Thunderhead (roller coaster)

Thunderhead is a wooden roller coaster located at Dollywood amusement park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The coaster, which was the anchor attraction of the new "Thunderhead Gap" section (now Timber Canyon), opened on April 3, 2004, to much critical acclaim. Thunderhead boasts 22 turns and 32 crossovers,[2] and utilizes GCI's Millennium Flyer trains, used on all GCI coasters since 1999. Thunderhead is also the first roller coaster to feature a station flyby.

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
Status	Operating
Opening date	April 3, 2004
Cost	$7,000,000 ($9.48 million in 2019 dollars[1])
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 Pictures of Thunderhead at RCDB

History

On June 26, 2003, Dollywood announced that they would be adding Thunderhead. It would be the third roller coaster at the park. Thunderhead was set to open in 2004, five years after Tennessee Tornado.[3]

Thunderhead officially opened to guests on April 3, 2004.

The ride was named after Thunderhead Mountain, a peak within the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park that was heavily logged during the early 19th century. The mountain itself was named "Thunderhead" after a slang term in the American South for Cumulonimbus clouds.

Construction data

• 700,000 board feet of Southern Yellow Pine
• 3600 yards of concrete
• 250,000 bolts
• 2,000,000 screws
• 185,000 feet of steel rebar[4]

Rankings

Golden Ticket Awards: Top wood Roller Coasters

Year	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
Ranking	6[5]	1[6]	1[7]	2[8]	2[9]	5[10]	5[11]	5[12]	4[13]	5[14]	5[15]	5[16]	7[17]	8[18]	10[19]	11[20]

Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best wood-Tracked Roller Coaster[21]
Year	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
Ranking	5	2	7	3	11	11	14	12	15	15

NAPHA Survey: Favorite Wood Roller Coaster[22]
Year	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Ranking	-	4	4	3	3	3

Gallery

• 
  Thunderhead's second drop
• 
  Thunderhead's first airtime hill
• 
  Thunderhead's station fly-through
• 
  Thunderhead's drop after its station fly-through

External links

• Dollywood's Official Page for Thunderhead

References

1. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
2. http://database.thrillnetwork.com/ride_view.php/1647/thunderhead.html
3. "New Wooden Coaster To Roll Into Dollywood For 2004 Season". Ultimate Rollercoaster.
4. "Thunderhead (Dollywood) :: ThrillNetwork.com".
5. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 14–15B. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2007. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
6. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 22–23B. September 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
7. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 30–31B. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
8. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 11 (6.2): 42–43. September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
9. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 12 (6.2): 42–43. September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
10. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 13 (6.2): 38–39. September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
11. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 14 (6.2): 38–39. September 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
12. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 15 (6.2): 46–47. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
13. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 16 (6.2): 46–47. September 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
14. "2013 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 17 (6.2): 40–41. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
15. "2014 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 18 (6.2): 38–39. September 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
16. "2015 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 19 (6.2): 45–46. September 2015. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
17. "2016 top 50 wooden roller coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
18. "2017 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
19. "2018 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2018. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
20. "2019 Top Wood". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
21. Hawker, Mitch. "Wooden Roller Coaster Poll 20 Year Results Table (1994–2013)". Best Roller Coaster Poll. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
22. "Member Survey". napha.org.