Best Rides at Dollywood: Top 11 Rides in the Park Ranked

The Ultimate Guide to the Best Rides at Dollywood

I grew up with Pigeon Forge, Tenn. in my backyard. As a result, I visited Dollywood nearly every summer and every holiday weekend since childhood. I’ve had the distinct privilege of not only watching our beloved park evolve over the years but also the opportunity to ride every ride in the park probably at least a few dozen times. As a kid, some of the larger coasters used to frighten me. Blazing Fury and I have had a bit of an up-and-down relationship over the years – pun intended.

Other rides, like the River Rampage, have always held a special place in my heart. I’ve also seen rides come and go over the years. Remember the Flooded Mine? Or the Thunder Express? Both classics have since gone the way of the dodo and been replaced with newer, shinier counterparts. I received my moonshine runnin’ education from Thunder Road and I grieved the day they tore down Slidewinder.

The roller coaster guide

While I won’t say I am a coaster expert, my unique relationship with the park usually makes me the go-to ride guide when my first-timer friends visit from out of town. Therefore, I’ve put together this handy-dandy ride guide for all to enjoy. Hopefully, this will help you plan your trip and plot your route through the park to get the most out of your vacation and Dollywood experience.

I’ve also ranked each ride for both “difficulty” and “overall experience”. The difficulty rating indicates how “scary” the ride might be for those who do not tolerate motion rides well and may be afraid of big drops, inversions and overall rough rides. One star means anyone can ride, and five stars mean that ride might be reserved for those bravest among us. The overall experience rating speaks for itself. I’ve awarded higher ratings to rides that offer unique experiences and re-ride-ability.

11. Smoky Mountain River Rampage

Dollywood’s River Rampage is essentially your classic run-of-the-mill round six-seater river raft ride. The ride starts with a large conveyor belt lift and a small roller-coaster-style drop. The rest of the ride involves a moderately paced journey through the “rapids” of Dollywood with small dips, spins and plenty of opportunities to get soaked.

Five-year-old me loved this ride. Sixteen-year-old me loved this ride. Thirty-six-year-old me still loves this ride today. Don’t get me wrong, adult me has quite a lot more theme park experience under her belt than five-year-old me had when first introduced to the River Rampage. I am under no illusion that this style of ride is unique to Dollywood. Most major theme parks today will have at least one raft-style ride in the lineup. But there’s something about the River Rampage that continues to offer a unique charm that I haven’t quite discovered at other parks.

The Rampage is like a water-themed game of roulette. Sometimes I get soaked but sometimes I barely get a drop of water on me. And really, that’s where the fun of this ride lies. River Rampage is also a bonding experience. Dollywood is, by definition, the friendliest theme park in the world. This means if you show up with a group smaller than six, you’ll find yourself sharing a boat with other chatty park-goers ready to engage in friendly conversation or even some mild taunting about who’s going to suffer the brunt of the soaking. I’ve had some of the best conversations on that ride. Also, I once sat beside a second cousin to Dolly Parton. This ride is a blast for guests of all ages who don’t mind mild thrills and getting a little wet. Loose articles are allowed on this ride – at your own risk.

Guests under 48″ must be accompanied by an adult.

• River Rampage difficulty level: Easy
• River Rampage overall rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

10. Daredevil Falls

Daredevil Falls replaced the Flooded Mine ride in 1998. The closure of the Flooded Mine was my first real memory as a child of realizing that theme-park rides were not meant to be forever. It wasn’t like the Flooded Mine was my all-time favorite ride. In all honesty, it was pretty mundane. But I still worried about whether or not the new ride would live up to the hype.

Well, friends, I am happy to report, Daredevil Falls delivered. Daredevil Falls is a super-sized log-flume-style water ride that resembles Disney’s popular Splash Mountain – only faster and with a bigger drop. The ride begins with a mostly easy-going ride through the “mountains” where riders will enjoy encounters with a few animatronic obstacles including hungry bears and an unfortunately placed lumber sawmill. The ride’s grand finale is a heart-racing 60-foot, 50 mph drop down a “waterfall” with a huge splash landing. For comparison, Disney’s Splash Mountain features a 52-foot drop at 45 mph.

