Lightning Rod Review & History, Dollywood RMC Launch Coaster | My Favorite Roller Coaster 

Also just have to mention: it does quite literally get faster as it goes. Lightning Rod hits its top speed twice during the ride: once at the bottom of the first drop, and again right after the quad down. Just shows how this ride uses the terrain to perfection

I'm guessing the safety purpose of cutting down the trees was to prevent them from falling on the track and causing an accident or expensive damage to the track.

The fact that Canobie forced himself to wobble to lightning rod proves he is a GOAT 😂

Rode this today. Absolutely took my top coaster spot. I’ll never forget the experience with my 13 and 11 year old. We talked about how good it was for hours after riding. Launch, drop, everything. Official rating: “I bought the picture at the end out of 10.”

Thanks for sharing. I was finally able to ride this last week and it did NOT disappoint. I am happy to say that even on a 40-degree day, the ride finally opened at lunchtime and they ran two trains all day. The wait time was never more than 15 minutes. Really pleased with the operations and the back-row experience in the cold weather was a ton of fun. I can't imagine a night ride in the middle of the summer!

Took my youngest daughter to Dollywood for our first time there. LR was down for most of the day which gave us a chance to ride the other coasters. LR finally opened with about 2 hours left. We waited about an hour and were able to pick back row. It was an awesome experience. The ride doesn’t stop until the end. I would love to marathon this ride

It’s a shame that L-Rod’s technical issues will likely prevent another park from ordering another RMC with a launch.

Still my favorite coaster as well, such an incredible ride. Yes it's a pain to ride, as I've experienced it's unfortunate down time, but when it's open I'm lapping this thing.

Yes! The top 2 most anticipated review from you! Can’t wait for a Twisted Timbers review

I didn't make this our first ride of the day, so we waited a full hour just to ride it sense they were only running one train. Thankfully it was worth wvery minute as this was easily one of the best roller coasters I've been on, if not the best, because of all the reasons you mentioned. Even the back of my shirt kept flying out grom behind because of how extreme the airtime was near the end. I am definitely thankful that this ride didn't break down while we were in line, and I am definitely making this the first ride of the day from now on, if it's open, at least.

Another review of an elite coaster. Ever since opening day, Lightning Rod, if you could get on, was one of the best RMCs. By far the best coaster in Dollywood and for many, the single best wooden coaster. It's good it's smoother with its retrack but the fact that it needed one, the fact it got so fast that it was literally tearing its self apart and needed a retrack shows you Lrods power. I'd go here just for that quad down.

Lightning Rod is a masterpiece.

6:30 I like the determination you had just to get on Lightning Rod.

Speechless at the end, especially at night! 😱 my second favorite coaster!

The perfect name to describe an unpredictable phenomenon! The 'ULTIMATE Terrain Coaster!!!' I felt your "pain" with your ankle. I have arthritis in both knees, so yeah! If there are hills & valleys, I gotta get my mental & physical self in order. I know you felt very well "compensated" after the end of the ride.

Thanks for reviewing this. I'm so excited to go to Dollywood and I really really hope that Lightning Rod is open. This ride seems to have some of the best airtime, pacing, and scenery of any coaster, From watching the POV, the only possible flaw I see with it is that it's not the longest ride, but I suspect that it will be so relentless that I will be satisfied even with the shorter length of the ride.

Dollywood just shared that Lightning Rod will be closing on October 30, 2023. When the ride reopens in 2024, the launch will be replaced by a high-speed chain lift. While it stings to lose the ride's unique uphill launch, this should improve the ride's uptime and throughput. I have an entire video on this change posted. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fbYIFkExmkg.html

6 out of 11 days, it's been open for me, and it has been quite consistent at staying open during those days. I'm so happy to hear that it's back to full strength. I thought it would be. They were desperate to get it open for Smoky Mountain Christmas last year, so they did what they needed to just have it open, which I appreciated. I look forward to getting back on a full-strength Lightning Rod this November. That setting is unmatched!

If this is the best ride ever than whenever I go to Tennessee I’m going to prioritize Dollywood amusement park to ride the Lightning Rod.

