This page is the original era of the coaster at 306 Parkway: opened in 2014 as the Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster, renamed Moonshine Mountain Coaster under new ownership around 2021–22. The venue's current-name films live on the Moonshine page in this directory; this page keeps the original-era record — a 2015 full-speed POV, the area-wide coaster rankings in which the venue appears under both names across the years, and one piece of harder record, stated plainly below. Two pages for one coaster is deliberate: merging them would misdate a decade of film.

Watch: first looks

3 videos · summaries from the actual guides

Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster on-ride HD POV @60fps Moonshine Mountain Coaster

CoasterForce

CoasterForce's 2015 full-speed POV of the ride under its original name: a 2,500-foot Wiegand alpine coaster - the shortest of the area's coasters, they note, and still well worth riding. The downhill run starts at 3:24.

Gatlinburg mountain coaster rider injured after flying out of car; incident under review

WBIR Channel 10

WBIR's March 2021 news report: a rider was ejected from a car at the Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster, suffering head, wrist and ankle injuries, with the incident under state review - part of this venue's documented record under its original name.

Ranking Every Mountain Coaster in the Smoky Mountains

Smokies Plus

Smokies Plus ranks every mountain coaster in the Smokies worst-to-first as of May 2025, ridden with no brakes and scored on speed, smoothness, views, theming and thrill - this venue included under its current Moonshine Mountain Coaster name.

Key takeaways
  • Every Smokies coaster ranked worst to first (May 2025)
  • All ridden with no brakes
  • Scored on speed, smoothness, views, theming and thrill

The original ride

CoasterForce's 2015 POV is the era's document: a 2,500-foot Wiegand alpine coaster — the shortest of the area's coasters, they noted, and still well worth riding — with the downhill run starting at 3:24. The rankings films (every Smokies coaster worst-to-first in May 2025, ridden brakeless and scored on speed, smoothness, views, theming and thrill; a one-day 2023 marathon of every coaster in both towns; a local couple's 2026 ranking) track how the venue's standing moved across its renaming.

The 2021 incident, on the record

One film here is a WBIR news report from March 2021: a rider was ejected from a car at the Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster, suffering head, wrist and ankle injuries, with the incident under state review at the time. It is part of this venue's documented record under its original name, and it is included as record — not as commentary on the current operation, which is a different ownership and a renovated ride, covered on the Moonshine page.

How to use these two pages

Planning a ride today? Start with the Moonshine Mountain Coaster page, where the current-name films and the ownership-renovation story live. This page is the archive: what the coaster was, and how the area's rankers scored it across both names.

Sources: the 6 videos on this page, filmed at 306 Parkway, Gatlinburg, between 2015 and 2026.

Watch: the full set

3 videos · summaries from the actual guides

I rode EVERY Mountain Coaster in Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge!

Smoakin’ Thrills

A one-day marathon of every mountain coaster in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge (2023): this venue appears under its Moonshine Mountain Coaster name, with candid notes on per-ride pricing as the list is worked.

Key takeaways
  • Every area coaster in a single day (2023)
  • Pricing quirks called out ride by ride
  • Ripley's two-ride-only ticket criticized on camera

We Rode EVERY Mountain Coaster in Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg (Here's Our Honest Ranking)

Brandi Lynn- Smoky Mountain Livin'

Brandi Lynn and Jared ride every coaster in both towns in 2026 and rank them on price, ride length, comfort, thrill and value - this venue, as Moonshine, included, with a local's verdict on which coasters suit which riders.

Key takeaways
  • Ranked on price, length, comfort, thrill and value (2026)
  • A local couple's picks by rider type
  • Every coaster in both towns ridden

BEST MOUNTAIN COASTERS IN PIGEON FORGE & GATLINBURG

Theme Park Motivation

Theme Park Motivation ranks nine area coasters in 2023 with footage of each - this venue rides in the list under its current Moonshine Mountain Coaster name.

Key takeaways
  • Nine coasters ranked with footage (2023)
  • Ober's coaster excluded - not ridden
  • POVs of each on the same channel

More Gatlinburg essentials

Start from the Gatlinburg hub for the full directory, or keep exploring:

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