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Park Queue TimesPQT

Dollywood
vs
Six Flags Magic Mountain

On a typical day Dollywood queues less: about 11 minutes a ride against 13 at Six Flags Magic Mountain, a difference of roughly 2 minutes on every queue you join.

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01 · On a typical day

What you would normally queue.

Averages across recent weeks, so one broken ride or one wet Tuesday cannot decide it. This is the comparison to plan a trip on; the live figures below are the one to act on today.

Dollywood and Six Flags Magic Mountain compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyDollywoodUnited StatesSix Flags Magic MountainUnited States
Average wait per ride 11 min (best of the two)13 min
Rides with recorded waits 3137 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue NightFlight Expedition63 minTwisted Colossus33 min
Shortest typical queue Village Carousel5 minTaz’s Tazmanian Train Tours5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running92% (best of the two)87%

Averaged across every ride at each park with recorded waits. A ride that never opened is left out, so a park is not flattered by counting a shut ride as a queue of zero.

02 · Right now

Both parks, this minute.

Live queue times at both parks. These fill in as soon as the page loads, and keep updating while you are here.

Dollywood and Six Flags Magic Mountain compared on live queue times
Right nowDollywoodUnited StatesSix Flags Magic MountainUnited States
Average wait right now --
Rides open --
Opening hours today --
Longest queue --
Shortest queue --

These keep refreshing while this page is open. A closed park posts no waits, so its rows read as dashes rather than zeroes.

Verdict, on a typical day On a typical day Dollywood queues less: about 11 minutes a ride against 13 at Six Flags Magic Mountain, a difference of roughly 2 minutes on every queue you join.

03 · Choosing

Which one is your day out.

Every line here is earned by one of the figures above - nothing is a generic sentence with a park name dropped into it.

Pick Dollywood if…

  • You want shorter queues: Dollywood averages 11 minutes a ride against 13 at Six Flags Magic Mountain
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Dollywood's rides run 92% of opening hours against 87% at Six Flags Magic Mountain
  • NightFlight Expedition is on your list - it is Dollywood's longest typical queue at about 63 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Dollywood's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Six Flags Magic Mountain if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 13 minutes a ride here against 11 at Dollywood - for what Six Flags Magic Mountain has that Dollywood does not
  • You want more to do: 37 rides here have recorded wait data against 31 at Dollywood
  • Twisted Colossus is on your list - it is Six Flags Magic Mountain's longest typical queue at about 33 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Six Flags Magic Mountain's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

Dollywood

Dollywood is Dolly Parton's theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, tucked into the Smoky Mountain foothills. It's a large park with a strong coaster line-up: Lightning Rod (a wooden-launched coaster, since converted to a steel track), Wild Eagle (the first wing coaster in the USA), Thunderhead (a GCI wooden coaster), and Mystery Mine. Southern-style food, craftsmen and live country music are integral to the park's character.

Dollywood's season runs March to early January, with peak crowds during the Smoky Mountain Christmas event and US summer school holidays. Weekdays in spring and autumn stay far calmer. Check live queue times for Lightning Rod and Wild Eagle on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a quieter date - the mountain weather also affects ride availability day to day.

Dollywood live queue times

Six Flags Magic Mountain

Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, holds the world record for most roller coasters at a single park - currently 20 distinct coasters. Highlights include X2 (a 4-D prototype), Twisted Colossus, Tatsu (a flying coaster), Full Throttle, Superman: Escape from Krypton, Goliath, and Wonder Woman Flight of Courage. The park's hilly footprint gives many rides dramatic terrain-following drops.

Magic Mountain's LA-area weekend visits, US school holidays, Fright Fest and Holiday in the Park events drive peak crowds. Weekdays outside school breaks can be dramatically quieter. Check live queue times for X2 and Twisted Colossus on arrival - they build up fastest - and use our crowd calendar to pick a lower-crowd midweek date if you want to ride all 20 coasters in a single day.

Six Flags Magic Mountain live queue times

05 · Questions

Dollywood or Six Flags Magic Mountain?

Which is better, Dollywood or Six Flags Magic Mountain?

If you are judging on queues, Dollywood: it averages about 11 minutes a ride on a typical day against 13 at Six Flags Magic Mountain, roughly 2 minutes back on every queue you join. Dollywood has 31 rides with recorded waits against 37 at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Dollywood also runs its rides more reliably - 92% of opening hours against 87%.

Which has shorter queues, Dollywood or Six Flags Magic Mountain?

Dollywood, by about 2 minutes a ride. On a typical day Dollywood averages 11 minutes against 13 at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Dollywood best time to visit and Six Flags Magic Mountain best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Dollywood and Six Flags Magic Mountain in the same trip?

Yes - both parks are in United States, so a two-park trip is realistic over a long weekend. Split the days so you start at whichever opens earliest and drive to the other in the evening.

How many rides does each park have?

See the tables above for ride counts - or jump to Dollywood and Six Flags Magic Mountain for the full ride lists.

Is Dollywood bigger than Six Flags Magic Mountain?

By rides we track waits for, Six Flags Magic Mountain is the bigger day out: 37 rides against 31. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Dollywood is the quicker park.

Then pick
the quiet day.

Both parks have a crowd calendar with six weeks of forecast and the best day left to go.

Dollywood calendarSix Flags Magic Mountain calendarCompare other parks