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.
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.”
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
Me too! I literally just rode it as my first RMC last weekend. It was awesome, but not as intense as I expected. It will probably be more intense in summer.
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.
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.
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. ruclips.net/video/fbYIFkExmkg/видео.html
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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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 💯
@@CanobieCoaster Yea it sucks, thankfully I only live two hours away now and I have a gold pass so it's not a massive deal compared to traveling from God knows where and finding it broken
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.
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 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 😅
In line they dont care, but if they see you pull out a camera or phone as your train approaches the launch they will abort the launch, come collect your phone or camera, and ban you from the ride for the remainder of the day. And yes, they absolutely remember your face and outfit. Also let it be known that relaunches are not always immediately successful, and may cause you to be evacuated instead of being sent around, wasting all that time spent in line. People have already injured from dropped phones or items ripped from rider's pockets due to the forces on the ride. TBH, nobody cares about your shitty, shaky, POV. Especially not the person who get's hit by your phone at close to 70mph. The operators have seen one bloody face to many to care even a little about your desire to record a crappy video. On top of that, the terrain is very difficult to navigate on foot, so what you lose is most likely destroyed and gone forever. Just dont bring your junk on the ride, it's really quite easy.
@@ItsDannyRobbins Yeah people who try to record on-ride piss me off. For any ride. Often they see nothing wrong even after someone explains to them how dangerous a flying metal object at 70 mph is. I just don’t get people like that. Any kind of loose article really, just leave it on the platform. I’ve never had anything stolen from a platform loose article bin
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
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.
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.
@@CanobieCoaster I finally rode it. Imo Iron Gwazi is still a bit better, as the drop is a lot better and and also I just feel it is stronger throughout the whole layout. However, the off axis hill and quad down were top tier.
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
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.
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.)
Don’t expect something to be the best. You can expect it to be great, but if you expect it to be the best, there’s a slim chance that your expectations will be met.
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 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!
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
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.
Try for an odd numbered row and it's not all that bumpy. There is one pullout that can be shaky in even numbered rows (since those rows are above the wheels).
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.
I got to ride it for the first time last week. It felt a little sad hearing those engines revving up after dispatch only to go up the lifthill with a chainlift. I also noticed these giant speaker boxes right before the lifthill starts that I imagine used to play the sound of the car flooring it.
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 once injured my foot from doing intense cardio, but I dragged myself around Hersheypark and lapped Skyrush. This would happen again 3 years later, but I was not going to miss Phantom's Revenge.
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?
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! 😅
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.
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 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:
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
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.
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.
@@CanobieCoaster I mean, for me it's debatably the best in the park. It's still a good ride, I just didn't find it elite, and thought, as an RMC, Twisted Timbers did better for what I wanted.
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
@@CanobieCoaster fair, some of it might been my expectations, it can be hard for a coaster to live up to expectations when there high. I had a little bit of that problem when I rode steel vengeance but not to the same extent as Lighting Rod. I just ended up enjoying arieforce and even twisted cyclone more which shocked me
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...
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.
I don’t see how this is better than the voyage, Steve, iron gwazi, velocicoaster, and all the other elite coasters. Sure, it has some great off-axis floater and some rapid fire ejector, but it seems a bit lacking in most other departments and there is hardly any sustained ejector. It also only has one moment of good laterals, being the twist and shout, but other than that, it’s mostly negatives. I get it has great pacing, but the pacing seems about on par with most other RMC’s, and the quad down, while incredible, seems to be leagues ahead of the rest of the ride. I haven’t ridden it yet, so this is just speculation, maybe if I get down there and experience it for myself I will see what makes it so good, but for now, it looks pretty overrated.
I’ve ridden IG, SteVe, and Lrod, in addition to velocicoaster and the voyage, and while it does top voyage and velocicoaster, IG and SteVe both top it. It’s an amazing ride, but it is a bit overrated.
Different factors are more important to different people. He likes the setting a lot, and that trumps other coasters that may have more sustained ejector airtime.
