When to queue
Go at 9pm.
- Typical wait at 9pm
- 8min
- At 11am, its worst hour
- 29min
Dollywood
Thunderhead wait times
- Typical wait
- 27min
- At its busiest
- 32min
- Shortest queue
- 9pm
- Running
- 94%
27minTypical wait
A typical day, opening to close
Thunderhead at Dollywood averages 27 minutes. It is shortest at 9pm and worst at 11am. It has run 94% of the park's opening hours recently.
Thunderhead queue times, day by day
Every reading through the day, against what Thunderhead usually does at that hour. Pick another day underneath.
Thunderhead over recent weeks
Typical waits from this ride's own recorded readings
Thunderhead has averaged about 27 minutes of queue across its recorded readings, peaking around 32 minutes, with the longest queues near 11am, and the shortest near 9pm. Pick a date below to see that day minute by minute.
- Typical
- 27min
- Peak
- 32min
- Running
- 94%
- Busiest at
- 11am
Last 14 days, tap one
Which day
Pick a Wednesday.
- Typical wait on a Wednesday
- 16min
- On a Friday
- 46min
Does Thunderhead break down?
Rarely.
It was running 94% of the time Dollywood was open over the last two weeks, so it was down about 4 minutes in every opening hour.
- Running, share of opening hours
- 94%
- Queue readings recorded
- 13,779
The record
70 minutes.
The longest queue Thunderhead has held, on Friday 9 October.
Every ride at Dollywood →When is the Thunderhead queue shortest?
Usually at 9pm, about 8 minutes, against 29 at 11am. Turning up at the right hour saves 21 minutes on a single ride.
Thunderhead queue times by hour
Typical wait, last 90 days · minutes
139a
2010a
2911a
1912p
141p
182p
153p
164p
145p
146p
117p
128p
89p
Walk on under 10 minShort 10-19 minModerate 20-34 minLong 35-59 minVery long 60 min and up
Best time to ride Thunderhead
9pm on a Wednesday
Thunderhead averages 8 minutes at 9pm. The longest queue it has ever held is 70 minutes.
27maverage
Which day is quietest for Thunderhead?
Wednesday, at 16 minutes on average, against 46 on Friday.
Thunderhead by day of the week
14 days with a recorded queue
- Mon26m
- Tue20m
- Wed16m
- Thu18m
- Fri46m
- Sat31m
- Sun23m
Does Thunderhead break down?
It ran 94% of Dollywood's opening hours across 14 recorded days. It ran without a recorded stop on Friday 23 Oct.
Uptime and closures
94% of opening hours · 14 days recorded
94%
Good
Running 94% of the minutes Dollywood was open.
Each square is one day, its share of opening hours running. Tap a day to open it above.
How long can the Thunderhead queue get?
The worst queue recorded for Thunderhead was 70 minutes on Friday 9 Oct.
Longest Thunderhead queues on record
Peaks in the last 14 days · Every one a real date
- 1Friday 9 Oct70m
- 2Friday 16 Oct70m
- 3Saturday 17 Oct70m
- 4Monday 12 Oct65m
- 5Tuesday 13 Oct55m
- 6Wednesday 14 Oct55m
- 7Thursday 15 Oct45m
- 8Saturday 10 Oct40m
Which months are busiest for Thunderhead?
March runs longest at 32 minutes on average, and September is quietest at 12.
Thunderhead through the year
All-time average by month · minutes
18Nov
28Dec
31Jan
32Mar
27Apr
30May
24Jun
20Jul
16Aug
12Sep
27Oct
About Thunderhead
Thunderhead is one of 32 rides tracked at Dollywood, 9th longest of 32 by usual wait. It queues about 27 minutes on a typical day, longer than the 21-minute park average.
Thunderhead has averaged about 27 minutes of wait over recent weeks, and is typically busiest around 11am and quietest around 9pm. Over the last two weeks it has been open around 94% of the park's operating hours. It's typically quietest on Wednesdays and busiest on Fridays.
How we measure
- Readings
- The queue time Dollywood publishes for this ride, read every few minutes while the park is open.
- By hour
- This ride's own last 90 days, within opening hours.
- Day by day
- Its last 14 days.
- Running
- The share of the park's open minutes the ride was running.
Frequently asked
What's the current wait time for Thunderhead?
The live wait time for Thunderhead at Dollywood is shown at the top of this page and refreshed directly from the park's own ride system. Check live Thunderhead wait times.
Is Thunderhead open right now?
The live status badge at the top of this page shows whether Thunderhead is open or closed right now - it updates automatically from Dollywood's own ride system. Over the last couple of weeks, Thunderhead has been open around 94% of Dollywood's operating hours. You can also see the live status of every ride at Dollywood.
What's the best time of day to ride Thunderhead?
Based on historical wait time data, Thunderhead is typically quietest around 9pm. For most rides the queue is shortest in the first hour after the park opens and the last hour before it closes, with midday through mid-afternoon the busiest window.
What is the best day to ride Thunderhead?
Thunderhead is usually quietest on Wednesdays, and busiest on Fridays based on recent weeks - visit on a Wednesday for shorter waits.
How long is the line for Thunderhead usually?
Over recent weeks, Thunderhead has averaged about 27 minutes, with lines usually longest around 11am. Wait times usually build through the morning, peak from midday to mid-afternoon, then ease off before close. Weekends and school holidays run noticeably longer than quiet weekdays. This page shows today's live wait time, the day's average, hourly breakdowns and the full history of peak lines for Thunderhead at Dollywood.
Is Thunderhead often closed or broken down?
Over the last two weeks, Thunderhead has been running about 94% of the time. We track Thunderhead's uptime and downtime automatically - see the "Reliability" and "Downtime History" panels on this page for its full record over the last 30 days, including any current closures and how long they've lasted.
Where can I find Thunderhead at Dollywood?
Thunderhead is at Dollywood - see the park map and full ride list for its exact location. The Dollywood page also shows which rides nearby have the shortest lines right now.
Can I get wait time alerts for Thunderhead?
Yes - create a free alert and we'll notify you when Thunderhead's wait time drops below your chosen threshold (for example, "tell me when Thunderhead is under 20 minutes"). Great for timing your sprint from across the park.
More rides at Dollywood
Other rides at Dollywood
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