Soaky Mountain Waterpark is one of the new attractions in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.
And even though it only recently opened in 2020, they are still bringing us new attractions and improved guest experiences throughout the park with each new season.
When you’re planning a summer trip to the Smokies, you may be curious on what exactly Soaky Mountain offers inside the colorful tubes and beyond.
This massive 50-acre attraction boasts a long, impressive list of slides, features and food venues.
So here, let’s take a look at some of the Soaky Mountain Waterpark rides.
Does Soaky Mountain have a lazy river?
Yes! There is a lazy river, known as Black Bear Rapids. It spans 24,000 square feet, but it is not quite so lazy.
It’s considered an adventure river and has waves that bring more excitement than a more traditional lazy river.
Does Soaky Mountain have a wave pool?
Yes! Soaky has many common water park favorites including a wave pool known as the Soaky Surge.
This 35,000-square-foot pool generates waves up to six feet high.
Does Soaky Mountain have a weight limit?
To enter? No. To ride some of the rides? Yes. The max weight limit for most rides will vary. Limitations range from about 250-300 pounds as a max weight to ride some rides.
Some of the attractions have no weight restrictions. These include:
- Black Bear Rapids (the lazy adventure river)
- Hang 10essee (a FlowRider surf simulator)
- Splash and Furious (a head-first mat racer)
- Holler! (a body slide)
- Soaky Surge (the wave pool)
- Coyote Springs (a still water pool)
Some of the above do, however, have height restrictions.
Let’s say you want to maximize your time at Soaky Mountain. Which rides and attractions should you prioritize? Here’s a ranking of some of my favorites:
15. Coyote Springs
This attraction is a 3,800-square-foot flat-water cabana pool with a sun shelf for relaxing poolside.
I like the fact that Soaky has included a regular pool in its water park. The park is truly accommodating for everyone in the family.
The downside? It’s generally a bit crowded and if I’m going to a water park, I want to ride the rides.
Actually, should this even be in a rides ranked list? Probably not.
There are no height or weight restrictions for this attraction.
14. Black Bear Rapids
As previously mentioned, this lazy river is a not-so-lazy adventure packed with wave action. It encompasses over 24,000 square feet.
It’s an impressive-looking lazy river, but I’m ranking it low because I believe that rivers should be lazy. If I want waves, I’ll mosey on over to the wave pool. Still, if adventure rivers are your thing, you might rank this higher on your own list.
This ride has no height or weight restrictions, but weak swimmers should consider the large waves.
13. Hang 10essee
This one is a double FlowRider to help you find your inner surfer. Or fall while people watch from the nearby bar. While I give this attraction bonus points for its punny name, it gets dinged for originality.
I’ve seen a few of these at other water park attractions. They’re fun, but not entirely unique.
There is no weight restriction, but riders must be over 42” tall.
12. Soaky Surge
This is a huge 35,000-square-foot wave pool that generates waves up to 6 feet high. No doubt, it’s a popular feature and many folks seem to like it.
Why am I ranking it a bit low? I’m a child from the era of Ogles Waterpark, a concrete slab of an attraction with a wave pool that was quite scary to little 8-year-old me. I guess I have never quite gotten over that fear.
Read Also: What happened to Ogle’s Waterpark? The attraction that took its place
This ride has no height or weight restrictions, but weak swimmers should consider the large waves.
11. Holler!
Next door to Whoop, this body slide starts out as a gentle descent before a heart-pounding drop “off the face of the earth”.
I think the PR folks are exaggerating a bit on this one. Still, this is one of the more intense rides in the park.
It’s thrilling, but it’s the kind of ride where you will get a face full of water as you slide down the steep incline. It’s definitely for the adrenaline seekers in your group.
Riders should be a minimum of 100 lbs with a minimum height of 48”.
10. Whoop
It seems wrong to mention Whoop after Holler, but if I had to pick, I’d choose Whoop any day, assuming I could get over the intimidating look of the capsule.
This capsule-drop will plummet you out from a capsule floor to a runout finish below.
It looks quite a bit more scary than its Holler counterpart, but it’s not quite as steep, making it a little smoother.
Riders need to weigh between 100-300 pounds and have a minimum height of 48”.
9. Copperhead Clash (Snake’s Den)
Now we get into some float rides, which are some of my favorites. Copperhead Clash is a slide with double tubes and a side-by-side racing section. Translucent lighting effects add to this one or two-person tube ride.
It’s smooth and fun, the perfect ride for those getting their feet wet on water slides.
Riders must be at least 42” tall with a companion of over 48” tall. Max weight is 250 pounds with a max boat weight of 400 pounds.
8. American Racer’s Rush (Snake’s Den)
Similar to Copperhead Clash, this American-inspired thrill ride is a dedication to Old Glory. You’ll see stars and stripes on your journey down the mountain before you end up with a “fireworks” finish.
Riders must be at least 42” tall with a companion of over 48” tall. Max weight is 250 pounds with a max boat weight of 400 pounds.
7. Cottonmouth Coils (Snake’s Den)
This is one of the smoothest rides in this section and is a ton of fun. It’s an enclosed tube slide with translucent lighting effects and three turns. Brave it alone or with a partner.
To ride, you must be at least 42” tall with a companion of over 48” tall. Max weight is 250 pounds with a max boat weight of 400 pounds.
6. Timber Rattler’s Rage (Snake’s Den)
This is the most thrilling ride in the “snakes” section of the park. This one is a slow and go ride where a one or two-person tube slide sends you on a journey through three distinct Tornado funnel sections, where you’ll slosh back and forth between the walls.
And probably end up backwards.
You must be at least 42” tall with a companion of over 48” tall to ride. Max weight is 250 pounds with a max boat weight of 400 pounds.