@@CoasterBoyAdventures fair, but I can think of coasters with much better settings, but true, none of them are quite like lightning rod. While Boulder dash and the beast have better settings, the beast is a bit boring and Boulder dash is more floater than ejector (still my #1). So I can see how it’s someone’s #1, I just don’t really agree.
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
Certainly feels it!
Great point.
That's incorrect. The coaster is moving at 68mph at the bottom of the quad.
Hits It After The Step-down
The fact that Canobie forced himself to wobble to lightning rod proves he is a GOAT 😂
Lightning Rod was open. I couldn't resist.
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.
Since it happened to multiple rides at Dollywood, wouldn't be surprised if it was related to them falling.
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.”
It really is the full package.
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
Glad it reopened!
Yes! The top 2 most anticipated review from you! Can’t wait for a Twisted Timbers review
That one should come out by summer.
@@CanobieCoaster Are you going to visit the VA parks this year? It would be cool to see your thoughts on Pantheon and Jungle X-Pedition
Me too! I literally just rode it as my first RMC last weekend. It was awesome, but not as intense as I expected. It will probably be more intense in summer.
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.
Glad you got on it! The ride seems to be more reliable with one train, but it kills capacity.
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.
It's exceptional.
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.
I do the same thing when it's open.
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. ruclips.net/video/fbYIFkExmkg/видео.html
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.
It's perfect for me.
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.
The setting and terrain use is incredible.
6:30 I like the determination you had just to get on Lightning Rod.
I'm willing to deal with a lot to ride coasters.
Speechless at the end, especially at night! 😱 my second favorite coaster!
Nice!
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!
It rode like it did in 2019 for me this year.
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!
It flies no matter the weather.
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.
It's a satisfying length to me.
Best coaster out there for me too! It's running especially well this year from my rides on preview day
I agree it was running well!
It’s a shame that L-Rod’s technical issues will likely prevent another park from ordering another RMC with a launch.
True.
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 💯
It's everything I want in a ride. Plus you have that setting.
Lightning Rod is a masterpiece.
Agreed!
Super excited to hopefully ride this coaster next year on my bd!
Hope it's open!
Great video. L-rod is my second favorite coaster. It cam really close to dethroning voyage.
Both rides are elite.
I only got one ride before it broke all day but I LOVED this ride it's absolutely amazing
Unfortunately downtime goes with this ride like peanut butter and jelly.
@@CanobieCoaster Yea it sucks, thankfully I only live two hours away now and I have a gold pass so it's not a massive deal compared to traveling from God knows where and finding it broken
That's no Canobie Corkscrew, my man!! huh?!?! CANOBIE THE BEAST'S NUMERO UNO !! MY MAN. Keep em' coming, brotha!! Wooooo
There will be more.
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.
So many people have needed multiple attempts.
I've never ridden lightning rod, but I bet it is a worthy top 5.
It's incredible.
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.
It's rare to see at the other parks.
Idk why but I was anticipating an 11/10 rating since it’s your favorite lol
I didn't want to get carried away.
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 haven't had issues taking photos or videos of Lightning Rod through the years. The staff of this ride has always been super friendly.
@@CanobieCoaster That’s good to hear. I must just have incredibly bad luck 😂
In line they dont care, but if they see you pull out a camera or phone as your train approaches the launch they will abort the launch, come collect your phone or camera, and ban you from the ride for the remainder of the day. And yes, they absolutely remember your face and outfit. Also let it be known that relaunches are not always immediately successful, and may cause you to be evacuated instead of being sent around, wasting all that time spent in line. People have already injured from dropped phones or items ripped from rider's pockets due to the forces on the ride. TBH, nobody cares about your shitty, shaky, POV. Especially not the person who get's hit by your phone at close to 70mph. The operators have seen one bloody face to many to care even a little about your desire to record a crappy video.
