Wait times through the day
Sunday, 14 June 2026
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Best time to ride
When the queue is usually shortest
For the shortest wait, ride on a Monday.
Typical day
Average wait by hour · last 28 days
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Busiest days of the week
Average wait by weekday · recent weeks
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Recent trend
Average wait, last 0 days
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Compared to the park
30-day average wait vs other rides
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Wait mix
Share of the day at each wait level
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Weather & crowds
How conditions move the queues at this park
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Reliability
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Busiest days
Highest wait in the last 14 days
Downtime History
14 Jun 2026
About Lightning Rod
About Lightning Rod
Lightning Rod at Dollywood is a launched wooden coaster opened in 2016, the world's fastest wooden coaster at 73 mph at the time. The layout includes a magnetic launch up the lift hill (rather than a traditional chain) and a steep first drop into multiple airtime hills. Top speed 73 mph, ride duration about 90 seconds.
Lightning Rod has had reliability issues over the years with frequent closures for maintenance - check the live ride status before heading over. When it is running, queues can hit 60-90 minutes. Located in the Jukebox Junction 1950s-themed area.
Lightning Rod has averaged about 18 minutes of wait over recent weeks, and is typically busiest around 15:00 and quietest around 23:00. Over the last two weeks it has been open around 85% of the park's operating hours. It's typically quietest on Mondays and busiest on Saturdays.