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A MODERATE DAY

If you'd been here on a day like this,
you'd have felt the park, not the lines.

Apr 9, 2026 landed at a 6/10, the threshold where you start needing strategy. Crowds bounced between a 1 and a 9, settling around a 6 for most of the day.

PLANNING A TRIP?
Pick your dates on the crowd calendar and we'll show you how this day compares to your window.
6
/10
Moderate
AVG WAIT27m
PEAK70m
RIDES OPEN30/27
WEATHER69° Clear
Carowinds crowd report infographic for Apr 9, 2026
Tap to enlarge

The day, hour by hour.

11 AM to 8 PM · crowd level 1–10
1
11 AM
3
12 PM
6
1 PM
6
2 PM
8
3 PM
6
4 PM
7
5 PM
8
6 PM
9
7 PM
5
8 PM
11 AM to 10 AM
Be at the gates before they open

Touring strategy starts here. Kiddy Hawk climbs steeply through the morning on moderate days.

11 AM to 1 PM
Eat before 11 or after 2

Quick-service queues stack between 11:30 and 1:30. Plan around them.

2 PM to 6 PM
Mid-afternoon dip is real but brief

The window around 2 PM is your friend. Use it on Kiddy Hawk or whatever you've been putting off.

8 PM to 8 PM
Closing rush is your friend

Lines drop sharply once the night winds down. Wait it out, then re-ride.

Every ride, by average wait.

30 rides · avg wait shown
Ricochet
60m avg
peak 60m · 85% uptime
Kiddy Hawk
57m avg
peak 70m · 94% uptime
Copperhead Strike
53m avg
peak 60m · 88% uptime
Snoopy's Racing Railway
52m avg
peak 60m · 98% uptime
Hurler
46m avg
peak 60m · 74% uptime
The Flying Cobras
38m avg
peak 45m · 77% uptime
Fury 325
37m avg
peak 60m · 91% uptime
Carolina Goldrusher
37m avg
peak 45m · 94% uptime
Flying Ace Balloon Race
31m avg
peak 45m · 94% uptime
Afterburn
30m avg
peak 60m · 79% uptime
Electro-Spin
27m avg
peak 30m · 91% uptime
Thunder Striker
26m avg
peak 45m · 92% uptime
Woodstock Express
25m avg
peak 30m · 94% uptime
Vortex
24m avg
peak 40m · 94% uptime
Air Racers
21m avg
peak 30m · 94% uptime
Rock 'N' Roller
20m avg
peak 20m · 91% uptime
Boo Blasters on Boo Hill
17m avg
peak 25m · 91% uptime
Hover & Dodge
15m avg
peak 20m · 94% uptime
Charlie Brown's River Raft Blast
15m avg
peak 15m · 67% uptime
Carolina Cyclone
14m avg
peak 50m · 93% uptime
Gear Spin
14m avg
peak 15m · 81% uptime
Wind Star
13m avg
peak 20m · 89% uptime
WindSeeker
13m avg
peak 15m · 90% uptime
Mountain Gliders
11m avg
peak 20m · 94% uptime
Do-Si-Do
10m avg
peak 10m · 93% uptime
Wilderness Run
10m avg
peak 10m · 82% uptime
Zephyr
2m avg
peak 2m · 94% uptime
Ripcord
0m avg
peak 0m · 74% uptime
Slingshot
0m avg
peak 0m · 94% uptime
The Grand Carousel
0m avg
peak 0m · 94% uptime

Weather that day: ☀️ Clear, high 69°F, low 40°F, no rain.

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Carowinds crowd report infographic for Apr 9, 2026
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https://rideready.app/parks/carowinds/crowd-calendar/2026-04-09/
FOR YOUR TRIP

This is the day,
but live, in your pocket.

Days like this are won and lost on timing. Ride Ready turns live waits into drop alerts, walk-on windows, and what-to-ride-next picks, free.

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WHAT YOU'D HAVE GOTTEN ON THIS DAY
10:15a Drop alert: Kiddy Hawk 70m to 40m
2:42p Walk-on window: Boo Blasters on Boo Hill + Hover & Dodge
3:55p Smart pick: pivot while a queue resets
7:15p Re-ride window opens late
5 drop alerts · 4 picks · 2 skip suggestions