I agree with everything you said in this great review. While Iron Gwazi swiped my number 1 spot from this glorious ride on Tuesday, I’ll always love it. Just like you said, the speed and sequencing on this coaster is just 💯

Best coaster out there for me too! It's running especially well this year from my rides on preview day

Never thought I'd see an RMC coaster get ... well the RMC retrack conversion, but hey stuff happens. Unfortunately, the constant downtime of LR likely means we'll never see another launched wooden coaster ..... UNLESS the launches are fixed.

In my opinion (from someone who never rode it), launched Lightning Rod had the greatest layout of any rollercoaster. The way it started with a launch but kept building up speed until the unbelievable quad-down has not yet been replicated on any ride. Alan Schilke created a masterpiece, there is no denying that. Unfortunately, the coaster has been getting progressively worse, to the point that the once-amazing layout has been turned into a family coaster. The coaster crawls around the layout, and the drop (which was profiled to account for extreme speed going in) looks like that of a log flume. Part of me fears that I’ll never ride a coaster that comes close to this once-masterpiece.

I've never ridden lightning rod, but I bet it is a worthy top 5.

LR is still my favorite coaster as well. Took us two trips to ride in 2016 and it was worth it (visited in April and it hadn't opened yet). Plus, Christmas in the Smokies. LR in the moonlight.

That's no Canobie Corkscrew, my man!! huh?!?! CANOBIE THE BEAST'S NUMERO UNO !! MY MAN. Keep em' coming, brotha!! Wooooo

Great video. L-rod is my second favorite coaster. It cam really close to dethroning voyage.

Super excited to hopefully ride this coaster next year on my bd!

Pulling down your own restraint on RMC trains seems to be a Harshad-wide policy, Outlaw Run, StormChaser, Lightning Run, and Lighting Rod all have you pull the bar down yourself.

Lightning rod is at my home park and I have ridden this over 100 times and it’s definitely my favorite coaster I did prefer it when it had the topper track and when the launch threw you over the hill but still a number one coaster

I recently went to dolly wood anticipating to ride LightningRode. I was so hyped! UNFORTUNATELY IT WAA CLOSED AND I LEFT THE NEXT DAY.

Got to ride it for the first time this weekend. After the previous week spent riding Orion and others at Kings Island. This quickly became my favorite coaster ever. I agree that it is one of the best out there. Hoping they copy this format on some coasters in the future.

Gonna be riding this next week hopefully.

I only got one ride before it broke all day but I LOVED this ride it's absolutely amazing

It’s my favorite too!

IT IS A GREAT RIDE!!!

Idk why but I was anticipating an 11/10 rating since it’s your favorite lol

Wow your first time riding story is similar to my first on Ice Breaker and Iron Gwazi! I tried (poorly) to conceal my freshly broken foot from a wrestling match

I'm probably going to visit this park in the summer of next year. I really hope I don't get screwed over by this thing.

You're absolutely right, Mike! Lightning Rod truly is... LITERALLY... THE BEST! COASTER!! EVER!!!! (Disclaimer: I haven't ridden this coaster. I expect and believe it to be.)

7:35 that’s a good thing if you’re into a specific row, as long as you don’t use single rider line or if you’re in the line right after the park closes,I know you said there’s no bad row but still

I hope there is a way for the park to speed up the launch again to how it was in its opening year now that it has been converted into a steel coaster so it can hopefully be more reliable.

Maverick is the only coaster I love more than Lightning Rod, but Lightning Rod is quite the close second! I even love Lightning Rod more than Steel Vengeance, even though SteVe is also incredible!

