The best wooden roller coaster I have been on yet. It was just the right speed, length and height. The best part was it is very smooth the whole ride. It was very impressive. Really it was a family thrill ride that is top notch. Way to GO!

To quote my girlfriend who worked at Kennywood in PA for three years, "Goodbye Thunderbolt, hello Thunderhead. I have a new #1." This is the best wooden EVER in my opinion. From start to finish all drops, turns, and zero gravities are perfect and non-stop. DONT MISS THIS ONE.

Let me start by saying that I am not a fan of wooden roller coasters. I am all about classic rides and fun but woodies just dont thrill me as much as, say, going upside down or doing a cool element like a pretzel loop or Immelman. I do like how woodies throw you around though. For that reason Texas Giant was my favorite. I stress "was". No question this is #1 now. I love themed rides. They get more respect from me. This one is spectacular. It is beautiful to see the light wood combined with the Smoky mountains and the timber of Dollywood. Then the ride itself; so smooth, so fast, and the airtime, is just awesome. I have had a flight on an F-16 so I know a little about Gs. And this baby has them! The banking is like a fighter jet, tight and smooth. Oh, and the station house. I wish all coasters had the track fly-through. Anyway, alot has been said about her so there is not much to add. I know I could catch heat, but to me she just isnt a ten. To me steel is the way to go, however a few more rides could change my mind.

An Incredible, fast-pace roller coaster with not one dull section of track. One of my favortite WCs

Times ridden: 1 ~ Ride experience: 10 ~ Layout: 10 ~ Thrill factor: 10 ~ Airtime: 8 ~ Landscaping: 10 ~ Evaluation: Although I rode Thunderhead only once, it was probably one of the most exhilarating ride experiences Ive ever had. The ride is far from ordinary and totally unique, which made my experience even better. With a quick drop and turn out of the station, the train is sent on an out of control mission back to the station that features many highly banked curves and turns for a wooden coaster. The station fly through is taken at a fast speed which excites both the people on the ride and those waiting in line. Thunderhead, from start to finish, is an incredile sensation that will leave the riders asking for more. Even with all of the mindbending turns found on this coaster, the ride is smooth as silk. Its a ride that someone can go on with a full stomach and not get sick afterwards. Truly an amazing coaster that shouldnt be missed by those visiting Dollywood!

Wow, what an amazing coaster. This is by far one of the best wooden coasters I have been on. All woodies should be like this, as it is perfect. The station fly-through is awsome, as I have never seen anything like it done before in a coaster. It really hads a lot of excitement in the station and the ride.

I am an employee at Dollywood, so my review could be really bias, but being an employee, I also get the privelage of when I get off early to ride this monster several times a week. This goes to show you though, that it has a good retake quality. Its never gotten old to me, as many times as Ive rode it, especially during this recent Christmas season, as the night rides really adds something spectacular to the ride. Although it does fall a little short to Paramounts Kings Islands Son of Beast in thrills, the smoothness of this gigantic woodie makes it number one in my book.

Certainly deserves a 10. I rode 6 times on 11/26/04. 2 times in the early afternoon in the back row. 1 time in the early afternoon in the first row. 1 night ride in the back row. 2 more night rides in the front (1st and 2nd row). This coaster hurls you all over the place but doesnt injure you. Insane banking on the turns, pictures look good but dont do it justice. The ride through the station provides pure adrenaline for first time riders waiting in the station. The ride ops are courteous and professional doing their best to sheperd single riders into empty seats quickly. Also, this is the first time Ive ever said this about a woodie, but it is a better ride in the front car. My first two rides of the day were extraordinary in the back row so I didnt expect it to get better in the front, but it did. Insane ejector air in the front. I was in awe and knew I would be returning later in the day for night rides, hopefully before it got too cold. For one you freeze in the cold, but more importantly, they stop the ride when the temperature drops below 40 degrees. The ride ops said it was safety concerns about the track freezing. When we returned at night I took my first night ride from the front seat and it was even more insane. The ride ops told us to look up as we crested the lift hill and we could see the Big Dipper, that was cool. The park is so isolated from lighting that you can barely see the track in the front row and the train continued to run like it was going to fly right off those invisible tracks. No coaster can be the best at everything but Thunderhead is my favorite night coaster and my favorite front row woodie. Of course it will now reside in my Top 10 list, also.

Amazing, Thrilling, Beautiful,....... The list could go on and on. When you first approach the Thunderhead, you immediately notice the beauty of the coaster towering above the pine trees. Then when you get a little closer all of the theming comes into view. When you enter the queue the track runs above your head. As you are in the queue for the coaster if you listen closely you can hear and maybe see the Dollywood Express chugging along beside Thunderhead. The line goes by quite quickly considering the popularity of the ride. The operators are extremely professional about their job and friendly too. As the ride first begins up the lift hill, you can see the beauty of the Smokies and at the top it all begins, with a 100 foot drop and banking you would not even think of on a woodie. On my first ride my hands actually touched the rails on the sides, so keep your hands down on the first bank. About halfway through the ride you go through a "wild" part of the ride. A fly-through station. You actually re-enter about 8 feet above the station, which is wild and loud. That marks the halfway point. You hit several more banks that are extreme and then you hit the brakes "The worse part" I really didnt want the ride to end. As you exit you go under a lot of the track you just covered. You can usually get back in line and get about 5 rides in each hour, just depends on what day it is. For the beginners and experts it is perfect, the turns and drops are unexpected, the look of the coaster is origonal. Dollywood matched theming on this ride perfect, no other theming would do for this ride. So a perfect 10 in my book, everything about the ride is perfect. I would reccomend this coaster for all!

Thunderhead is an awsome ride! Its fast, steep, picturesk and full of airtime! THe olny problem is that the restraint gets forced down during the posative Gs. It sorta hurts; oh well!