5. Splash & Furious
I have to admit, I didn’t ride this one during my first two visits to the park. I was afraid.
As you can probably tell by my ranking order, I generally prefer the comfort of a large float. On this ride, all that stands between your body and the ride tubes is a thin mat.
However, it’s so smooth and you can actually enjoy the ride without being splashed in the face constantly (which was my fear).
When I finally rode it, I loved it so much that I did it three times in a row. The line also moves really fast.
This ride is a four-lane, head-first mat racer that lets you compete side-by-side with your neighbors. Translucent light effects will shine through as you make your way down to the checkerboard finish line.
Riders must be 42” tall to ride.
4. Blue Mountain Mayhem
This five-person raft ride features two massive, gravity-challenging walls and is guaranteed to give you that “weightless” kind of feeling.
It’s so smooth, and since uses a large raft float, you get the added bonus of not having to carry your slide up a series of stairs.
Win, win.
Riders must be over 48” tall. The max individual weight is 250 pounds. The boat weight must be between 150-700 pounds.
3. Rainbow Revenge
This state-of-the-art waterslide uses translucent lighting technology that twists and bends the light as you splash down in a five-person raft ride. The ride also includes three saucer turns.
To me, this is one of the smoothest rides in the park and I could ride it all day long.
Riders must be over 42” tall with supervision. The max individual weight is 275 pounds. The boat weight must be between 150-800 pounds.
2. Avalaunch Watercoaster
Until this year, the Avalaunch Watercoaster was the star of the show at Soaky Mountain.
This first-of-its kind ride combines a RocketBLAST® water coaster with four FlyingSAUCER® high-speed turns and a massive sweeping TornadoWAVE finish.
What does all that mean? This watercoaster is exactly like what it sounds. Instead of a traditional float ride where you only go down and around a mountain, this coaster will have you going up, down and back up again. It’s full of twists and turns and is a thrilling, heart-pumping ride that you will definitely remember.
It also splashes you in the face quite a bit. But it’s worth it.
Riders must be over 42” tall with a companion over 48” tall. The max individual weight is 280 pounds. Boat weight (for two people) must be between 150-400 pounds.
1. The Edge
And finally, we reach The Edge. The Edge is the newest feature at Soaky Mountain, opening just last month.
Was it worth the wait? Yes, reader, it was.
This ride, which spans two football fields in length, is probably my favorite in the park now because it has the perfect mix of being thrilling yet smooth.
While the initial drop is very intense (more so than it looks from a distance), it manages not to splash you in the face constantly like some other thrilling water rides.
The coaster’s AquaLucent rings offer a sense of sci-fi speed and an appearance of acceleration.
Two imposing Boomerango walls offer a feeling of extreme Gs and as they fall down from “The Edge”. These two parallel walls are a nice finishing touch, giving riders a sense of weightlessness.
It’s definitely one of my new favorite thrill rides.
It’s also a racer ride, so you can see which of the two competitors is the winner at the bottom. Spoiler alert: It’s usually whichever boat weighs more.
Riders must be 42” tall to ride. The max individual weight is 300 pounds. The boat weight (for two people) must be between 110-450 pounds.
What does Soaky Mountain have for kids?
Soaky Mountain is great for families and I think put in a lot of effort to make toddlers and children feel included.
My favorite feature is that they have pint-sized versions of the adult rides so the kids can feel included. These are Mini Mayhem and Lil Rattlers, which are completely adorable.
Read Also: Soaky Mountain vs Splash Country: Which water park is better?
Here’s a quick breakdown of some of the kid sections and rides:
The Hive is the ultimate kids’ play zone sure to keep pint-size people buzzing.
Kids will enjoy multiple water play features including a water dump, twisting body slides and a swirling body bowl slide.
Boomer’s Bay features small versions of the big kids rides including a mini-tornado, a squirt-sized wall ride and two twisting slides with awesome translucent lift effects and plenty of others to keep your cubs happy.
Mini Mayhem is a pint-sized version of Blue Mountain Mayhem built just for your littles.
Lil Rattlers are tube slides for the little thrill seekers who still want to conquer the mountain until they are ready to take on the big kid slides.
Slippery Salamanders is a double-lane inflatable water obstacle course will keep adventurers of all ages busy for hours while testing their agility.
Does Soaky Mountain have food?
A day at the water park can work up an appetite.
Soaky Mountain has embraced the popularity of food trucks and offers two unique dining options, the Tacolicious Taco Truck and a Philly Up! cheesesteak truck. The Philly Up! truck is a double-decker with seating available at the top.
Additionally, the park features quick-service food stations like the Bee Good Cafe, Summit Snacks and Base Camp Bistro.
For sweet treats, they offer a Yukon Yogurt shop with frozen yogurt and sorbet with a variety of toppings and the Soaky Shake Shoppe with punny and over-the-top ice cream shakes and treats that rival places like The Yard or Crazy Mason.
They also have the Candy Cabin for more sweet snacks.
And adult beverages at Overlook Bar and Wipe Out Bar, along with delicious appetizers, can be purchased as well.
How much is Soaky Mountain?
Daily tickets are $47.99 and seniors and guests under 42” tall are $39.99. Prices are subject to change.
Generally, you can save on parking (an extra charge) by buying online in advance.
Soaky Mountain also regularly offers specials throughout the summer. If you’re looking for a discount on a daily admission ticket, be sure to check out their website for current offers.
Soaky Mountain Waterpark is a sister park to Wilderness Resorts. The park is located at 175 Gists Creek Road in Sevierville, TN.
What is your favorite ride at Soaky Mountain? Let us know in the comments below.