Lightning Rod • Dollywood

What an amazing ride. Even without the amazing launch and a litter slower pace, the wave turns, the airtime hills, and the quad-down more than make up for it and are all absolutely amazing. This is st...

What an amazing ride. Even without the amazing launch and a litter slower pace, the wave turns, the airtime hills, and the quad-down more than make up for it and are all absolutely amazing. This is still a top 5 ride for me and honestly I barely notice a difference from the old version because of how fun this ride is, I think the enthusiasts are way overexaggerating the launch removal.

Ride row 7, train 2, left side. Top 5 layout, if only they had chosen a better launch subcontractor. Dollywood, now that you've given up on its title, can we get a full steel retracking for 2025? Also...

Ride row 7, train 2, left side. Top 5 layout, if only they had chosen a better launch subcontractor. Dollywood, now that you've given up on its title, can we get a full steel retracking for 2025? Also, the ride Ops listen if you're screaming "STOP THE RIDE." I guess the anti-rollback got wedged in a down position, because the back car was visibly slamming up and down on the lift hill. It'll probably be down for a little bit - Nov. 24th

Having ridden this coaster almost every year since 2019, I can confidently say that all the talk of this thing being nerfed over the years is overblown. While the launch was fun and unique, it was als...

Having ridden this coaster almost every year since 2019, I can confidently say that all the talk of this thing being nerfed over the years is overblown. While the launch was fun and unique, it was also nowhere near the best part of the ride and everything else remains the same after the drop so I still rank this as a top tier RMC. The ride has one of the best settings for a coaster and every airtime moment is powerful and sustained with the ride getting stronger as it goes and ending with one of the best elements on any ride.

The first rides in the morning the trains are too slow especially in the first half of the track. I guess with the original LSM launch this was better. But when the trains are warmed up this ride is a...

The first rides in the morning the trains are too slow especially in the first half of the track. I guess with the original LSM launch this was better. But when the trains are warmed up this ride is a lot of fun. The first drop is nothing special but after the waveturn (with hangtime) the trains are rushing through the layout. Here the triple down is intense as it should be and not brutal like on Wildcat's Revenge. I like this ride a lot though it does not belong to the top rides anymore (maybe with the original LSM launch).

Even with a chain lift Lightning Rod is still great. Ride this in the back car in this, it is amazing in the back. The first drop is great, the airtimes are great, and the quad down finale is one of m...

Even with a chain lift Lightning Rod is still great. Ride this in the back car in this, it is amazing in the back. The first drop is great, the airtimes are great, and the quad down finale is one of my favorite finales, it can be intense for some people. Also ride this somewhere later in the day and not morning because from what I can remember it’s a bit slow, either way this is one of the best RMCs out there in my opinion.

Superbe RMC qui joue parfaitement bien avec le terrain. J'aime bien le principe du RMC sans inversion qui a pour unique but de bombarder en s'aidant de la colline, ça marche super bien sur moi. Le wav...

Superbe RMC qui joue parfaitement bien avec le terrain. J'aime bien le principe du RMC sans inversion qui a pour unique but de bombarder en s'aidant de la colline, ça marche super bien sur moi. Le wave turn est incroyable, on a un long airtime qui dure à 90 degrés. Ensuite c'est que des airtimes dans tous les sens avec une prise de vitesse tout le long, c'est l'un des rare coaster où on va de plus en plus vite au fur et à mesure que l'on avance sur le parcours. Le quad down est monstrueux, le vitesse à laquelle on arrive en bas est folle. J'ai quand même noté 2 points négatifs. Le premier est cette transition après le wave turn qui malheureusement est super désagréable et me faisait mal à chaque tour. Le deuxième c'est que le ride est un poil trop court selon moi. Comme j'ai dis on va de plus en plus vite et arrivé en bas du quad down on atteint la vitesse maximale à ce moment là mais on ne peut pas en profiter car on arrive déjà sur les freins finaux. C'est super frustrant et dommage pour le coup… Le chainride de nuit de 21h à 22h avec pleins de fans américains restera un moment inoubliable pour moi. Dévaler la colline à une vitesse de taré dans le noir total sans savoir où l'on va avec la vue sur le spectacle de drone et le feu d'artifice c'est quelque chose d'absolument magique! C'est pour ce genre de moment que j'adore les montagnes russes!

