If you'd been here on a day like this, you'd have cleared the park before lunch.
Aug 21, 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 1 PM 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.
2
/10 Quiet
AVG WAIT17m
PEAK120m
RIDES OPEN10/10
WEATHER85° Clear
Tap to enlarge
The day, hour by hour.
9 AM to 7 PM · crowd level 1–10
5
9 AM
4
10 AM
1
11 AM
2
12 PM
1
1 PM
1
2 PM
2
3 PM
2
4 PM
3
5 PM
1
6 PM
4
7 PM
9 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 1 PM. FireChaser Express + Mystery Mine walked on.
1 PM to 3 PM
Knock out the rest of your list
The quietest stretch of the day starts around 1 PM. NightFlight Expedition fell to its low for the day.
8 PM to 7 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
80m avg
peak 120m · 46% uptime
FireChaser Express
10m avg
peak 25m · 58% uptime
Mystery Mine
9m avg
peak 20m · 47% uptime
Dragonflier
9m avg
peak 15m · 42% uptime
Lightning Rod
8m avg
peak 20m · 87% uptime
Smoky Mountain River Rampage
8m avg
peak 20m · 62% uptime
Big Bear Mountain
6m avg
peak 10m · -- uptime
The Waltzing Swinger
5m avg
peak 5m · -- uptime
Thunderhead
5m avg
peak 5m · -- uptime
Whistle Punk Chaser®
5m avg
peak 5m · -- uptime
Barnstormer
0m avg
peak 0m · -- uptime
Blazing Fury
Closed all day
Daredevil Falls
0m avg
peak 0m · -- uptime
Drop Line
0m avg
peak 0m · -- uptime
Tennessee Tornado
0m avg
peak 0m · -- uptime
Wild Eagle
0m avg
peak 0m · -- uptime
1 ride was closed all day
Blazing Fury
Weather that day: ☀️ Clear, high 85°F, low 70°F, rain for 11h.
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.
