Of all the numerous mountain coasters throughout Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg the Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster was one of only two that I had experienced prior to this trip. The other was the Rocky Top Mountain Coaster. I rode both back in 2019 and both rides took place during day. Until this trip I had never experienced a mountain coaster at night and that is why I slotted our visits to Smoky Mountain and Rocky Top after our days at Dollywood. I wanted to experience both these amazing coasters in the dark. While that did end up happening with Rocky Top, it did not for Smoky Mountain.
We planned to ride both The Goat Coaster at Goats on the Roof and Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster after leaving Dollywood on Sunday – the last night of our trip. We had the time to make it happen, but ultimately spent too much time browsing the gift shop at Goats on the Roof. We arrived 10 minutes too late watching the lights in the gift shop go dark pulling into the parking lot. I was mad at myself, but since we still had things to do on Monday before heading home, we’d just have to fit it in to those plans. That would mean I’d miss my chance to experience this at night, but oh well!
GoPro Woes
Although I wouldn’t be getting my night ride on this awesome mountain coaster, having to visit on Monday meant I’d get some nicer footage when filming a daytime POV. As fun as the night rides were on Ripley’s, Moonshine, and Rocky Top Mountain Coasters, the minimal lighting makes for a much less interesting POV. So there was one positive with having to come back the next day.
Little did I know, my GoPro would have an issue during this ride. The video corrupted about three-quarters the way up the lift. The audio still recorded, but the image freezes and stays the same for the final quarter of the lift and the entire downhill portion. I didn’t know this at the time or I would have bought another ticket and rode again. I am bummed about this as I really enjoy this ride. I wanted a POV from it to feature on the We Were Inverted YouTube channel, but that’s going to have to wait. I guess I’ll be riding this mountain coaster yet again next time I go down to Tennessee. Oh darn!
Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster
If you enjoy speed on your mountain coaster rides, then the Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster will be your cup of tea. Like the ones I’ve ridden throughout New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, this one features the long lift hill to start. The long trip and views up the mountain build a ton of anticipation. Just be prepared. This isn’t going to be a start and stop experience. When you leave that lift, you can haul all the way back down to the station. I zipped around every turn and had a ton of laterals throughout.
When I compare this ride to my ride back in 2019, I look upon this more favorably. Rocky Top and Smoky Mountain were the first two mountain coasters I ever experienced. I liked each one for different reasons, but they did stoke a fire in me to ride more. And ride more I did. That same year I’d ride mountain coasters at Holiday Valley, Greek Peak Mountain Resort, and Camelback Mountain Adventures. In 2020, I’d grab the one here in Maryland at the Wisp Resort. Smoky Mountain ranked right in the middle of the pack and as I sit here now, I wonder where it would rank with an updated list. That might be something I tackle in the coming months.
Final Ride Counts
Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster (1)
Where There's Smoke...
While several newer mountain coasters have opened in the area, the Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster is a solid choice if you’re looking for one to ride during your visit to Pigeon Forge. The scenic hillside and thrilling descent are this ride’s strong point and must be experienced. My words alone don’t do the ride enough justice.
You can also pair this up with The Goat Coaster at Goats on the Roof. It’s less than a mile away and make for a great one, two punch. These two mountain coasters have been thrilling visitors longer than most of the other mountain coasters in the region and many swear they’re among the best.
You can’t go wrong with a ride on the Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster and I can’t wait to go back to ride it again. And you best bet, I’ll be watching all of the footage I shoot after that ride.
Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster 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): n/a
Sam
Admiral
New Credit(s): Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster
Jen
Captain
New Credit(s): Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster
