Pigeon Forge is known far and wide for its amusement and thrill rides, which truly include something for everybody: from those looking for a family-friendly, low-grade attraction to those all-out adrenaline junkies among us. Check out this roundup of 10 must-try roller coasters (and associated rides) in town!
Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster
(Min. Height: 38 in. when accompanied by another rider at least 16 years old, 56 in. when riding alone)
Experience the longest downhill track in the country on the Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster, which will see you plunging some 363 feet down across a mile at speeds approaching 30 miles per hour. The ride plays out across seven or eight minutes and delivers some stupendous views of Pigeon Forge along the way.
Goats on the Roof Alpine Coaster
(Min. Height: 38 in. for passengers, 56 in. for controllers)
The coaster at Goats on the Roof gives you the unique ability to control your own speed courtesy of an easy-to-operate hand brake. The carts accommodate up to two people, so this is a great choice for singletons, couples, and parents and children (meeting the height and age requirements). We recommend taking advantage of the discount on additional rides after your first one: That initial one will allow you to master the use of the hand brake, while a followup ride can let you focus on the views!
Rocky Top Mountain Coaster
(Min. Height: 38 in. for passengers, 56 in. for controllers)
You’ll reach about 30 miles per hour on the Rocky Top Mountain Coaster, which boasts four adrenaline-building uplifts and an equal number of thrilling drops along its nine-minute-plus course. One awesome option at Rocky Top is a night ride: The thrills only amp up after-hours!
Mountain Monster
Set at Mountain Mile in Pigeon Forge, Mountain Monster opened in 2019 to provide some of the town’s headiest thrills. The 200-foot tower provides three distinct experiences, including the Monster Launch, which catapults a pair of riders seated back-to-back some 140 feet in the air; the Monster Fall, a 50-mile-per-hour drop of 175 feet; and the Mountain Monster ride itself, which reaches 65 miles per hour in its plunge—which, mind you, is undertaken face down.
FireChaser Express
(Min. 39 in.)
This Dollywood setup puts you in the seat of a “fire engine” that serves as the first-ever dual-launch family roller coaster in the country. Passengers reach about 35 miles per hour on this twisty, turny, back-and-forth ride, which takes a little more than two minutes.
Mystery Mine
(Min. Height: 48 in.)
Another Dollywood attraction, the Mystery Mine takes riders along an 1,811-foot track into an abandoned coal mine, with plenty of dark portals and lots of special effects involved. One of the highlights of the two-and-a-half-minute ride is a staggeringly steep, 85-foot plunge into utter blackness: pretty darn unforgettable!
Wild Eagle
(Min. Height: 50 in., Max. Height: 78 in.)
The Wild Eagle roller coaster involves a track better than 3,100 feet long and reaching a maximum height of 210 feet, with some fantastic loops, rolls, climbs, and plunges involved. The highly respectable top speed of the ride, which takes about two minutes and 20 seconds, exceeds 60 miles per hour.
Tennessee Tornado
(Min. Height: 48 in.)
The Tennessee Tornado comes aptly named, what with its exhilarating spiral loops: a real whirlwind of a coaster ride lasting about a minute and a half. The 128-foot-tall corkscrew down a mountainside involved in the ride takes passengers up to speeds of roughly 70 miles per hour.
Thunderhead
(Min. Height: 48 in.)
This wooden Dollywood coaster—named for a Great Smoky Mountain peak—sprawls some 3,230 feet on a ride lasting roughly two and a half minutes. You’ll hit some 55 miles per hour on this thriller, which involves a drop of 100 feet along its course.
Lightning Rod
(Min. Height: 48 in.)
Designed to evoke a ‘50s-era hotrod car, the Lightning Rod lays claim to being the fastest wooden roller coaster on the planet, with its riders attaining a maximum speed of 73 miles per hour. The 3,800-foot track, which takes a bit more than three minutes to traverse, includes a heart-pounding 165-foot drop.
Thrills Aplenty in Pigeon Forge
From spiraling drops on roller coasters to catapults and vertical drops, you’ve got everything you need to crank up the adrenaline in Pigeon Forge!
