Dollywood’s Most Exhilarating Thrill Rides – The Great Smoky Mountains

If you’re heading to Dollywood for the thrill rides – because you have the need for speed – then you’ve come to the right blog post. We recently visited Dollywood and found some roller coasters that really gave us an adrenaline rush. These are the most exciting (and fun) thrill rides at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee!

Mystery Mine

This coaster surprised me! I won’t give any spoilers, but I’ve never ridden anything like it. I will tell you that there are sharp turns, steep drops, and even a 95-degree, 85-foot plunge into darkness. You’ll find yourself upside-down, flat on your back, and falling straight down!

This steel roller coaster is themed to look like an abandoned coal mine. You will ride in a large mine car. Sometimes the coaster will take you inside an abandoned coal mine and sometimes you’ll find yourself outside.

Tennessee Tornado

You’ll begin this roller coaster in a rustic, tattered barn. Then, this coaster takes you up the side of the mountain. Next, it plunges you through a tunnel where you immediately enter the first up-side down loop on the other side. With 3 spirals and a 128-foot drop through an actual mountain going almost 70 mph, you will feel like you’re in a (very fun) tornado.

Thunderhead

The award-winning Thunderhead is a wooden roller coaster – one of the first wooden coasters in the country when it was first built. It features a 100-foot drop and reaches a top speed of 55 mph! The coaster goes over and under itself more than 30 times during the ride and it will definitely get your heart racing. This ride has almost 2 dozen turns, so it’s not the smoothest ride, but it is a lot of fun and it will definitely get your heart racing.

Dragon Flier

Dragonflier is a newer roller coaster at Dollywood Located in the Wildwood Grove area of the park. This ride makes you feel like you’re flying through the air like a dragonfly. This is an easier thrill ride and is very popular with younger kids. It’s considered a family ride and is a great ride to introduce kids to roller coasters.

Dragonflier is my 12-year-old son’s favorite ride. He likes the comfy restraints and the fact that it is exciting without being scary. It’s also a beautiful ride, with fountains scattered throughout the experience.

Firechaser Express

The Firechaser Express is considered a family coaster, but it is a unique and thrilling ride. The coaster is firefighter-themed, has a launch, lifts hills, and even goes backward at parts. We especially loved the Fireworks Factory part of the coaster, complete with sound effects and a fire blast sending you backward. This is also another great ride to introduce younger kids to roller coasters.

Lightning Rod

Located in Jukebox Junction, this ride was named one of the top 10 best roller coasters in the country. I really liked this roller coaster – probably my second favorite at Dollywood right after Wild Eagle. We took off immediately going from zero to 45 mph more than 20 stories. And, it only got more exciting from there. This ride is exhilarating from the second you take off until the last second of the finale.

The coaster is a hybrid-type build. It has a wooden frame and also a steel structure. It lasts about 3 minutes and reaches speeds of over 70 miles an hour – the fastest wooden roller coaster in the world.

This coaster has a 1950s hot-rod theme so even standing in line is fun. You find yourself in a mechanic’s shop and a car sales area. This ride offers a single-rider line which is nice. If you want to ride in the regular line head to the left when you enter. If you want to take the single-rider line, stay to the left and follow the signs.

Most of the thrill rides are located to the left when you enter the park. This trail is a bit of a hike on an incline. If you’re old and lazy like me, you can head right and go to Jukebox Junction to ride the Lightning Rod first. Then, take the easier path toward the other thrill rides. Hopefully, the lines will be better too.

Wild Eagle

This is my favorite ride at Dollywood. It is such a SMOOTH ride, but very exhilarating at the same time. With zero-gravity turns, it made me feel weightless – I literally felt like an eagle soaring through the mountains. And, with Wild Eagle being 21 stories above the park, the views from this ride are amazing!

Wild Eagle is the first wing coaster in the United States. Instead of sitting in a seat, you sit on the wings of the eagle, with your feet dangling beneath you. This steel coaster has a 135-foot drop, inversions, 4x G-force, and speeds of up to 60 miles per hour. You’ll find Wild Eagle in the Wilderness Pass area of the park.

Big Bear Mountain in 2023

Also, if you plan to visit Dollywood in 2023, Big Bear Mountain is scheduled to open in the spring of that year. This coaster promises to be the longest coaster in Dollywood and will be located in Wildwood Grove. It promises to be another fun, thrilling ride.  With 3,990 ft. of track, this colossal coaster circles Wildwood Grove and will feature onboard music and audio from Ned Oakley. Read more HERE.

A big thank you to Dollywood for hosting our visit. All opinions are my own.

You might also enjoy:

100+ Things to do in The Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee

Ultimate Guide to Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

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