If you'd been here on a day like this, you'd have cleared the park before lunch.
Sep 8, 2026 hit a 1/10, one of the quietest days we've recorded at Dollywood this season. Crowds dipped to a 1 out of ten for 4 straight hours between 11 AM and 3 PM.
PLANNING A TRIP?
Pick your dates on the crowd calendar
and we'll show you how this day compares to your window.
1
/10 Quiet
AVG WAIT12m
PEAK90m
RIDES OPEN13/13
WEATHER84° Clear
Tap to enlarge
The day, hour by hour.
11 AM to 8 PM · crowd level 1–10
1
11 AM
1
12 PM
1
1 PM
1
2 PM
2
3 PM
1
4 PM
6
5 PM
5
6 PM
5
7 PM
4
8 PM
11 AM to 10 AM
Rope-drop the headliner anyway
NightFlight Expedition 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. FireChaser Express + Tennessee Tornado walked on.
11 AM to 3 PM
Knock out the rest of your list
The quietest stretch of the day starts around 11 AM. NightFlight Expedition fell to its low for the day.
8 PM to 8 PM
Last lap and re-rides
A small closing-hour bump is normal. Re-ride NightFlight Expedition now with a fresh queue.
Every ride, by average wait.
16 rides · avg wait shown
NightFlight Expedition
37m avg
peak 90m · 27% uptime
Smoky Mountain River Rampage
26m avg
peak 60m · 34% uptime
FireChaser Express
12m avg
peak 25m · 56% uptime
Tennessee Tornado
10m avg
peak 10m · -- uptime
Dragonflier
9m avg
peak 25m · 42% uptime
Blazing Fury
9m avg
peak 15m · 37% uptime
Whistle Punk Chaser®
9m avg
peak 10m · -- uptime
Thunderhead
7m avg
peak 10m · -- uptime
Lightning Rod
6m avg
peak 15m · 54% uptime
Mystery Mine
6m avg
peak 15m · -- uptime
Big Bear Mountain
6m avg
peak 10m · 58% uptime
Barnstormer
5m avg
peak 5m · -- uptime
Wild Eagle
5m avg
peak 5m · 18% uptime
Daredevil Falls
0m avg
peak 0m · -- uptime
Drop Line
0m avg
peak 0m · -- uptime
The Waltzing Swinger
0m avg
peak 0m · -- uptime
Weather that day: ☀️ Clear, high 84°F, low 65°F, rain for 2h.
SHARE THIS REPORT
Settle the group-chat debate.
Every daily report has its own link with a preview image, ready for
iMessage, the group chat, or Reddit.
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.
