Dollywood ride reliability
34 tracked rides at Dollywood ran 84.8% of opening hours across the last 56 operating days, which is patchy. The least reliable is NightFlight Expedition at 11.7%, down on 56 of 56 days.
Reliability verdict
Across the last 56 operating days, 34 tracked rides ran 84.8% of opening hours. The one to plan around is NightFlight Expedition, at 11.7%.
Every Dollywood ride ranked by uptime
Uptime by ride
34 rides · 56 days · worst first
- 1NightFlight Expedition11.7%
- 2Dollywood Express Train Depot73.2%
- 3Daredevil Falls82.6%
- 4Mystery Mine ®85.2%
- 5Drop Line®86%
- 6Dragonflier86.7%
- 7Barnstormer86.9%
- 8Big Bear Mountain87.5%
- 9Wild Eagle ®87.7%
- 10Black Bear Trail87.8%
- 11Lightning Rod ®87.8%
- 12Tennessee Tornado88.1%
- 13Blazing Fury88.2%
- 14Great Tree Swing88.4%
- 15Whistle Punk Chaser®88.6%
- 16FireChaser Express ®89%
- 17Thunderhead ®89.3%
- 18Smoky Mountain River Rampage89.4%
- 19Treetop Tower89.4%
- 20Rockin' Roadway89.7%
- 21Lumberjack Lifts90.1%
- 22Shooting Star90.9%
- 23The Mad Mockingbird91.6%
- 24Piggy Parade91.9%
- 25Sky Rider92.1%
- 26The Scrambler92.2%
- 27The Waltzing Swinger92.6%
- 28The Amazing Flying Elephants92.9%
- 29Demolition Derby94.1%
- 30Busy Bees94.1%
- 31Lemon Twist94.1%
- 32Village Carousel94.2%
- 33Lucky Ducky94.3%
- 34Firehouse Fun Yard99.7%
When Dollywood rides break down
Closures by the hour they start
1,346 breakdowns · late starts excluded
Breakdowns cluster at 1pm, with 227 of the 1,323 closures that started before the park's final hour beginning then - so the ride you most want is safest earlier in the day, not saved for last. A further 338 rides simply were not running at opening, which is a late start rather than a fault and is counted separately. The other 23 closures start in the 9pm hour, when the park is shutting - those are rides finishing their day, not failing, so they are left out here.
Dollywood downtime day by day
Share of ride hours lost
13 Jul to 10 Sept
The worst day in this window was 9 Aug, when 44.2% of the park's ride hours were lost and 35 of 35 rides went down at some point.
Uptime is the share of the park's own operating minutes a ride was running, recorded every few minutes and averaged over 56 days. A closure counts as one breakdown when it lasts ten minutes or more; shorter stops still count towards time lost, because a two-minute reset is not a fault. Touching closure windows are merged into one closure - a ride shut all day arrives from the feed as that day sliced into the sampling interval, and counting each slice would report one bad day as a hundred breakdowns.
Frequently asked
Which rides break down most at Dollywood?
NightFlight Expedition (11.7%), Dollywood Express Train Depot (73.2%), Daredevil Falls (82.6%) have the lowest uptime at Dollywood across the last 56 recorded operating days. The full ranking of all 34 tracked rides is above.
How reliable is Dollywood overall?
Dollywood averages 84.8% uptime across 34 tracked rides, which is patchy. 1 excellent, 30 good, 2 patchy, 1 poor.
Which ride at Dollywood is the most reliable?
Firehouse Fun Yard, at 99.7% uptime over 56 recorded days, losing only 2h 3m in total.
What time of day do rides break down at Dollywood?
1pm is the commonest hour for a closure to start, with 227 of the 1,323 closures that started before the park's final hour beginning then. Rides that are not running at opening are counted separately as late starts, not as faults.
Which rides are closed at Dollywood today?
This page is the longer-term pattern rather than the live picture. For what is shut right now, open the Dollywood live page - every ride shows whether it is open or closed, with the reason where the park provides one.
How is uptime measured?
Each ride's open or closed status is recorded every few minutes through the park's own operating hours. Uptime is the share of those minutes the ride was running. A closure counts as one breakdown when it lasts ten minutes or more; shorter stops still count towards time lost, because a two-minute reset is not a fault.
Does weather affect Dollywood reliability?
Yes. Water rides close in heavy rain, and exposed coasters close in lightning, high winds or very cold temperatures. These figures reflect actual operations including weather closures, which is why uptime varies through the year.

