When it opens this spring, the Pigeon Forge Racing Coaster will be the eleventh (and twelve) alpine coasters in the Smoky Mountain region. What makes this one unique and worth visiting is it will have two tracks where you’ll be able to race your friends.
When I heard there was another alpine coaster coming, I was pretty skeptical but after seeing the layout on YouTube, I think this one looks pretty cool and offers a unique enough experience to stand out from the other ten other alpine coasters in the area.
After turning left out of the station, you’ll head up the first lift. A right hand helix is followed by a left turn helix. The tracks then cross a bridge over the lift hills. The second lift is the slightly taller of the two. There’s another left-hand helix before hitting the finale of the ride: a massive 80 foot tall downward spiral tower.
This ride is 100% a racing coaster – there are no dueling elements (where the tracks are side-by-side and the vehicles move in opposite directions). It will be interesting to see if anything special is done to try to time up the cars on each side for the best races. Other racing coasters have been able to adjust the speed of the lift hills to try to sync up the best race. I doubt that will happen here. I assume it will be left up to the riders since they are able to slow down manually with the hand brakes.
From the rendering this appears to NOT be a mobius coaster; each track is separate and can operate on its own. This make sense for the business; if one lift motor goes down, for example, the other track could still operate instead of taking the entire ride down. If the station is configured with the loading in the center and exits on the outsides, it’s possible to you would only need one crew to run both sides. By cutting down on the number of staff needed you reduce the chance of one side being closed due to not enough staff.
Construction on the Pigeon Forge Racing Coaster is already well underway and you can see the latest status on their Facebook page. Like most of the other alpine coasters in the region, Wiegand is the manufacturer.
Pigeon Forge Racing Coaster Location
The Pigeon Forge Racing Coaster is located at the last traffic light in Pigeon Forge (where that weird dome and ziplines used to be). The placement of the helix tower is genius as every tourist driving south to Gatlinburg will see it.
Pigeon Forge Racing Coaster Update – March 2025
Here’s a quick look at the current construction status of the Pigeon Forge Racing Coaster as of March 22, 2025. The opening for the double alpine coaster is still slated for “spring 2025.” The 80 foot tall spiral finale tower is rising! The station still needs to be completed. This ride is going to be quite the site when it’s all said and done.
The official website for the project has an image of how the cars will be themed (but not much other information yet, such as stats or pricing). When all the information is released and we get a chance to ride the Pigeon Forge Racing Coaster, we’ll have to add it to our Comprehensive Guide to the Alpine Coasters of the Smoky Mountains.
Learn about even more things to do in the Smoky Mountain region (affiliate link).
What do you think about yet another alpine coaster coming to Pigeon Forge? Let us know in the comments below!
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