In 2019, I logged 17,984 feet of track between five new credits that were unlike anything I had ever experienced. There were no loops, corkscrews, or inversions of any kind. There were no launches, or lift hills in the typical sense of the term. Barely any spots on these coasters were above, I’d guess, 20 feet, off the ground. And above all else, every single one of these credits had a duration longer than five minutes, with some taking over seven or eight minutes to complete. These credits were what’s called mountain or alpine coasters.
What is a Mountain Coaster?
If you’re unfamiliar with mountain coasters, let me give you a basic overview. Mountain coasters, like most roller coasters, are pulled up a hill. No, not a hill in the steel or wood sense like most coasters, but an actual hill. You’ll barely find yourself off the ground, as you’re pulled to the top.
Once at the top, you push down on the two levers on the sides of your small cart, which fits a max of one or two riders. With these levers you will control how fast your cart will cascade throughout the course. Like going fast? Keep them pushed all the way down. Moving a little too fast for your liking? Let them rise a bit and your speed will reduce. Is someone else in front of you stopped, or going really slow? Let them rise entirely and you’ll come to a stop. More on this at the end, as it can also ruin what is otherwise an awesome experience.
Along your journey back to the bottom of the mountain, you will fly by trees, bushes, and even through tunnels. My personal favorite, however, are the spots where the track goes over and/or alongside a creek. It’s just so scenic! And speaking of scenic, some of these coasters even feature a helix or two that hangs track over steep drop offs along the mountain. Nothing crazy, but it does introduce the element of height.
Sounds fun, right? Well, the five that I have had the chance to ride thus far certainly were. And just like regular roller coasters, each one of them have their own charm. Hopefully I will be able to add more of these to my credit list in the future, but for now, here are the five that I have experienced in the order that I experienced them:
Rocky Top Mountain Coaster
Rocky Top Mountain Coaster
2940 Veterans Boulevard
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee 37863
United States
www.rockytopcoaster.com
Opening in the winter of 2018, four minutes away from Dollywood, the Rocky Top Mountain Coaster (RTMC) is the newest mountain coaster built on my credit list. It is also, by far, the most unique, featuring four separate lift hills. Typically, mountain coasters tend to pull you up one very long lift and then send you flying down the side of the mountain and throughout its various elements. RTMC, on the other hand, send you up, then back down. Then you rise again, and descend again. Rinse and repeat two more times and then find yourself heading back into the loading station at the base of the mountain.
As awesome as the four lift hills sound, however, there is a drawback. If you’re a speed freak and want to spend the maximum amount of time flying down to the base of the mountain, having these four lifts will kill that momentum. Perhaps this is why RTMC features something that none of the other mountain coasters in this blog incorporate – theming.
During the stop and go journey throughout this 3,691 feet of track you will pass rusted farm equipment, run down barns and hillside shacks, and even travel through tunnels surrounded by faux rock work. RTMC really did a good job with its theming. Where it falls a little flat, however, is in the natural scenic beauty on display.
Of all the mountain coasters I have experienced, this coaster is the least “green,” if you will. While some sections have you passing by large trees, there are a lot of barren areas where there is nothing but dirt all around. I thought that maybe this was due to the coaster only being about seven months old when I rode, but more recent POV videos on YouTube show that a lot of what I remember still seems to be the case. I guess it makes it easier to not have to go cut grass or trim back branches, but I think it does make this one of the less scenic mountain coasters as far as natural beauty is concerned.
One thing I wish I had experienced, and I aim to do the next time I find myself in Pigeon Forge, is to do a night ride on RTMC. When the sun goes down, a bevy of color is splashed upon the track of this amazing ride. Check out their site for a preview of what you can expect from a night ride. If/when I get to experience a RTMC night ride, I will surely be sharing my thoughts.
A ride on RTMC will run $18, but their site offers a second re-ride for half price ($9). I recall this offer during my visit, but I’m not sure if you needed to provide a receipt or ticket stub in order to get the discount. Check with RTMC for terms and conditions.
