Dollywood has 10 different roller coasters at the moment. Whether you love the really fast and intense ones or like to stick with the less thrilling coasters, I’ve done some research to evaluate each coaster for you!. This is my personal opinion on these coasters, and after riding them, you might think differently.
What Roller Coasters are Been Ranked?
Big Bear Mountain
– Wildwood Grove –
Dollywood’s Big Bear Mountain Roller Coaster is the longest roller coaster at the park, with moderate thrills perfect for families with kids of different ages. Reaching top speeds of 48 mph and having a maximum track height of 66 feet, makes it family-friendly and enjoyable for all.
Lightning Rod
– Jukebox Junction –
Dollywood’s Lightning Rod is an intense and thrilling roller coaster experience with a unique combination of wooden and steel tracks, featuring a 165-foot drop and reaching a maximum speed of 73 miles per hour, providing an exhilarating ride for thrill-seekers.
Wild Eagle
– Wilderness Pass –
Dollywood’s Wild Eagle is an intense and thrilling wing coaster that provides a bird’s eye view of the park. Reaching a height of 210 feet and speeds of up to 60 miles per hour, makes it a must-ride attraction for roller coaster enthusiasts and thrill-seekers.
Mystery Mine
– Timber Canyon –
Dollywood’s Mystery Mine, a steel coaster with 2 drops (an 85-foot drop and a 95-degree drop), 2 complete inversions, and maximum speeds of 60 mph, offering an immersive and intense adventure through dark tunnels and twists with excellent theming and storytelling.
FireChaser Express
– Wilderness Pass –
Dollywood’s FireChaser Express is a family friendly dual launch roller coaster with a top speed of 35 mph and a thrilling drop of 72 feet, offering a fun and exciting experience for both kids and adults.
Dragonflier
– Wildwood Grove –
Dragonflier at Dollywood is a perfect family friendly coaster, with speeds of 43 mph and a small drop of 63.3 ft, making it an ideal balance between intensity and enjoyment for riders of all ages, especially for kids who are a little scared to ride bigger coasters.
Thunderhead
– Timber Canyon –
Thunderhead roller coaster at Dollywood offers a thrilling experience with top speeds of 55 miles per hour and an exhilarating 100-foot drop, while also providing the nostalgic feel of a classic wooden coaster, making it a must-ride for roller coaster enthusiasts and thrill-seekers.
Tennessee Tornado
– Craftsman’s Valley –
Dollywood’s Tennessee Tornado is a fast and intense triple-looping steel roller coaster with a top speed of 70 mph and a thrilling 128 ft drop, providing a dizzy but super fun experience!.
Whistle Punk Chaser
– Timber Canyon –
Whistle Punk Chaser at Dollywood is a perfect coaster for young thrill-seekers who are not old enough for bigger coasters, featuring no drops, slow speeds of around 16 mph, and a short ride that goes around the tracks three times.
Blazing Fury
– Craftsman’s Valley –
Dollywood’s Blazing Fury indoor “roller coaster” is a slow-moving dark ride through a burning 1880s town, with a small drop towards the end, reaching speeds of only 22 mph, making it family friendly and great for the littlest riders.
Let’s Take a Look at Our Ranking Criteria.
Thrill Factor:
This refers to the level of excitement and adrenaline that the ride generates. This can be evaluated based on factors such as speed, height, drops, twists, turns, and inversions.
Smoothness of the Ride:
Roller coasters should provide a smooth and comfortable ride experience. Factors that contribute to the smoothness of a roller coaster include the design, materials used, and maintenance of the ride.
Theme and Atmosphere:
Roller coasters can offer a unique experience by having a theme. The atmosphere of the ride, including the queue, surroundings, and soundtrack, contribute to the overall experience.
Unique Features:
Roller coasters can stand out by having unique features such as magnetic launches, airtime hills, or 360 degree loops. These add to the excitement of the ride.
Length of the Ride:
A longer roller coaster ride can offer a more complete and immersive experience. Some people may prefer a shorter, more intense ride.
Overall Experience:
This takes into consideration the combination of all the factors listed above and reflects the overall enjoyment of the ride.
| Roller Coaster | Thrill Factor | Smoothness of the Ride | Theme and Atmosphere | Unique Features | Ride Length | Overall Experience |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning Rod | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 10 |
| Dragonflier | 7 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| Thunderhead | 9 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| Wild Eagle | 9 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 10 |
| Mystery Mine | 8 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 8 |
| FireChaser Express | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 8 |
| Whistle Punk Chaser | 2 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 6 |
| Tennessee Tornado | 10 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 8 |
| Blazing Fury | 1 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 5 |
| Big Bear Mountain | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Which Coaster Best Fit You Based on Our Criteria Factors?