Malgré quelques transitions inconfortables au tassements douteux, Lightning Rod est une petite bombe atomique qui ne laisse pas respirer les riders de A à Z. Mention spéciale au cadre complétement fo...

Malgré quelques transitions inconfortables au tassements douteux, Lightning Rod est une petite bombe atomique qui ne laisse pas respirer les riders de A à Z. Mention spéciale au cadre complétement fou !

This one didn't live up to the hype but was still an excellent coaster. Riding it this year I probably rode iteration #3 or #4 where there is no launch. This kills the speed compared to some POVs I'...

This one didn't live up to the hype but was still an excellent coaster. Riding it this year I probably rode iteration #3 or #4 where there is no launch. This kills the speed compared to some POVs I've seen but at least it's now reliable compared to the past. It still has some great airtime moments and with this one being my 8th RMC it's the first one that utilizes the woods so the location is fantastic. Another positive is I thoroughly enjoyed both the front and back row which is pretty rare for an RMC to be that well balanced. Not that front-row rides are bad, but the back row usually outshines the other rows. What I will say is to make sure you ride on the left side instead of the right. That valley after the first wave turn is a borderline pothole and super rough but it was way less noticeable on the left side. They still need to fix that up in the offseason though. I'm not a fan of wave turns as much and this one doesn't have inversions so compared to other RMCs it will probably have to go near the bottom of my rankings. The quad down is really good and my rides near the end of closing were way better and sped up. 4.5/5 stars

Rode AFTER the launch was removed. Thought it might be a bit of a disappointment after hearing thoosies complain, but it's pretty solid in my opinion. The first drop is AMAZING and everything that fol...

Rode AFTER the launch was removed. Thought it might be a bit of a disappointment after hearing thoosies complain, but it's pretty solid in my opinion. The first drop is AMAZING and everything that follows is good. The quad down is just so much fun. Wish it did more, but overall, it's one of the most fun coasters I've ridden

Lightning Rod was once my number one but dropped down my list over the years. It's become a Frankenstein of a coaster that really feels a bit off. Despite this, it's still a very very good RMC. The la...

Lightning Rod was once my number one but dropped down my list over the years. It's become a Frankenstein of a coaster that really feels a bit off. Despite this, it's still a very very good RMC. The launch being gone is unfortunate but I still feel the ride picks up speed well, it just does not start with a bang anymore. The quad down is excellent and so are the wave turns. Great ride but it was once even greater.

Manque de vitesse flagrant en début de parcours ou le wave turn n'est pas pris assez vite pour qu'on puisse sentir un vrai moment de flottement sans se faire rattrapé par la gravité. L'élément suivant...

Manque de vitesse flagrant en début de parcours ou le wave turn n'est pas pris assez vite pour qu'on puisse sentir un vrai moment de flottement sans se faire rattrapé par la gravité. L'élément suivant n'est pas assez agressif mais les airtimes de fin son très cool avec une prise de vitesse et une puissant qui ne fait qu'augmenté jusqu'à la fin. malgré cette fin incroyable, il n'est que l'ombre de lui même et j'aurai adoré le découvrir en 2016 avec son launch a pleine puissance !

Ahh, the famous lightning rod. Everything that Ive ever heard about this ride was true. Lets start off with the positive. Lighting rod definitely has the best themed trains out of all the rmcs ive...

Ahh, the famous lightning rod. Everything that Ive ever heard about this ride was true. Lets start off with the positive. Lighting rod definitely has the best themed trains out of all the rmcs ive ridden. I rode it towards the start of and it was running pretty fast. The layout was fast paced and very snappy/violent. The famous quad down was excellent. The negative. Reliability, reliability, reliability. Lightning was down the first day I was there and was up for only half the second day. I was told by staff that lightning rod only had problems for one week this season(which was my week), but even though that may be the case, I still experienced its notorious unreliability. With that unreliability, I only managed 2 rides to judge this premier coaster. Outside of that, lightning rod had some rough spots that may start to surface more over the next 5 years. All in all, i wish I could ride this ride at its peak, but ill have to settle for 2 morning rides.