Keep in mind, that this is no River Rampage. All riders WILL GET WET on this one. In my experience, the front row tends to get the brunt of the action with water often pouring into the floor soaking your tootsies through your sneakers and socks. Loose articles are permitted on the ride at the rider’s own risk.

Guests must be at least 42″ tall to ride.

• Daredevil Falls difficulty rating: Moderate
• Daredevil Falls overall rating: 3 Stars (out of 5)

9. Mystery Mine

For a theme park that has attractions that have been around since the 1960s, Dollywood’s Mystery Mine stands out as a coaster from a modern era. This is a far cry from your average everyday steel coaster. This ride is an experience.

Mystery Mine first opened in 2007 and at the time, it was the first Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter roller coaster in the United States. A Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter is a steel looping coaster with separate cars instead of connected multi-cart trains. Mystery Mine’s carts feature only two rows, four seats per row. While the tracks of these style coasters tend to be a little shorter than traditional steel coasters, the separate cart system allows for unique ride mechanisms – including 90-degree lifts and drops.

Mystery Mine is themed to look like an abandoned coal mine with steep drops, sharp turns, creative maneuvers, inversions and a hair-raising 95-degree, 85-foot plunge into darkness. Also, this ride is quite a bit more jerky than it looks. I would say the jerkiness is nearly on par with a few of Dollywood’s wooden coasters. But for some reason, I can’t imagine it any other way. After all, what else would you expect while exploring an old abandoned coal mine? In conclusion, don’t be fooled by this short little coaster. Mystery Mine packs a punch. It’s a blast for coaster aficionados, and not for the timid of heart. Loose articles and belongings are not allowed on this ride and can be stored in either lockers or cubbies.

Guests must be 48″ tall to ride Mystery Mine.

• Mystery Mine difficulty rating: Moderate
• Mystery Mine overall rating: 4 Stars (out of 5)

8. Tennessee Tornado

The Tennessee Tornado marked a new era for Dollywood as the theme park’s first-ever major coaster expansion when it replaced Thunder Express in 1999. As a then-timid 14-year-old, I was a bit sad to see Thunder Express go. I had JUST gotten over my fear of coasters and considered the Thunder Express to be just my speed. Fun but not scary. Fast but not too fast. There were a few “drops” here and there but nothing crazy. Imagine the look on my face when I saw the giant blazing red multi-loop steel coaster that took its place. I’ll confess that it took me a couple of years to work up the nerve to tackle this beast, but I was glad I did.

The Tennessee Tornado, while bearing an ironic name because tornados are few and far between in the mountains of East Tennessee due to the naturally rugged terrain, is arguably one of the best coasters in the park. This coaster features a back-to-back triple spiral, a 128-foot drop through an actual mountain and a top speed of up to 70 mph. While I love this coaster, vertigo is an issue for me on this particular ride – and it’s getting worse with age. The third loop causes me to see spots every single time but I don’t let it stop me. I just can’t ride it three times in a row anymore as I used to when I was a teenager. Loose articles are not permitted on this ride.

Guests must be 48″ tall to ride.

• Tennessee Tornado difficulty rating: Hard
• Tennessee Tornado overall rating: 4 Stars (out of 5)

7. Thunderhead

Thunderhead opened in 2004 as the pioneer attraction in what would later become a part of a larger expansion for the park – a new area now known as Timber Canyon. It’s a hybrid of nostalgia and modern-day engineering. True coaster aficionados will tell you there’s nothing quite like the experience of riding a real wooden coaster. They want to smell the wood and hear the sounds of the chains and the roar of the cart as it races through the curves. They want to feel the rattling of timber beneath their feet as it expands and contracts, offering a unique experience each time.

A good wooden coaster is akin to an original vinyl record. Sure, modern coasters offer speed and gimmicky thrills. But the best wooden coasters are true souls of the coaster community. And truly, Thunderhead offers all of that and much more. Thunderhead crosses over and under itself, 32 times during its over 3,000-foot-long ride, travels at a speed of 55 mph and features a 100-foot drop. As far as adrenaline rushes are concerned, in my opinion, Thunderhead is the second most thrilling, and scariest ride in the park. Second only to Lightning Rod (more on that later). Loose articles of clothing are not permitted on this ride.

