Dollywood ride reliability
34 tracked rides at Dollywood ran 89% of opening hours across the last 56 operating days, which is good. The least reliable is NightFlight Expedition at 41.2%, down on 55 of 56 days.
Reliability verdict
Across the last 56 operating days, 34 tracked rides ran 89% of opening hours. The one to plan around is NightFlight Expedition, at 41.2%.
Every Dollywood ride ranked by uptime
Uptime by ride
34 rides · 56 days · worst first
- 1NightFlight Expedition41.2%
- 2Dollywood Express Train Depot78.4%
- 3Daredevil Falls87.4%
- 4Mystery Mine ®87.6%
- 5Black Bear Trail89.9%
- 6Drop Line®90.4%
- 7Treetop Tower90.5%
- 8Wild Eagle ®90.8%
- 9Blazing Fury91.3%
- 10Big Bear Mountain91.7%
- 11FireChaser Express ®91.8%
- 12Lightning Rod ®91.9%
- 13Dragonflier92.1%
- 14Rockin' Roadway92.4%
- 15Whistle Punk Chaser®92.8%
- 16Tennessee Tornado92.8%
- 17Thunderhead ®93%
- 18Great Tree Swing93.1%
- 19Barnstormer93.2%
- 20Smoky Mountain River Rampage93.6%
- 21Lumberjack Lifts94%
- 22Sky Rider94.3%
- 23The Mad Mockingbird95.3%
- 24The Scrambler95.4%
- 25Demolition Derby95.7%
- 26Shooting Star96.1%
- 27The Waltzing Swinger96.2%
- 28The Amazing Flying Elephants96.4%
- 29Piggy Parade97.1%
- 30Busy Bees97.4%
- 31Lucky Ducky97.4%
- 32Lemon Twist97.5%
- 33Village Carousel97.9%
- 34Firehouse Fun Yard99.5%
When Dollywood rides break down
Closures by the hour they start
1,115 breakdowns · late starts excluded
Breakdowns cluster at 4pm, with 182 of the 1,095 closures that started before the park's final hour beginning then - so the ride you most want is safest earlier in the day, not saved for last. A further 381 rides simply were not running at opening, which is a late start rather than a fault and is counted separately. The other 20 closures start in the 9pm hour, when the park is shutting - those are rides finishing their day, not failing, so they are left out here.
Dollywood downtime day by day
Share of ride hours lost
11 Aug to 9 Oct
The worst day in this window was 15 Aug, when 35.8% of the park's ride hours were lost and 34 of 35 rides went down at some point.
Uptime is the share of the park's own operating minutes a ride was running, recorded every few minutes and averaged over 56 days. A closure counts as one breakdown when it lasts ten minutes or more; shorter stops still count towards time lost, because a two-minute reset is not a fault. Touching closure windows are merged into one closure - a ride shut all day arrives from the feed as that day sliced into the sampling interval, and counting each slice would report one bad day as a hundred breakdowns.
Frequently asked
Which rides break down most at Dollywood?
NightFlight Expedition (41.2%), Dollywood Express Train Depot (78.4%), Daredevil Falls (87.4%) have the lowest uptime at Dollywood across the last 56 recorded operating days. The full ranking of all 34 tracked rides is above.
How reliable is Dollywood overall?
Dollywood averages 89% uptime across 34 tracked rides, which is good. 12 excellent, 20 good, 1 patchy, 1 poor.
Which ride at Dollywood is the most reliable?
Firehouse Fun Yard, at 99.5% uptime over 56 recorded days, losing only 3h 11m in total.
What time of day do rides break down at Dollywood?
4pm is the commonest hour for a closure to start, with 182 of the 1,095 closures that started before the park's final hour beginning then. Rides that are not running at opening are counted separately as late starts, not as faults.
Which rides are closed at Dollywood today?
This page is the longer-term pattern rather than the live picture. For what is shut right now, open the Dollywood live page - every ride shows whether it is open or closed, with the reason where the park provides one.
How is uptime measured?
Each ride's open or closed status is recorded every few minutes through the park's own operating hours. Uptime is the share of those minutes the ride was running. A closure counts as one breakdown when it lasts ten minutes or more; shorter stops still count towards time lost, because a two-minute reset is not a fault.
Does weather affect Dollywood reliability?
Yes. Water rides close in heavy rain, and exposed coasters close in lightning, high winds or very cold temperatures. These figures reflect actual operations including weather closures, which is why uptime varies through the year.