A truly great rollercoaster that I would have loved to ride the way it was meant to be with the launch. A relatively slow chain-lift really isn't going to replace an LSM launch. Nevertheless, Lightnin...

A truly great rollercoaster that I would have loved to ride the way it was meant to be with the launch. A relatively slow chain-lift really isn't going to replace an LSM launch. Nevertheless, Lightning Rod is still an absolute airtime machine and is my personal favorite of RMCs regarding airtime. As on many other RMCs the track needs to be warmed up in order to experience the best this ride has to offer. The only real con of this ride is a rattle after the wave turn. I guess there's a certain bit of the track that needs replacing as it doesn't look right as well. It has cost me the first two rides on the backrows thus I do not recommend anyone over 6' to use the backrows. The rides up front are really enjoyable though and one of the best RMC experiences to make.

Never rode with the launch but damn even with the chain lift this thing absolutely slaps. Rode on a 80 degree sunny day so it was FLYING. Did not expect this to go that fast honestly. Top 5 coaster fo...

Never rode with the launch but damn even with the chain lift this thing absolutely slaps. Rode on a 80 degree sunny day so it was FLYING. Did not expect this to go that fast honestly. Top 5 coaster for me 2nd best RMC just barely above IG. My rides on this thing were absolutely incredible

My first ride, I wasn't 100% sold on its greatness. After a few back-to-back night rides, however, it launched its way up my favorite coasters of all time rankings. The air is crazy, ejector style. Li...

My first ride, I wasn't 100% sold on its greatness. After a few back-to-back night rides, however, it launched its way up my favorite coasters of all time rankings. The air is crazy, ejector style. Literally on the border of downright frightening and/or painful. It isn't painful at all though. Truly on the edge of what our bodies can withstand and still enjoy. The most intense ejector air ever, by a wide, wide margin. Crazy fun. The launch up the hill is...interesting, not necessarily spectacular, just different--it does give a decent air pop over the top. Then the 90 degree banked turns at the top of the hills were truly disorienting--especially at night. Then the return trip home down the mountain. Truly epic. Air, then air, then air, then air again. The whole time you are getting faster and faster and more and more intense. Good times for sure. Great coaster for sure. Truly a world class thrill machine.

After marathoning Lightning Rod on its last day of operation last season, I realized just how special this ride truly is. The launch up the hill was such a novel way to start the ride, and one of the ...

After marathoning Lightning Rod on its last day of operation last season, I realized just how special this ride truly is. The launch up the hill was such a novel way to start the ride, and one of the most pure fun elements on a coaster, but even without it the ride is still phenomenal. I am a sucker for a coaster tucked away in the woods, and this ride has one of the best locations of any I've ridden. It goes without saying, but the airtime is marvelous. The wave turns and quad-down are obviously fantastic, but the off-axis hill might actually be my favorite moment. But what I really think makes this a top 10 ride for me is the sheer sense of speed you come barreling into the brake run with. Rushing down the quad-down into that final speed hill is genuinely some of the most fun I've ever had on a ride, and it's fantastic that it has managed to keep that charm and become much more reliable in the process. 10/10 - "I know you're a thoosie, but you need to pull down your lap bar" -actual quote from a ride operator to the people sitting behind me

I wish this ride was a little longer, and I wish it had an inversion. There are some rough spots on the last turnaround. That's my only critique. The ride has airtime on every element, is well paced, ...

I wish this ride was a little longer, and I wish it had an inversion. There are some rough spots on the last turnaround. That's my only critique. The ride has airtime on every element, is well paced, and has a great terrIn layout. Not my favorite RMC but a damn good one.

I give this ride 4.5 stars and here is why. To whom it may concern, I rode this ride with the launch, so there is that. The launch was fun in my opinion, and the finale was amazing. I just wish it was...