Guests must be 48″ tall to ride.

• Thunderhead difficulty rating: Very hard
• Thunderhead overall rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

6. Dragonflier

I’ll probably get some hate mail for ranking Dragonflier higher than Thunderhead on this “Top 10” list but put your pitchforks down and hear me out. Dragonflier was part of the 2019 Wildwood Grove expansion. So, when Wildwood Grove first announced details about this new coaster for some reason I imagined a child’s coaster in my mind.

I knew that Wildwood Grove while offering plenty of entertainment options for adults, was more or less going to be an area that largely catered to the younger crowd. “How cute!” I thought to myself. “A roller coaster for the youngin’s!” And sure, Dragonflier has a much lower height requirement than other coasters of its kind at the park at only 39″ versus the usual 48,” and I saw plenty of kids riding it. But when my butt hit the seat and the coaster took off out of the gate – I knew this wasn’t going to be the “kiddie” ride I had in mind.

In some ways, Dragonflier feels a bit like a smaller, shorter, 31 mph version of Wild Eagle. It’s one of the smoothest coasters in the park, has no MAJOR drops or inversions but packs plenty of fun twists, turns and excitement. And that’s what makes Dragonflier one of the best rides in the park – it just offers something for everybody. Not a fan of big scary drops and inversions? Hate the feeling of the bigger jerky coasters? Looking for re-ride-ability? Dragonflier has ya covered! This is a coaster that I would feel great about inviting the entire family to ride. We usually end up riding this coaster at least a couple of times with every visit to the park. That’s something that just isn’t possible with the occasionally headache-inducing Tornado, Thunderhead or Lightning Rod coasters.

Guests must be 39″ tall to ride. and a max height of 81″.

• Dragonflier difficulty rating: Moderate
• Dragonflier overall rating: 4 Stars (out of 5)

5. FireChaser Express

FireChaser Express made its grand debut in 2014 as the nation’s FIRST dual-launch family roller coaster. It blasts riders both forward and backward – like Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike ride at Universal Studios. This ride is similar in difficulty to Wildwood Grove’s Dragonflier, with the same height requirement of 39″ and speeds of up to 35 mph. Truthfully, I find when traveling backward, 35 mph seems much faster when traveling forward.

This unique ride is fairly smooth overall with a few mildly jerky parts and much like Dragonflier, offers great re-rideability. And like many of Dollywood’s larger coasters, it also offers incredible views of the mountains. Like Dragonflier, FireChaser Express is considered to be a family coaster. And there’s plenty to love here for both kids and adults – but do remember that this coaster is far from a “kiddie” ride. Loose articles are not permitted and may be stored in lockers or cubbies before boarding.

Guests must be 39″ tall to ride.

• FireChaser Express difficulty rating: Moderato
• FireChaser Express overall rating: 4 Stars (out of 5)

4. Lightning Rod

And then there was Lightning Rod – the fastest wooden coaster in the world (even faster than Goliath at Six Flags Great America, the previous record-holder). Lightning Rod, located in Dollywood’s Jukebox Junction, was built in 2016.

Years ago, I was looking up at the tricked-out wooden-steel hybrid and its 165-foot drop while in line behind a young girl who looked like she was probably about 11 years old and her mom. The 11-year-old, who could read the apprehension on my face, turned to me and said in a comforting tone: “This is my favorite ride in the park – you’re going to love it!” Moments later I was being launched from zero to 45 mph 20 stories uphill feeling my butt lift off the seat as I wondered if I had just met the bravest 11-year-old ever to walk the face of the earth. Lightning Rod is not for the faint of heart.

The hot rod-themed coaster has all the speeds and heart-racing maneuvers of a steel coaster, with the adrenaline-charged thrills of a classic wooden beast. Lightning Rod features a launch (similar to the Hulk at Universal Studios, only faster), speeds of up to 73 mph and boasts nearly 20 seconds of “air time” for those brave enough to ride. For comparison, the Hulk launches riders from 0 to 40 mph with a max speed of 67. Lightning Rod is basically like a bigger, faster Hulk on wood. In short, it’s terrifying, and I love it.

Loose articles are not permitted. Guests with casts above the elbow or hard casts on their legs are asked to skip this one for safety reasons.

Guests must be 48″ tall to ride.

• Lightning Rod Difficulty Rating: Very hard
• Lightning Rod Overall Rating: 5 Stars (out of 5)

3. Big Bear Mountain

What is it like to ride Big Bear Mountain? The ride itself is very smooth with several quick accelerations. While it’s an exciting ride, it’s marketed to be a family-friendly coaster. Also, it is the first of its kind in many ways. For example, the gigantic coaster is the first attraction in the park to have onboard audio as well as the first one to go through a waterfall.

The sound system provides auditory thrills to match the ride’s dynamic movements as guests come daringly close to Big Bear. The highly-detailed coaster trains resemble four-wheel drive SUV ride vehicles that feature working headlights and taillights. It is a long, steel coaster, that takes visitors on an unforgettable expedition. It runs the border of Wildwood Grove, where riders soar through the wilderness and high above the forest while they’re on the search for the legendary bear.

This ride has a minimum height requirement of 39″

• Big Bear Mountain Difficulty Rating: Moderate/hard
• Big Bear Mountain Overall Rating: 5 Stars (out of 5)

2. Wild Eagle

I once sat at a bar at The Island and tried to explain the Wild Eagle to a visiting tourist. “So you sit on top of the track?” asks the tourist. “No,” I reply. “So you’re seated underneath the track?” presses the tourist. “Wrong again!” I reply, feeling saucy. “You sit BESIDE it!”

That’s right, the Wild Eagle is a wing coaster – the first of its kind in the United States. This coaster is hands-down my favorite modern-day coaster in the park. Despite its intimidating look, it offers an incredibly smooth ride. The unique side-seat feature truly makes you feel like you’re flying with nothing but air above and below. Okay, maybe air and the all-important over-the-shoulder safety restraints. Loose articles are not permitted on this ride.

This ride has a minimum height requirement of 50″ and a max height of 78″.

• Wild Eagle Difficulty Rating: Moderate/hard
• Wild Eagle Overall Rating: 5 Stars (out of 5)

1. Blazing Fury

You’d be hard-pressed to find a local in this area who doesn’t have a special place in their heart for Blazing Fury. In case you’re wondering, in full disclosure, I am that annoying person who rides behind you repeating all the classic lines I’ve learned by heart from my hundreds of times riding this piece of Dollywood history.

“Now Molly, I’ve got a weak back!” “Weak back or not … here I come!”

Out-of-town guests and first-time riders should note that your kids will be bewildered and possibly even disappointed by the painfully evident age of this attraction. But we locals would like for you to keep in mind, if you dis the Blazing Fury, them’s fightin’ words. The Blazing Fury is part of our heritage.

The Blazing Fury is over 40 years old. It was built in 1978 and pre-dates the park itself. And for a long time, until the Thunder Express opened in 1989, it was the only coaster in the park. The scenes are campy, the lines are cheesy, homemade props are abundant, “easter eggs” and nods to the park’s history are plentiful – and we LOVE IT! The ride features a slow-moving ride through a “burning town” that lulls you into a sense of “hey this is a super easy ride” before its big multi-drop steel coaster finish.

The coaster also stopped its feature a bit of a “splash down” landing with water effects for a few years. But a new water effect has now taken its place. The day the Blazing Fury shuts down will be a day of mourning. Let’s hope it never happens. FIRE IN THE HOLE! Loose articles are permitted on the ride, but you must secure them.

It has a height requirement of 42″.

• Blazing Fury Difficulty Rating: Moderate
• Blazing Fury Overall Rating: A very biased 5 stars (out of 5)

For a complete list of Dollywood theme park rides, and loose article policies, visit the Dollywood website at www.dollywood.com. And don’t forget to download the Dollywood app to help with wait times.

Do you agree with our ranking? What’s your favorite ride? Let us know in the comments below.