When it comes to mountain coasters in the towns Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and Sevierville, Tenn. Wild Stallion at SkyLand Ranch is one of the newer ones. Opening in October 2022 this two year old coaster was one I definitely wanted to try on our trip.
Thankfully we were able to ride Wild Stallion without having to pay for tickets to SkyLand Ranch itself. I say that only because we were pressed for time, but still wanted to ride the coaster. We had to skip out on Ober Mountain for this very reason and was what caused had us debating about Anakeesta until last minute. So for those of you wondering, yes you can come just for the mountain coaster here.
Less of a Mountain, More of a Hillside
While driving to SkyLand Ranch from The Goat Coaster at Goats on the Roof I began to notice that the area was starting to look a little less like a tourist trap surrounded by mountains and more like your typical commercial/retail area. Shopping centers and chain restaurants were everywhere and then all of a sudden, “You have arrived at your destination,” comes over the GPS.
There it was. The sign for Wild Stallion and the SkyLand Ranch. This wasn’t like the other mountain coasters located on the side of large mountains with a narrow parking lot. This was in a wide open area with a massive parking lot. Then there was the mountain.
This looked more like a hillside than a mountain – a hillside across the street from an outlet and between a Longhorn Steakhouse and Olive Garden. Not the most scenic area. More on that in a bit.
Wild Stallion
As for the coaster and its station, this has to be one of the cleanest looking outdoor stations on any of the mountain coasters we experienced. Not that the others were dirty or disorganized. It’s hard to explain. This one just felt very modern and minimal. Maybe those are better terms to explain myself?
I did enjoy the light theming in the station and was hoping to see more of it out on the ride. Sadly that was not the case. I say this because there are numerous spots throughout the ride where trees or retainer walls don’t hide the commercial landscape below. The first portion of the ride does manage to hide some of it, but the second half has popping in and out of your view quite often. Seeing something like a stable or blacksmithing shop would give people’s eyes something else to focus on than the stores below. Just my opinion.
As for the ride itself, this ride is like two mountain coasters in one. Since this one doesn’t go up the largest of mountains, you don’t spend ages going up a lift hill. The one here does have some height, but once you find yourself at the top of the mountain, you begin going around countless turns, both elevated and down in trenches. Making these turns high off the ground and then inches off the ground immediately afterward give each one a unique feel. I loved that during the first half of this coaster.
Before you know it, however, you find yourself at the bottom of the hill. I honestly felt a little bummed as I thought the ride was over. I was wrong. There was a second lift taking you right back up the mountain again. This coaster had some tricks up its sleeve and this return to the top was definitely a surprise.
The second half of the ride didn’t have as scenic of a view as the first, but it had what turned out to be my favorite part of the ride – the S-bends along the side of the mountain. The track was right on the edge and those back and forth movements teetering so close to the drop off was epic.
After a turn around and some more dips and bends, it was back into the station. I’ll have a POV of this coaster on the site’s YouTube channel soon. I’d love to know what you think of my feelings on this ride’s location, surroundings, and sneaky fun elements. It truly is a weird, albeit wild package.
Final Ride Counts
Wild Stallion (1)
Not Quite Like the Rest
I have to say this mountain coaster is one of the more polarizing ones I’ve experienced to date. I tend to enjoy certain aspects of mountain coasters like scenic views (this didn’t have them), speed (this one had it, but also stops you for a second lift), and theming (this had very little outside the station). So by all accounts, I shouldn’t like this ride. The thing is, I did enjoy it. I even bought a Wild Stallion shirt in the gift shop on our way out.
Where this ride excels, it really excels. Those high and low turns, the S-bends, and some of the dips work so well. I can only imagine all those things in a more scenic setting, or coupled with more theming. I hope this doesn’t sound too negative because I’m being 100 percent honest when I say that I’d love to go back and ride it again, especially if I can swing a night ride. It is certainly worth a stop regardless of my views of its shortcomings.
Have you ridden this mountain coaster? I’d love to know your thoughts. Do you find it as polarizing as I do or is this coaster one of your favorite ones in the area?
SkyLand Ranch Photo Gallery - October 21, 2024
If you would like to use any of the images in the gallery above for your commercial and/or non-commercial projects, feel free to do so. I ask that you credit We Were Inverted whenever they’re used. I also ask that you do not alter the image or remove the watermarks. If you need any images/video resized or without the watermarks, please contact me directly.
CREW MANIFEST
The following flight crew members attended this park, & earned the respective credits below:
Patrick
CAG
New Credit(s): Wild Stallion
Sam
Admiral
New Credit(s): Wild Stallion
Jen
Captain
New Credit(s): Wild Stallion