Lightning Rod is my favorite coaster as well! So happy I'm going to school in Knoxville and can experience it all the time! The downtime is still unfortunate, but it's not near as bad as it used to be. What annoys me the most now is how several of the ride operators now rudely tell people in the station and queue, and even sometimes down on the path in Jukebox Junction that you cannot record video or take pictures of the ride. So caution to all: be careful, you might get yelled at if an operator sees you with your phone out recording or taking pictures off-ride. One of the stupidest things I've ever experienced at a park. I submitted a complaint to the park and we'll see what happens. It's really cool that it appears in this video that you got a clip of a swing launch; I almost got a clip of the swing launch in back December, before getting rudely yelled at that I couldn't be recording anything. But anyways, that stupid issue aside, this ride is freaking incredible! As crazy as it is during the day, if you get a chance to ride at night, take it. Lightning Rod night rides are a truly life-changing experience in my opinion. For a coaster nerd anyways 😅 Edit: Just saw you gave credit on the swing launch to The Coaster Spot. So I guess you personally didn't get it, but he was lucky 😅

I managed to get right on this ride at the end of the day after being down for awhile. We got in line and it opened right then

OMG I WAS THERE ON SUNDAY!!!! I had to leave though before it opened... I never got on thunderhead or Lrod😖

I got to ride it right after it reopened last November, It literally opened when I arrived in pigeon forge 😎. I only rode it twice and wish I did a night ride.

Eating mcdonalds and just left dollywood and rode it twice and i can confirm that this is the best Ride in the world

I went to Dollywood in may 2017.. now bummed even more that I missed the original speed L-Rod. Maybe at some point I’ll get back there. The only RMC I have ridden is Iron Gwazi which is my #1 so I’d love to ride this and SteVe.

Lightning rod is my number 1 bucket list coaster. My current number 1 is phantom

“The scale of this wave turn dwarfs all other wave turns out there” Orion, hold my beer

I’m heading to Dollywood for the first time this July! I hope this beauty is open, and I wonder how it’ll stack up in my rankings

It is the best coaster in the world for you.

i road it 13 times yesterday for the first time and my god... its my favorite too. it beats Vengance and Velocicoaster for me now.

I’m (hopefully) going to ride it this weekend with my mother. Even if it’s broken down and we don’t get a chance to ride it, we can still at least eat some Dollywood cinnamon bread! 😅

Dollywood is at the top of my bucket list, but I have to admit that if LR was down during my visit it would sour the mood really quick :(

That lifthill looks sped up , but i know it isn't ..... that's a freakin fast lift!

I’m so desperate to ride this monster rollercoaster. It sounds like it’s the most intense and thrilling roller coaster ever to be made. Is it the number 1 most intense rollercoaster you’ve ever been on or it is all the elements combined to make this your favorite rollercoaster of all time. If rides like Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point or Intimidator 305 had the awesome themed area like Lightning Rod would those rollercoasters be better than Lightning Rod?

I’m surprised they didn’t make it longer

It’s my most favorite too

The top speed. Your favorite coaster reaches a top speed of...

Even if it looses its launch, I bet it will still be a good ride. Maybe it might go slightly faster considering the coaster slows down at the top

Ouch

The only reason Lightning Rod is my second favourite ride at the park was that it broke down twice during my 1-day visit and it really lost my hype. It also staples you during that launch.

Great review! Lightning Rod looks awesome, but how rough/bumpy is the ride itself? I have a bad back and can't take a lot of jolting & pounding without having severe back pain and needing a lot of chiropractor appointments afterward.

I will have to say that orion's wave turn is probably bigger than lightning rods

I know they added the misters, but I wonder if it would be worth it to add some shade over the launch track to cut down on direct sunlight to help control LSM temperatures?

My only ever rides on LR were lift hill, I still enjoyed it but it's not my number one like it is for you (that said, you haven't rated it post lift hill yet afaik). Great coaster though. I am just at a loss as to why a launch was so complicated and why it kept breaking down, and I feel they would have been a lot better off, after they had already made the lift steel, to get an lsm/lim expert in and keep the launch by simply fixing it - properly. Something is definitely lost in the speed, I can even tell from your video here to what I felt on the ride. Maybe it's my imagination, but I really don't think it is. I rode it in back, front and middle, spent most of the day on it and did every other ride one time except Tennesse Tornado which I did twice, thunderhead was as boring as I remember and the coaster polls having it in the top 5 worldwide is just ludicrous, I mean who votes on those ridiculous thing? I actually think it's now a well rounded park and I enjoyed all the coasters bar thunderhead, I even enjoyed Mystery Mine, just that LR was better than all of them hence devoting my time to it. It doesn't make my top 10 but I am certain it's in my top 50, still not sure where though exactly.