I would also like to mention something personal about the staff of RTMC while I’m here. After my ride I was happy to find enamel pins featuring the coaster’s logo in their gift shop. As an avid pin collector, it was a must buy. When I returned home and unpacked, however, my pin was nowhere to be found. My best guess is that I dropped it somewhere in the hotel room. I was heart-broken. That’s when I decided to to take a shot in the dark by sending them a message on Facebook, telling them of my loss. I asked them if there was any way that I would be able to purchase another, either online or over the phone, and have it mailed to me. Much to my surprise, they answered almost immediately and were willing to help. Needless to say, their customer service went above and beyond to make this enthusiast happy.
Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster
Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster
867 Wears Valley Road
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee 37863
United States
www.smokymountainalpinecoaster.com
Also located in Pigeon Forge, only eight minutes from RTMC, is the Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster (SMAC). Although these two mountain coasters are in close proximity to one another, I found their rides to be polar opposites.
With its four lift hills and start and stop course, SMAC takes you all the way to the top of the mountain, a super long climb that seems like it never ends, and then lets you dash down the course the entire way. And when I say dash, I mean dash! I don’t think I let up on the levers until I got to the base of the mountain, where you have to begin to slow down as you approach the loading station.
SMAC also doesn’t feature any of the theming you’ll find on RTMC, but where it far exceeds, in my view, is in the view of Mother Nature. You are surrounded by green and feel all alone out on this track. The few times you see out of the woods is when you haul around some of the overhanging helixes on several of the mountain’s steep drop offs. Honestly, however, you’ll probably be too busy looking down to notice.
Much like its neighbor, SMAC also features a vibrant light package for night rides. The amount of color on display is astounding and something I feel like I missed out on. Night rides on this and RTMC are a must during my next visit to the region.
For those looking to give SMAC a go, tickets currently cost $17. The day I visited, you could show your ticket stub and receipt to get a discounted re-ride, but I do not see any information on that policy on their website.
Sky High Mountain Coaster
Holiday Valley
6557 Holiday Valley Road
Ellicottville, New York 14731
United States
www.holidayvalley.com
One of only two mountain coasters located in the massive state of New York, the Sky High Mountain Coaster (SHMC) differs from the two I experienced in Tennessee in it is not a stand alone attraction. The SHMC is located at the Holiday Valley Resort, which features tons of leisure activities including: golf, zip lining, tree-top rope courses, and plenty of winter activities such as skiing.
For those interested in visiting just for the mountain coaster, they offer the most deals of any of the coasters on this list when it comes to re-rides. For a single ride, at the time of this blog, it costs only $8, but multi-ride packages exist for two ($15), five ($35), and even 10 rides ($65). I was only able to ride once during my stop as I needed to squeeze in Fantasy Island, Darien Lake, and Seabreeze on the same day as my August 2019 visit. If I had more time, I would have certainly grabbed at least two rides.
After watching an instructional video on the loading station, a long ascent parallel to a chair lift awaits. Once you have made your way to the top, you make a sweeping right turn and begin your decent into the woods. From here on out, you only peek out of the woods for a few seconds at a time, including a forceful helix.
The best part of this coaster, in my view, is its proximity to a creek. For almost the entire trip down you will either run alongside, or back and forth over a small creek. You literally cross the creek around about 10 times. It really adds to the experience. The setting of this coaster is one of the biggest contributing factors on why I currently have SHMC as my No. 1 mountain coaster on my list of Favorites. I’m just a sucker for the nature view on these coasters.
Nor'Easter Mountain Coaster
Greek Peak Mountain Resort
2000 NYS Rt. 392
Cortland, New York 13045
United States
www.greekpeak.net
The second mountain coaster in New York, the Nor’Easter Mountain Coaster (NEMC) can be found at the Greek Peak Mountain Resort. Like Holiday Valley, Greek Peak offers a plethora of similar activities and also features a water park. You can pick and chose what you’d like to do, so if you’re only looking to do the mountain coaster as I was, that can be done.