I give this ride 4.5 stars and here is why. To whom it may concern, I rode this ride with the launch, so there is that. The launch was fun in my opinion, and the finale was amazing. I just wish it was a bit longer. Other than that, it is a masterpiece!

Même sans le launch, ça reste un excellent coaster bourré d'airtimes et dans un cadre magnifique. La théma autour de la station est aussi très sympathique. Attention cependant à quelques secousses dés...

Même sans le launch, ça reste un excellent coaster bourré d'airtimes et dans un cadre magnifique. La théma autour de la station est aussi très sympathique. Attention cependant à quelques secousses désagréables après le wave turn, en particulier vers l'arrière du train quand le coaster est chaud.

200 coasters. That is one helluva achievement. Especially making it more of a ceremony with a kickass ride like this. I was waiting to get back on this since my first visit in 2018 and patiently waite...

200 coasters. That is one helluva achievement. Especially making it more of a ceremony with a kickass ride like this. I was waiting to get back on this since my first visit in 2018 and patiently waited, hearing about the retracting and got more interested with the eventual swap out for the chain lift. When I found out my family and my friend’s family were going to Gatlinburg one more time before I go off to college, I wanted to capitalize on this opportunity to visit Dollywood on our last chance. As soon as we got in, it was the first thing that my friend, his siblings and I went to and waited with equal patience and anticipation as we inched towards the station. When we did go on it, the ride was nothing short of exhilarating, offering great speeds and pops of airtime all the while being seriously smooth stuff like some Yogo chocolate custard…. Wait a minute. You know how I said Lightning Rod was “nothing short”? I lied. My only real problem with Lightning Rod wasn’t the lack of a launch, but was actually, you guessed it…. THAT IF WAS TOO DAMN SHORT! You know how Taylor Bybee said that Steel Vengeance needed a third half to be perfect? That’s exactly what I thought about Lighting Rod. Sure it had some terrain to maneuver through but I felt like it had a bit more speed to burn off at the end. In other words, the ending was a bit abrupt and could’ve spent a few more seconds up and around. Overall, I’m really glad Lightning Rod was my 200th roller coaster and hope I can get on 100 more in my lifetime to see how they all compare! Number Grade: 8.5/10 Letter Grade: B+ Pros: Great Speed, Great Airtime, Very Smooth! Cons: Kind of short… -_-

This ride in its configuration prior to 2024 was incredible. The launch really set the tone for the ride and fit the loose "hot rod" theme well. I doubt the "fast chain" helps the ride retain its hype...

This ride in its configuration prior to 2024 was incredible. The launch really set the tone for the ride and fit the loose "hot rod" theme well. I doubt the "fast chain" helps the ride retain its hype levels

I have been to dollywood too many times to keep track of at this point and have had the pleasure of riding LR many times. It's by far the most intense ride I've ever been on and it never ceases to ex...

I have been to dollywood too many times to keep track of at this point and have had the pleasure of riding LR many times. It's by far the most intense ride I've ever been on and it never ceases to excite me and leave me smiling every ride. Yes it's not classified as a full wooden coaster anymore, but the ecperience is the same and great every time.

Unfortunately, I was only able to get one ride on Lightning Rod in the third row (it closed for the day about an hour after park opening), but it was phenomenal. The airtime, smoothness, pace was all ...

Unfortunately, I was only able to get one ride on Lightning Rod in the third row (it closed for the day about an hour after park opening), but it was phenomenal. The airtime, smoothness, pace was all on point. It feels like you are engulfed in its massive structure. It is truly one of the most fun coasters I have been on. RMC created a masterful layout and used the terrain to its full potential. The second half is absolutely bonkers. The only downside is its horrible reliability. I was glad to be able to ride it when I could. I cannot imagine this thing all warmed up, and I can't wait to get back some day and see what it is truly capable of. But even with a morning ride it is for sure a fantastic ride.

This was my first RMC and I absolutely loved it. I was warned about the intensity of the first launch as a friend lost their phone riding it the day before. It still provided a great thrill and the sp...

