Thunderhead

Thunderhead is an attraction in Tennessee, at a modelled elevation of 317 m. Balsam Point stands 1,774 m to the south-southeast, 10 miles off. The nearest named place is Lumberjack Lift, a attraction 0.1 miles away. Newfound Gap Road Byway passes 6.2 miles off.
The story
Thunderhead is a wooden roller coaster located at Dollywood amusement park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Manufactured by Great Coasters International, the ride opened on April 3, 2004, as the anchor attraction of a new section added to the park that season called Thunderhead Gap. Thunderhead features 22 turns and 32 crossovers, and utilizes GCI's Millennium Flyer trains, which have been used on all GCI coasters since 1999.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q1559667, matched on coordinates and name (21 m apart).
What to expect
- Step-free access
- Yes
How to reach it
- 6.2 mi off the Newfound Gap Road Byway, National
- 21.7 mi off the East Tennessee Crossing, National
- 23.5 mi off the Blue Ridge Parkway, National
- 24.9 mi off the Nantahala Byway
Overlooks nearby
- Carlos Campbell Overlook · 9 mi
- Ben Morton Overlook · 14 mi
- Newfound Gap Overlook · 14 mi
- Deep Creek Valley Overlook · 15 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Lumberjack Lift: 0.1 mi
- Barnstormer Ride: 0.2 mi
- Wild Eagle: 0.2 mi
- Tennessee Tornado: 0.3 mi
- Rocky Top Mountain Coaster: 0.8 mi
- Davids Knob: 1.2 mi
- Painters Knob: 1.7 mi
- Seaton Top: 2.4 mi
- Shields Mountain: 2.4 mi
- Sugar Camp Knob: 2.7 mi
- Patriot Park: 1.3 mi
- Wear Farm City Park: 3.1 mi
- Sevierville City Park: 4.5 mi
- Paine Memorial Park: 5.4 mi
- Mills Park: 6.3 mi
- Thousand Drips: 6.5 mi
- Cataract Falls: 7.4 mi
- Baskins Creek Falls: 7.5 mi
- Laurel Falls: 8.9 mi
- Grotto Falls: 9.7 mi
- Chasing Rainbows Museum: 0.2 mi
- Alcatraz East Crime Museum: 2.2 mi
- Cooter's Place: 2.5 mi
- Tennessee Museum of Aviation: 4.4 mi
- Tree Art Chainsaw Carving: 4.8 mi
- Patriot Park Liberty Bell: 1.2 mi
- Patriot Park Patriot Missile: 1.3 mi
- 10th Mountain Division Ski Troops Memorial: 6.6 mi
- Dolly Parton childhood home: 8.1 mi
- Sugarlands Stone Cabin: 9.7 mi
- The Shinbone: 4.0 mi
- East End: 6.9 mi
- Sheepwalk Bluff: 10.3 mi
- Eight Acre Bluff: 10.7 mi
- Hanging Rock: 10.9 mi
- Greenbrier Picnic Area: 10.2 mi
- Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area: 10.4 mi
- Greenbrier Picnic Pavilion: 10.4 mi
- Chimneys Picnic Area: 11.3 mi
- Tremont Picnic Area: 13.9 mi
- Vista Gardens: 6.2 mi
- Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum: 23.4 mi
- Van Lester Estate: 23.8 mi
- Adaptive and Enabling Garden: 24.9 mi
- Kitchen Garden: 24.9 mi
- Fish: 1.5 mi
- Veterans Statue: 5.3 mi
- Dolly Parton: 5.3 mi
- Bear: 5.8 mi
- Alex Haley Statue: 24.1 mi
- Greenbrier: 9.3 mi
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park: 11.3 mi
- Grayson Subaru Nature Preserve: 21.5 mi
- William Hastie Natural Area: 21.5 mi
- Marie Myers Park: 21.7 mi
- Strong rock spring: 18.3 mi
- Burnett Spring: 22.0 mi
- Brakeshoe Spring: 22.1 mi
- Mouse Creek Spring: 23.8 mi
- Love's Creek Spring: 24.0 mi
- Jefferson County I-40 East Rest Area: 18.9 mi
- Tennessee Welcome Center - Cocke County: 21.0 mi
- I-81 Jefferson County West: 22.7 mi
- Emerts Cove Covered Bridge: 7.3 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 10.6 miles of Thunderhead. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balsam Point | SSE 161° | 1,773.94 m | 10.4 mi |
| Brushy Mountain | SE 145° | 1,498.69 m | 10.0 mi |
| Lookout Rock | SE 144° | 1,354.1 m | 9.3 mi |
| Round Top | SSE 146° | 1,314.3 m | 8.7 mi |
| Bull Head | SSE 165° | 1,310.94 m | 9.6 mi |
| Mount Winnesoka | SE 146° | 1,305.86 m | 9.0 mi |
| Phils View | SSW 203° | 1,185.75 m | 7.6 mi |
| Chinquapin Knob | SSW 208° | 1,144 m | 9.2 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:39 | 19:12 | 19:46 |
| June solstice | 06:19 | 20:16 | 20:54 |
| September equinox | 07:23 | 18:59 | 19:33 |
| December solstice | 07:41 | 16:45 | 17:25 |
Local time (America/New_York).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 37 | 40 | 47 | 55 | 63 | 70 | 73 | 72 | 67 | 56 | 46 | 40 |
| Precip in | 4.8 | 4.3 | 5.6 | 4.9 | 5.5 | 6.0 | 6.3 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.2 | 4.0 | 4.9 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Gatlinburg 2 SW, 8 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapOpenStreetMap element node/9233786844
Take the scenic way to Thunderhead.
Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.