Gatlinburg has three mountain coasters, and two of the pages in this directory are one of them twice: the 306 Parkway venue opened in 2014 as the Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster and was renamed Moonshine Mountain Coaster under new ownership around 2021–22. The films here are sorted by era, and both rankings on this page include the venue once — under whichever name the filmmakers knew it by.

Watch: first looks

3 videos · summaries from the actual guides

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

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

Coaster #4 | Ripley's Mountain Coaster in Gatlinburg | Full POV & Review!

Adventure Is Out There

Adventure Is Out There's full POV and review of the coaster, fourth in their Smokies coaster series and filmed in October 2026: height and weight requirements, the seat and speed controls, free parking out front, and where it lands in their rankings.

Key takeaways
  • Full POV plus review format (Oct 2026)
  • Height and weight requirements on camera
  • Free parking in front of the building

The rename, filmed both ways

Moonshine-era: a day-and-night ride ($17 rides, $8 re-rides, free lot as filmed) and the series #3 slot. Original-era: the 2018 ranking that called it the fastest-started of the Smokies set, and a March 2021 WBIR news film of a rider-ejection injury — part of the venue's documented record under its original name, carried on the Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster page and named here for completeness.

Ripley's, three eras

The third venue, Ripley's Mountain Coaster at 386 Parkway, is filmed running as Rowdy Bear in 2019, on its final day before a refurbishment closure in February 2026, and running again in October 2026 — a rare full arc of a coaster's life.

Watch: more views

3 videos · summaries from the actual guides

MOONSHINE MOUNTAIN COASTER Gatlinburg Tennessee NEW OWNERSHIP & RENOVATIONS

Smoky Mountain Family

Smoky Mountain Family returns after a bad pre-renovation visit drove them to walk out: new ownership, renovations, and a second chance for the coaster that was 'formerly Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster' - one of the first in the area.

Key takeaways
  • New ownership fixed what made them walk out
  • Renovations under the Moonshine name
  • One of the first coasters in the area

Coaster #5 | Moonshine Mountain Coaster in Gatlinburg | Full POV & Review!

Adventure Is Out There

Adventure Is Out There's full POV and review, fifth in their best-coaster-in-the-Smokies series: the requirements, the moonshine-runner theming at 306 Parkway, the ride itself, and where it ranks among the coasters they have ridden. Their description gives the lineage plainly: 'Moonshine Mountain Coaster, formerly known as the Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster.'

Key takeaways
  • Fifth of a twelve-coaster Smokies series
  • 306 Parkway - free-standing building on the Strip
  • Moonshine theming throughout the station

Ripley's Mountain Coaster POV - Fastest Mountain Coaster I've Ever Been On! (Gatlinburg, TN)

Amusement Source

Amusement Source's 2019 POV, filmed when this venue still operated as Rowdy Bear Mountain Coaster - the same hillside ride Ripley's later took over - at speeds up to 35 mph.

The verdicts

Design The Future's Smokies ranking (speed limits, track length, scenery — a former ride operator's eye) and the family series frame the choice. Pigeon Forge's five coasters are a different town's field; their guide is in the Pigeon Forge directory.

Sources: the 7 videos on this page, filmed on Gatlinburg's mountain coasters.

Watch: the full set

1 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.

More Gatlinburg essentials

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

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