This was my first RMC and I absolutely loved it. I was warned about the intensity of the first launch as a friend lost their phone riding it the day before. It still provided a great thrill and the speed, smoothness and airtime on the rest of the ride was fantastic. Rode it at night with really limited lighting which only added to the experience. My only thing resembling a complaint was that it was over too fast...and I really didn't want it to end. Top ride...I can't wait to get on it again.

Wow, quelle claque ! Ce coaster est complètement dingue, de la première seconde jusqu'à l'arrêt complet sur les freins. Le launch, bien que moyennement puissant est vraiment fun et c'est une sensation...

Wow, quelle claque ! Ce coaster est complètement dingue, de la première seconde jusqu'à l'arrêt complet sur les freins. Le launch, bien que moyennement puissant est vraiment fun et c'est une sensation inhabituelle sur un "lift". Le reste c'est du RMC en mode énervé, le "quad down" c'est juste une tuerie, qui m'a surpris à chacun de mes rides de la journée, jusqu'au dernier. On pourrait lui reprocher d'être un peu court, pour moi ce n'est pas un défaut mais une qualité, qui lui permet de garder une vitesse de dingue jusqu'à la fin ! Mon nouveau #1 sans hésitation !!

One of 4 coasters I’ve ridden so far that I consider to be perfect. I live unique rides and this is one. Only launched woodie, hugs the terrain, well themed. It has everything I want. The launch is gr...

One of 4 coasters I’ve ridden so far that I consider to be perfect. I live unique rides and this is one. Only launched woodie, hugs the terrain, well themed. It has everything I want. The launch is great the wave turns throw you out if your seat and the quad down is arguably the greatest airtime Moment there is.

Great in theory, but it has a bad combination of 1. Poor reliability meaning it may close for large chunks of a day and 2. Requiring ideal conditions to get a good ride- I rode once in the morning whi...

Great in theory, but it has a bad combination of 1. Poor reliability meaning it may close for large chunks of a day and 2. Requiring ideal conditions to get a good ride- I rode once in the morning while it was rainy and colder right after it reopened and it was sluggish, then once when it was hotter and had been running for a while and the difference was night and day. Under ideal circumstances it flies through the layout with some great ejector moments, but there’s also the additional risk of stapling (Dollywood attendants thankfully rarely staple but the ride itself can do it if you aren’t careful, particularly at the bottom of the first hill). So it’s finicky, ideally you want to go on after it’s been open for a few hours but it may not open at all. An optimal ride is great, though; only real letdown is it’s very short.

Lightning Rod has been a major bucket list coaster for me ever since I became an enthusiast, and it was by far my most anticipated coaster at Dollywood. However, in recent years I've heard a lot of pe...

