Universal's Islands of Adventure · Hogsmeade — Islands of Adventure
Flight of the Hippogriff
Hogsmeade's family coaster at 36 inches - a one-minute ride that is the only thing in the Wizarding World a small child can do.
Ride facts
- Type
- Roller coaster
- Height
- 34in (86cm)
- Intensity
- Gentle
- Motion sickness
- Low motion risk
- Getting wet
- Stay dry
- Indoor / outdoor
- Outdoor
- Air conditioned
- No
- Rider Switch
- Available
Last verified July 2026
What it is
Flight of the Hippogriff is a short, gentle steel coaster that runs a lap around Hagrid's hut, and structurally it is the most important ride in Hogsmeade. Both of the land's other attractions require 48 inches. This one requires 36. For a family with a small child, it is the entire Wizarding World ride offering.
The ride itself is modest: a lift hill, a drop, a series of small hills and banked turns, and a run time of about a minute. It was rethemed from The Flying Unicorn, which occupied the same track in the original Lost Continent before Hogsmeade was built over that part of the park in 2010.
The queue is better than the ride. It runs past Hagrid's hut, with the pumpkin patch and a very good Buckbeak animatronic that bows if you bow to it, and there is a fair amount of detail in the fencing and props. Given how long the queue often is for a sixty-second ride, that is fortunate.
What riding it is actually like
You queue mostly outdoors along a fenced path past Hagrid's hut. There is a sign instructing riders to bow to Buckbeak, and the animatronic responds, which is one of the better small moments in the land and is missed by anyone rushing.
The cars are small, two across, with a simple lap bar. Taller adults sit knees-up and find it cramped. The lift hill gives a decent view over Hogsmeade's rooftops toward the castle and it is the best photograph available from a ride in this land.
The drop off the lift is the only element with any real force in it, and it is over quickly. From there it is a fast lap of small hills and turns before the brake run. It is a good first coaster for a child and it is unremarkable for anyone else.
Is Flight of the Hippogriff scary?
A short family coaster with small hills and gentle banking, entirely outdoors and in daylight. It is a reasonable first roller coaster for a child. The only sting is the initial drop off the lift hill, which is steeper than the rest of the ride suggests.
Scores are editorial, on a 1–5 scale, judged against what frightens a typical four- to seven-year-old rather than an adult.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair
- Must transfer to the ride vehicle
- Audio description
- Not offered
- Handheld captioning
- Not offered
- Assistive listening
- Not offered
- Sign language
- Not offered
- Service animals
- Must use a kennel or wait with a companion
Full transfer to a small two-across car with a lap bar. The cars are compact and the seating position is tight for taller adults, which surprises people who assumed a family coaster would be roomier.
Tips that actually help
- Bow to Buckbeak in the queue. The animatronic bows back and about a third of guests walk past without noticing.
- This is the only Hogsmeade ride available under 48 inches. If your youngest is between 36 and 48 inches, this is the one to prioritize in this land.
- Waits here are wildly disproportionate to the ride - forty minutes for sixty seconds is normal. Use Express Pass here if you have it, which is a rare case where it makes sense on a family coaster.
- Ride it early. It builds through the morning as families arrive and it does not clear much until the last hour.
- Repeat-visitor note: the view from the top of the lift toward Hogwarts Castle is the best on-ride view in Hogsmeade, and it lasts about three seconds.
Timing
- Best time to ride
- The first hour of the day or the last hour before close, when the wait matches the ride length rather than dwarfing it.
- Typical wait
- Usually 25-50 minutes for a one-minute ride, which is the worst ratio in Hogsmeade.
- Express Pass
- Universal Express Pass
Flight of the Hippogriff: common questions
How tall do you have to be for Flight of the Hippogriff?
36 inches, which makes it the only ride in Hogsmeade available to children under 48 inches. Both Hagrid's and the Forbidden Journey require 48.
Is Flight of the Hippogriff a good first roller coaster?
Yes, and it is one of the better ones for that purpose. It has one modest drop, small hills, no darkness, no inversions and a run time of about a minute, all in daylight. A child who manages this is generally ready for Slinky Dog Dash or the Barnstormer.
Is it worth the wait?
Only if you have a child in the 36-to-48-inch range, in which case it is essential because nothing else in the land will take them. For adults, a forty-minute queue for a sixty-second family coaster is a poor trade, and this is one of the few places where Express Pass on a small ride is justified.
Was it always called Flight of the Hippogriff?
No. The same track ran as The Flying Unicorn in The Lost Continent from 2000 until that section of the park was rebuilt as Hogsmeade in 2010. The layout is essentially unchanged; the theming is entirely new.