Dollywood is a theme park known for its exciting roller coasters and attractions. With so many to choose from and personal preferences, it can be hard to say which one is the best. By taking into consideration different things about each coaster, we can see which ones may be the best fit for you.
Best For Thrill Seekers:
Let’s start with Thrill Factor, which refers to the level of excitement and adrenaline that a roller coaster gives you. This can be based on speed, height, drops, twists, turns, and inversions.
The Tennessee Tornado, is a high speed roller coaster that reaches speeds of up to 70 miles per hour and has multiple loops, earning a score of 10 out of 10 for Thrill Factor. Lightning Rod, is a hybrid wooden and steel roller coaster that is both smooth and fast, with top speeds of 73 mph. It also has a launch system that takes riders to the top of the first hill before dropping them down 165 feet, earning a score of 10 out of 10 for Thrill Factor.
Smoothest Roller Coasters:
Another thing to consider is the Smoothness of the Ride. Roller coasters should give riders a smooth and comfortable ride experience, and factors that help this include the design, materials used, and maintenance of the ride.
Mystery Mine is a steel roller coaster that takes riders on a journey through a dark, abandoned mine, featuring drops, twists, and turns along the way. Its mostly smooth ride earns it a score of 8 out of 10 for Smoothness of the Ride. Another coaster is the Wild Eagle. This awesome roller coaster offers fast speeds, loops and turns but still provides a smooth ride overall, earning it a score of 9 out of 10 for Smoothness of the Ride.
Unique Theme & Atmosphere:
The Theme and Atmosphere of a roller coaster can make a difference to the overall experience. The FireChaser Express, is a family friendly steel roller coaster and the storyline starts in the queue. The queue makes you feel as if you are in the fire house!. Once you board the ride, they take you on a journey to put out a fire, goes backwards and has 2 launches, featuring a unique combination of thrills and safety features, earning it a score of 9 out of 10 for Theme and Atmosphere.
Another coaster and one of our favorites is Dollywood’s Big Bear Mountain. It has moderate thrills that are perfect for families with kids of different ages. The queue is amazing, you will feel ready to go on the expedition to find the Big Bear!. It all ties together with the story and ride itself. This earns it a score of 10 out of 10 for Theme and Atmosphere.
Coaster Whit Unique Features:
Unique features can also make a roller coaster stand out, such as magnetic launches, airtime hills, or 360-degree loops. One of the unique features of Lightning Rod is the launch system. This coaster uses LSM (Linear Synchronous Motor) technology to propel the train out of the station and up the lift hill. This creates a smooth & intense launch. Another unique feature the Lightning Rod has is the theming of the ride. The coaster is set in a 1950s hot rod shop. The queue area follows the theme of the ride too . The Lightning Rod’s unique features earns it a score of 10 out of 10.
Longest Roller Coasters:
The Length of the Ride can also be a factor in choosing which coaster is the best for you. A longer roller coaster ride can give a more complete and immersive experience, while some people like a shorter, more intense ride.
The Thunderhead, for example, is a wooden roller coaster that has a longer, more traditional roller coaster experience, earning it a score of 9 out of 10 for Length of the Ride. Big Bear Mountain Roller Coaster is the longest roller coaster in the park at the moment, it gives you a complete and immersive experience with its storyline to find the big bear earning it a score of 10 out of 10 for Length of the Ride.
Best Overall Experience of Ride:
The top three coasters at Dollywood are Big Bear Mountain, Lightning Rod and Wild Eagle. All three coasters received a score of 9 or higher in this category. The reason for their high scores in the overall experience category is that they all have unique combination of thrills, smoothness, atmosphere, unique features, and length.
Lightning Rod, in particular, stands out with a score of 10 in the overall experience category. This coaster has everything you could want in a ride – high speeds, drops, twists, turns, and airtime hills. Besides all of that, it has an awesome theme, a smooth ride, and a relatively long ride time, making it a complete and immersive experience.
Wild Eagle, with a score of 10 in the overall experience category, is another top choice for those looking for a thrilling ride. This coaster has a great combination of smoothness and thrills, with airtime hills and drops that will get your heart racing.
Big Bear Mountain, with a score of 10 in the overall experience category, is a great choice for families with kids of different ages. This ride is not scary fast and does not go upside down, but it is the longest coaster in the park and it has a great story while you are riding!.
Dollywood has Many Different Roller Coasters, each offering its own combination of thrills, smoothness, atmosphere, unique features, and lengths. You cant go wrong with any of these coasters. If you can, you should ride them all and see for yourself!. Enjoy, make memories together and have fun!
