Thunderhead (roller coaster) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Thunderhead
Thunderhead's logo and two Golden Tickets for the Best Wooden Roller Coaster
Dollywood
Location	Dollywood
Park section	Timber Canyon
Coordinates	35°47′48″N 83°31′55″W / 35.79667°N 83.53194°W / 35.79667; -83.53194
Status	Operating
Opening date	April 3, 2004 (2004-04-03)
Cost	$7,000,000 ($10.8 million in 2022 dollars )
General statistics
Type	Wood
Manufacturer	Great Coasters International
Designer	Mike Boodley
Track layout	Twister roller coaster
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height	100.4 ft (30.6 m)
Drop	100 ft (30 m)
Length	3,230 ft (980 m)
Speed	53.7 mph (86.4 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	2:30
Max vertical angle	60°
Height restriction	48–76 in (122–193 cm)
Trains	12 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in a single row for a total of 24 riders per train.
TimeSaver Pass available
Must transfer from wheelchair
Thunderhead at RCDB

Thunderhead is an exciting wooden roller coaster at the Dollywood amusement park. You can find it in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. This awesome ride opened on April 3, 2004. It was a big new attraction for the park's Timber Canyon area.

Thunderhead is known for its many twists and turns. It has 22 turns and 32 places where the track crosses over itself. The coaster uses special trains called Millennium Flyer trains. These trains are designed by the company that built Thunderhead, Great Coasters International (GCI). Thunderhead was also the first roller coaster ever to have a "station flyby." This means the track goes right past the loading station during the ride!

History of Thunderhead

How Thunderhead Was Planned

On June 26, 2003, the Dollywood park announced they would build a new roller coaster. This new ride would be called Thunderhead. It was planned to be the third roller coaster at the park.

Thunderhead was set to open in 2004. This was five years after another popular ride, Tennessee Tornado, first opened.

When Thunderhead Opened

Thunderhead officially opened its doors to guests on April 3, 2004. Many people thought it was a great new ride.

What Inspired the Name

The ride was named after Thunderhead Mountain. This mountain is a tall peak located nearby in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Long ago, people cut down many trees on this mountain.

The mountain itself got its name from a slang term. In the southern United States, people used "thunderhead" to describe large, dark Cumulonimbus clouds. These are the clouds that often bring thunderstorms.

Building Thunderhead

Building a big wooden roller coaster like Thunderhead takes a lot of materials. Here are some of the things used to construct this exciting ride:

• 700,000 board feet of Southern Yellow Pine wood
• 3,600 cubic yards of concrete
• 250,000 bolts to hold parts together
• 2,000,000 screws
• 185,000 feet of steel rebar, which strengthens the concrete

Thunderhead's Rankings

Thunderhead has been a very popular roller coaster since it opened. It has often been ranked as one of the best wooden roller coasters by different groups.

For example, in 2005 and 2006, it was ranked as the number one wooden roller coaster by the Golden Ticket Awards. It also consistently ranked high in polls by coaster fans.

Images for kids

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  Thunderhead's second drop

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  Thunderhead's first airtime hill

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  Thunderhead's station fly-through

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  Thunderhead's drop after its station fly-through