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A MODERATE DAY

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

Aug 22, 2026 landed at a 5/10, the threshold where you start needing strategy. Crowds dipped to a 1 out of ten for 2 straight hours between 10 AM and 12 PM.

PLANNING A TRIP?
Pick your dates on the crowd calendar and we'll show you how this day compares to your window.
5
/10
Moderate
AVG WAIT20m
PEAK90m
RIDES OPEN26/26
WEATHER86° Cloudy
Carowinds crowd report infographic for Aug 22, 2026
Tap to enlarge

The day, hour by hour.

10 AM to 10 PM · crowd level 1–10
1
10 AM
1
11 AM
4
12 PM
5
1 PM
6
2 PM
6
3 PM
5
4 PM
7
5 PM
8
6 PM
6
7 PM
7
8 PM
7
9 PM
1
10 PM
10 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.

10 AM to 12 PM
Mid-afternoon dip is real but brief

The window around 10 AM is your friend. Use it on Kiddy Hawk or whatever you've been putting off.

8 PM to 10 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
Afterburn
47m avg
peak 55m · 99% uptime
Carolina Goldrusher
43m avg
peak 65m · 99% uptime
Kiddy Hawk
42m avg
peak 90m · 97% uptime
Ricochet
36m avg
peak 45m · 85% uptime
Copperhead Strike
28m avg
peak 60m · 99% uptime
Snoopy's Racing Railway
28m avg
peak 60m · 88% uptime
Fury 325
26m avg
peak 60m · 88% uptime
Flying Ace Balloon Race
26m avg
peak 30m · 100% uptime
Woodstock Express
25m avg
peak 30m · 100% uptime
The Flying Cobras
23m avg
peak 45m · 95% uptime
Carolina Cyclone
23m avg
peak 30m · 98% uptime
Thunder Striker
22m avg
peak 30m · 99% uptime
Air Racers
18m avg
peak 25m · 94% uptime
Boo Blasters on Boo Hill
18m avg
peak 25m · 98% uptime
Vortex
14m avg
peak 20m · 99% uptime
Electro-Spin
13m avg
peak 45m · 60% uptime
Wind Star
11m avg
peak 25m · 97% uptime
Do-Si-Do
11m avg
peak 20m · 97% uptime
Mountain Gliders
10m avg
peak 25m · 99% uptime
Rock 'N' Roller
10m avg
peak 20m · 99% uptime
WindSeeker
9m avg
peak 15m · 91% uptime
Hurler
9m avg
peak 10m · 99% uptime
Wilderness Run
9m avg
peak 10m · 97% uptime
Hover & Dodge
8m avg
peak 10m · 99% uptime
Zephyr
6m avg
peak 10m · 85% uptime
Charlie Brown's River Raft Blast
4m avg
peak 5m · 94% uptime
Gear Spin
Closed all day
Ripcord
0m avg
peak 0m · -- uptime
Slingshot
0m avg
peak 0m · -- uptime
The Grand Carousel
0m avg
peak 0m · -- uptime
1 ride was closed all day
Gear Spin

Weather that day: ☁️ Cloudy, high 86°F, low 70°F, rain for 2h.

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Carowinds crowd report infographic for Aug 22, 2026
SHAREABLE LINK
https://rideready.app/parks/carowinds/crowd-calendar/2026-08-22/
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 90m to 29m
2:42p Walk-on window: Air Racers + Boo Blasters on Boo Hill
3:55p Smart pick: pivot while a queue resets
7:15p Re-ride window opens late
5 drop alerts · 4 picks · 2 skip suggestions