On my visit, I was here first thing in the morning because I wanted to also squeeze in a stop at Sylvan Beach Amusement Park and Great Escape. Due to storms, this was the only park I was able to visit and get in any rides. Had I known my other two spots would be washed out, I would have grabbed in a few more rides as they too offer 3-ride ($28) and even unlimited pass option ($55). A single ride costs $11.
Like the SHMC, the NEMC starts off with a long journey to the top of the course. Where it differs is that this lift his is not entirely exposed in a clearing. Your trip has you in the woods, like the majority of the downhill portion. So the most “boring” part of NEMC, still lets you take in the scenery. In the largest clearing during the lift, you do pass underneath a man-made tunnel, however, which you can see in the photo above.
I’d imagine that all the mountain coasters out there travel about the same speed, topping out at 30-35 mph, from what I can find online. Based off my experience on the NEMC, however, this one rides fast! I don’t know if it is all the interactions with the nearby trees, but it felt like I was bolting back down that mountain faster than any of the other coasters featured in this blog.
Like the SHMC above, the NEMC ranks at No. 2 on my Favorites list due to its setting and feeling of blazing fast speed. Once you’re able to push down those levers and go… Go you will!
Editor’s Note: On-ride photography was granted by the ride op during my visit.
Mountain Coaster
Camelback Mountain Adventures
243 Resort Drive
Tannersville, Pennsylvania 18372
United States
www.camelbackmountainadventures.com
Like my home state of Maryland, Pennsylvania is home to only one mountain coaster, which is actually named, “Mountain Coaster.” Mountain Coaster resides at Camelback Mountain Adventures (CMA) and is just one of several activities offered at the resort. Other activities include several zip line courses, including one 4000 feet long. I was able to do the 1000 foot zip line during a return visit in October 2019 with Jason, Elaina, and several other friends.
CMA was supposed to wrap up the road trip where I visited Holiday Valley and Greek Peak in August, but once again, I was washed out due to a storm. I arrived 30 minutes late after sitting in traffic for over an hour, while only 15 miles from the resort. Thankfully, CMA’s Mountain Coaster is the closest mountain coaster to where I live. It’s actually 10 minutes closer to me than the one here in my home state, which ironically is also called “Mountain Coaster.” That one is located at the Wisp Resort in Western Maryland and is on my bucket list.
Of all the coasters featured in this blog, ranking CMA’s Mountain Coaster would be unfair. Sadly, even my return to Camelback left me feeling a little underwhelmed. The group in front of us in the queue line included several small children. One of the children was crying that she didn’t want to ride during the wait. That should have been a red flag to get out of line, or let some other people go in front of our group.
After waiting several months to finally get back to Camelback, my ride was start/stop the entire way down due to the cart in front of me hitting the brakes. I wasn’t able to get any speed, or much in the way continuous movement. Elaina, Jason, and the rest of my friends had a blast, however. I guess they had a good distance between their carts and mine. I thought about going again, but for $15 a ride, I decided not to. I’m not sure if there are any multi-ride packages as I don’t see any listed on their site at this time.
Until I get a return visit, which I’m hoping to do later this month when Renee and I combine a visit to Camelback with a day at Dorney Park, the only thing I can fairly describe to you is the layout of the coaster. While not as “wooded” as the SMAP, the SHMC, or the NEMC, you still get a very “green” ride. Where this ride differs immensely is the view down the mountain. The lift hill sits next to a large clearing. Since the majority of the descent of this ride weaves back and forth next to the lift hill, you can see all the way down to the base of the mountain. It’s quite the view.
What has me most excited about getting to re-ride this mountain coaster is the amount of turns featured throughout its course. It’s the longest track on this list and I believe that the laterals will be unmatched if I’m able to go full bore down the course.
Future Mountain Coasters?
Other than the Mountain Coaster at Wisp Resort here in Maryland, only one other mountain coaster exists within a reasonable day trip’s drive for me to experience. That coaster would be the Alpine Mountain Coaster at Mountain Creek Waterpark in New Jersey. Yes, the former Action Park. Other than those two credits, I will either have to make a return trip to Tennessee, or head even further north into Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire to grab a few others. If/when I find my way to those regions, I look forward to trying each and every one of them.
