Thunderhead is a wooden roller coaster

Wooden roller coaster

A wooden roller coaster is most often classified as a roller coaster with laminated steel running rails overlaid upon a wooden track. Occasionally, the structure may be made out of a steel lattice or truss, but the ride remains classified as a wooden roller coaster due to the track design...

 located at Dollywood

Dollywood

Dollywood is a theme park owned by entertainer Dolly Parton and the Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation. It is located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Dollywood has 3,000 people on its payroll, making it the largest employer in that community....

 in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Pigeon Forge is a mountain resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee, located in the southeastern United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 5,875....

. The coaster, which was the anchor attraction of the new "Thunderhead Gap" section, opened on April 3, 2004, to much critical acclaim. Thunderhead boasts 22 turns and 32 crossovers http://database.thrillnetwork.com/ride_view.php/1647/thunderhead.html, and utilizes GCI's Millennium Flyer trains, used on all GCI coasters since 1999. Thunderhead is also the first roller coaster to feature a station flyby.

History

The ride was named after Thunderhead Mountain

Thunderhead Mountain

Thunderhead Mountain is a mountain in the west-central part of the Great Smoky Mountains, located in the Southeastern United States. Rising along the border between Tennessee and North Carolina, the mountain dominates the Western Smokies. The Appalachian Trail crosses its summit, making it a...

, a peak within the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain. The border between Tennessee and North...

 that was heavily logged during the early 19th century. The mountain itself was named "Thunderhead" after a slang term in the American South

Southern United States

The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...

 for Cumulonimbus cloud

Cumulonimbus cloud

Cumulonimbus is a towering vertical cloud that is very tall, dense, and involved in thunderstorms and other inclement weather. Cumulonimbus originates from Latin: Cumulus "Heap" and nimbus "rain". It is a result of atmospheric instability. These clouds can form alone, in clusters, or along a cold...

s.

Construction Data

• 700,000 board feet of Southern Yellow Pine
• 3600 yards of concrete
• 250,000 bolts
• 2,000,000 screws
• 185,000 feet of steel rebar

Rankings

Golden Ticket Awards: Top Wooden Roller Coasters
Year	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011
Ranking	6	1	1	2	2	5	5	5

Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Wooden-Tracked Roller Coaster
Year	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Ranking	5	2	7	3	11	11

NAPHA National Amusement Park Historical Association The National Amusement Park Historical Association was founded in 1978 by a former employee of Chicago's Riverview Amusement Park, and NAPHA has grown throughout a long period of time to include amusement parks from all over the world. NAPHA preserves amusement park history and historic rides. ... Survey: Favorite Wood Roller Coaster
Year	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Ranking	-	4	4	3	3	3

External links

• Dollywood's Official Page for Thunderhead