Awesome history of this attraction! It does have some downtime, but hopefully they have figured out all those kinks over the past few years.

Does lightning Rod have a longer track length than Coaster Express at Parque Warner Madrid? What do you think?

Does lightning Rod have a longer track length than Coaster Express at Parque Warner Madrid?

And between the two, which one does have a longer track length? What do you think?

I’ve heard claims that the launch was slowed down because it was running faster than the 45 mph advertised

The trains on both coasters, the best you've ridden uses trains comprised of... each car seats... for a total of...

Do all RMC coasters have shin guards, including the ones with the gerstlauer trains and the ones with their own trains?

The coaster did you like the least in the world was Vortex at carowinds?

The coaster did you like the least in the world was Loup Garou at Walibi Belgium?

Was lightning Rod at dollywood longer than outlaw run at silver dollar city?

I would still take Voyage over Lightning Rod and I rode both at night as well. went to Dollywood for 2020/2021 Smokey Moutain Coasterfest (because Lightning Rod was down). I'm not sure if I take Skyrush over this but it's in my top 3, and It's my favorite RMC by far. I just would liked to ride it with all the topper track. my favorite element waas the wave turn. I cheated the restrains to...

when i went it was open all day with a 0 min wait it only had a wait for like an hour but i only got to ride it twice

About the smoothness of the best coaster you've ridden in the world (your favorite)? What do you think? A) Glass smooth B) Mostly smooth C) Fairly smooth

What speed does lightning Rod reach? Was limit at heide Park your least favorite coaster in the world?

Was Ride to Happiness at Plopsaland de Panne the best coaster you've ridden in the world? The coaster did you like the least in the world was Olandese Volante at Rainbow Magicland?

In terms of smoothness or roughness, of the two most notable coasters you've ridden in the world between the best (your favorite) and the worst (your least favorite), what do you think? A) Both the best and the worst were smooth B) The worst was smooth and the best was rough C) The best was smooth and the worst was rough D) Both the best and the worst had rough and bumpy spots but the best was very tolerable

It was down and then opened when I came to the coaster since I came later in the day lucky I guess?

What was the coaster manufacturer did you like the most? What was the coaster manufacturer did you like the least?

What was in the world for you: the roughest coaster: the most painful coaster: the most overrated coaster: the most underrated coaster: the smoothest coaster: the least favorite coaster: the worst coaster: the favorite coaster: the best coaster: the most intense coaster: the best drop in a coaster: the best airtime in a coaster: the best pacing in a coaster: the most uncomfortable coaster:

Is it more reliable than before?

Is it not painful?

I rode it back in 2019 and honestly I think it's overrated. Although I only got middle and back row rides earlier and in the middle of the day. I just didn't find the airtime that strong until the last pop on the quad down. After that it was delivering thigh-crushing ejector airtime, on the last 2 pops, but before that every element felt like weak floater at most. Like, the launch was good, and the finale was good, but the entire middle of the ride was just a massive long dud for me. Maybe the wave turn was a bit cool.

And about the jackhammering of the worst coaster you've ridden in the world (your least favorite)? What do you think? A) A few jackhammering spots, especially the valleys, but smooth the rest B) Some jackhammering C) Non stop jackhammering

I have a hard time believing that LR still hits 73mph, it's really crawling over that first hill & first two over bank elements. It never used to do that when it first opened when the stats were initially released, it used to fly over that first hill & following elements.

The most painful coaster for you in the world was Stunt Fall at Parque Warner Madrid?

Lol Lightning Rod was indeed the first RMC to be RMCd.

This proves thoosies will do ANYTHING for there #1

Heights of feet tall. Of the two most notable coasters you've ever ridden in the world, the best has a height of...

What's the best of all roller coasters you've ever ridden in the world? What's the worst of all roller coasters you've ever ridden in the world?

Maybe my expectations were too high or maybe it was because i rode Arieforce the day before but i was a little underwhelm by lightning rod. The launch felt kinda pointless because of how it slowed down on the hill and elements pre quad down feel underwhelming compared to other rmcs

it is the opposite of Coaster Express

Is that a new #1 over Flying Dinosaur?