Lightning Rod has been a major bucket list coaster for me ever since I became an enthusiast, and it was by far my most anticipated coaster at Dollywood. However, in recent years I've heard a lot of people saying that Lightning Rod is running a lot slower, and that it isn't nearly as good as it once was. I was a worried that I was overhyping this ride and was going to be disappointed by it, and my first ride made it seem like that would be the case. It was a morning ride, and I got stapled at the bottom of the main drop. That made the airtime much less pronounced, and was not super comfortable. Thankfully, I learned how to get room and keep it during the ride, and having just an extra inch of room completely changes the ride. This is right up there with some of the best coasters I've ever ridden. The airtime and pacing is some of the best I've ever experienced, and the location gives it a very unique feel compared to other coasters I've ridden. The launch is a great way to start off the ride. It was decently forceful, and going up the hill while accelerating like that is just a fun feeling. The hill after the launch and the first drop are the only moments on the ride that I would say are better in the front. Pretty much all the other elements feel the same in every row. When your in the front you get pushed over these hills which results in some weak ejector, as opposed to the back where the first moment gives some decent floater. The drop is awesome though. In the back you get a gradual moment of ejector. In the front you get ejector going over the crest of the drop, then stay suspended out of your seat all the way down. This is the one moment of the ride where you could tell it's not as fast as it really should be. I can only imagine what it would be like going full speed through these moments. After the drop is an intense an surprisingly smooth valley that leads into the wave turn. This was the most surprising moment of the ride for me. I got a good 3 to 4 seconds of borderline strong ejector airtime, and the fact that it's sideways only makes that much better. This moment always caught me off guard with how much it threw me out of my seat. It's probably my second favorite moment on the whole ride. The following valley is the one place that had noticeable jackhammering. It was worse towards the back, but overall it wasn't too big of a deal. The twist-n-shout is just a pure fun element. It combines weak sustained ejector with some really fun laterals. The second twist-n-shout is the one element that I was a little disappointed by. It was still an amazing moment with some incredibly strong ejector, but it didn't feel as sustained as I thought it would. The pacing through this element is phenomenal though. The hill going into the quad down is a really underrated moment of powerful ejector. Then comes the quad down. This is one of the most legendary moments in the coaster community, and it deserves all the hype it gets. The airtime isn't quite as strong as some made it out to be, but it's still extremely powerful, and it's super rapid fire. This honestly might be my favorite moment on any coaster, just due to the pure fun factor of it. Getting repeatedly launched out of your seat while while barreling down the mountainside is just a euphoric feeling you can't get anywhere else. After that you charge into this small dip that give another moment of strong ejector. You then enter the half loop finale which gives some decent positives going into it, and a pretty good moment of ejector coming out of it. That's when you slam into the break run and end the ride. All in all Lightning Rod has one of my favorite layouts ever. The pacing and airtime are unreal, and the elements flow in a very fun and natural way. The biggest concern going into Lightning Rod, and it definitely proved to be unreliable during my visit. Lightning Rod went down for about an hour on both days I was there. This is definitely the biggest issue with this ride, and I hope that it can be fixed at some point. Thankfully the operations were pretty solid. The dispatches rarely hit 3 minutes. This allowed me to get 9 rides in on Lightning Rod over 2 days, despite the downtime and large crowds. Although this ride is admittedly unreliable, It's still a one of a kind experience, and easily one of my favorites.

The lift hill might be the most subversive ride element I’ve experienced. The way they play on your expectation that a slow lift chain is going to drag you up the lift hill and instead all hell breaks...

The lift hill might be the most subversive ride element I’ve experienced. The way they play on your expectation that a slow lift chain is going to drag you up the lift hill and instead all hell breaks loose and it just keeps building in intensity until the end. It’s just so much fun, so many ejectors. The ride ops were not great since they were blocking people from just entering the station and choosing their row but its a minor quibble. The day I was there a major thunderstorm came through and ‘Lightning Rod’ was struck by lightning (which closed it for an hour or so), go figure.

Lightning Rod is a great ride, no doubt. It's an RMC, so it almost automatically gets a 5 in my book. The setting for this ride is fantastic. The launch up the mountain, the backdrop and the theming a...

Lightning Rod is a great ride, no doubt. It's an RMC, so it almost automatically gets a 5 in my book. The setting for this ride is fantastic. The launch up the mountain, the backdrop and the theming are all fantastic. But I do feel this ride is a bit overrated. There are no inversions and I'm a big RMC inversion fan. The quad down is great and is better than the quad down on ArieForce One because it's more creative in its layout and isn't painful. But the ride is fairly short. I timed this ride at 70 seconds and with that ride time, I actually prefer the similarly long Twisted Cyclone because I like the elements on that ride a bit more. If this ride was about 25-30 seconds longer it would rate higher for me. Of the four RMC's I have ridden (Gwazi, ArieForce One, Twisted Cyclone), this is actually my least favorite, but because I'm a huge RMC fan, this is still in my top-10 coasters of all-time. I also got very lucky in that I went to Dollywood on a day when it was raining, so this was a walkup all day long and the cooler temperatures kept the launch from failing so I was able to ride this thing 10x in a single day and 14x over a three day stretch.

Lightning rod has the best pacing of any coaster I have ridden of the 273 iv ridden. It's has some of the best airtime I have ever experienced especially on the quad down. It also has one of the best ...

Lightning rod has the best pacing of any coaster I have ridden of the 273 iv ridden. It's has some of the best airtime I have ever experienced especially on the quad down. It also has one of the best settings for any coaster iv ridden. Just wish it wasn't a pain to get on.