If you'd been here on a day like this, you'd have cleared the park before lunch.
Aug 18, 2026 hit a 2/10, one of the quietest days we've recorded at Dollywood this season. Crowds dipped to a 1 out of ten for 2 straight hours between 11 AM and 1 PM.
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2
/10 Quiet
AVG WAIT8m
PEAK110m
RIDES OPEN12/14
WEATHER86° Drizzle
Tap to enlarge
The day, hour by hour.
10 AM to 6 PM · crowd level 1–10
3
10 AM
1
11 AM
1
12 PM
3
1 PM
2
2 PM
1
3 PM
4
4 PM
3
5 PM
1
6 PM
10 AM to 10 AM
Rope-drop the headliner anyway
Dragonflier held strong all day. The first hour was the only time it ran shortest.
11 AM to 1 PM
Eat early, ride during lunch
Crowds dipped to their low around 11 AM. Thunderhead + FireChaser Express walked on.
11 AM to 1 PM
Knock out the rest of your list
The quietest stretch of the day starts around 11 AM. Dragonflier fell to its low for the day.
8 PM to 6 PM
Last lap and re-rides
A small closing-hour bump is normal. Re-ride Dragonflier now with a fresh queue.
Every ride, by average wait.
14 rides · avg wait shown
Smoky Mountain River Rampage
19m avg
peak 35m · 55% uptime
Thunderhead
13m avg
peak 40m · 66% uptime
FireChaser Express
13m avg
peak 25m · 54% uptime
Dragonflier
11m avg
peak 110m · 37% uptime
Blazing Fury
10m avg
peak 20m · 47% uptime
Lightning Rod
8m avg
peak 20m · 74% uptime
Daredevil Falls
8m avg
peak 15m · 32% uptime
Mystery Mine
7m avg
peak 10m · -- uptime
Whistle Punk Chaser®
7m avg
peak 10m · -- uptime
Wild Eagle
7m avg
peak 10m · 30% uptime
Big Bear Mountain
5m avg
peak 10m · 46% uptime
Tennessee Tornado
5m avg
peak 5m · -- uptime
NightFlight Expedition
Closed all day
The Waltzing Swinger
0m avg
peak 0m · -- uptime
1 ride was closed all day
NightFlight Expedition
Weather that day: 🌦️ Drizzle, high 86°F, low 71°F, rain for 18h.
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Days like this are why people swear by going off-peak. Ride Ready spots them in advance, then turns the forecast into real-time recommendations the moment you walk through the gate.
