which was removed in 2008, and it transformed the area previously known as Ug Land into the Dark Forest. The premise is that routine clearance work on the edge of the forest uncovered an ancient burial ground, unleashing a previously dormant group of creatures called The Wraith. As you travel into the excavation work, the structure is presented as far from stable. The station is themed with old medieval-style stonework, and statues and sculptures are placed around the track.

The centrepiece of that story is the indoor show section. Towards the end of the ride, the train enters a dark crypt-like building and appears to come to a halt; after creaking noises, the track and train free fall straight down five metres in complete darkness. Riders are then sent backwards through a tunnel out of the spooky excavation, a reverse launch that closes the ride. Because the psychological build-up matters more than raw speed, Alton Towers has sometimes called TH13TEEN a psychocoaster. The story also explains the ride's name: the 13 concept plays into the idea of haunted or bad-luck woods.

For a dog-owning visitor, the practical point is simply that this is a ride, not an area you can walk a dog through, so the story is something to enjoy on your own turn while a companion waits with the dog outside the Dark Forest. Knowing the plot in advance means the crypt drop lands as the payoff it was designed to be rather than a surprise out of nowhere.

Plan Your Visit

TH13TEEN is best approached as a family coaster with one genuine surprise, not as the resort's scariest ride. If your group includes a child just past 1.2m, it is a strong first step up; if everyone wants pure intensity, ride it once and spend the rest of the day on the bigger coasters.

Build your day around Dark Forest first thing, then let the group split for younger children and regroup later. The official Alton Towers site publishes the calendar, ticket prices and opening hours that decide the rest of the plan.