On top of that, the terrain is very difficult to navigate on foot, so what you lose is most likely destroyed and gone forever. Just dont bring your junk on the ride, it's really quite easy.
@@ItsDannyRobbins Yeah people who try to record on-ride piss me off. For any ride. Often they see nothing wrong even after someone explains to them how dangerous a flying metal object at 70 mph is. I just don’t get people like that. Any kind of loose article really, just leave it on the platform. I’ve never had anything stolen from a platform loose article bin
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 wish I rode it at full speed.
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.
It's exceptional.
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.
Even at its current speed, the ride is incredible.
Iron Gwazi is my number one, and yes, I have ridden both SteVe and LRod. All very incredible rides, with all placing in my top ten out of 437 credits.
@@CanobieCoaster I finally rode it. Imo Iron Gwazi is still a bit better, as the drop is a lot better and and also I just feel it is stronger throughout the whole layout. However, the off axis hill and quad down were top tier.
I recently went to dolly wood anticipating to ride LightningRode. I was so hyped! UNFORTUNATELY IT WAA CLOSED AND I LEFT THE NEXT DAY.
I heard it has been down the past week unfortunately.
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
Maybe getting injured is a good luck charm lol
Gonna be riding this next week hopefully.
Hopefully!
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.
It may happen again, but I doubt it'll be from RMC.
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.)
Don’t expect something to be the best. You can expect it to be great, but if you expect it to be the best, there’s a slim chance that your expectations will be met.
It checks all the boxes for me.
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.
At least it is operating way more reliably this year. And with higher throughput.
That’s the important part. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the new version.
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.
I wish there was a way, but I doubt it will happen.
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.
Best of luck!
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!
Steel Vengeance is closer to this ride than Maverick for me.
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 slightly prefer the front and back, but the middle rows are still elite.
“The scale of this wave turn dwarfs all other wave turns out there” Orion, hold my beer
That's a big one too, forgot about it.
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.
Try for an odd numbered row and it's not all that bumpy. There is one pullout that can be shaky in even numbered rows (since those rows are above the wheels).
@@CanobieCoaster Good to know, thanks!
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.
Lucky!
Eating mcdonalds and just left dollywood and rode it twice and i can confirm that this is the best Ride in the world
Nice!
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
Lucky!
I got to ride it for the first time last week. It felt a little sad hearing those engines revving up after dispatch only to go up the lifthill with a chainlift. I also noticed these giant speaker boxes right before the lifthill starts that I imagine used to play the sound of the car flooring it.
Yes that is what they were for.
It’s my favorite too!
Nice!
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
Hopefully!
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 think I305 and Vengeance may be more intense, but Lightning Rod's pacing and setting make it special for me.
IT IS A GREAT RIDE!!!
Amazing!
I once injured my foot from doing intense cardio, but I dragged myself around Hersheypark and lapped Skyrush. This would happen again 3 years later, but I was not going to miss Phantom's Revenge.
I don't blame you.
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?
Maybe that would help too.
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! 😅
Hope you get on it!
@@CanobieCoasterI rode it 3 times. All in the back. It was sensational!
Does lightning Rod have a longer track length than Coaster Express at Parque Warner Madrid?
No
Does lightning Rod have a longer track length than Coaster Express at Parque Warner Madrid? What do you think?
No
Do all RMC coasters have shin guards, including the ones with the gerstlauer trains and the ones with their own trains?
The Raptors do not.
That lifthill looks sped up , but i know it isn't ..... that's a freakin fast lift!
It's a launched lift.
@@CanobieCoaster Yes .. it's the first and only in the world right..
@@Dubsicle not the only, there are a few others. Hulk at IoA and Maverick at CP are two I can think of immediately.
I’m surprised they didn’t make it longer
It already cost $25 million, so I'm not too surprised.
Was lightning Rod at dollywood longer than outlaw run at silver dollar city?
Yes
The coaster did you like the least in the world was Vortex at carowinds?
No
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.
I hold the handles to keep the restraint up after it's checked. The amount of downtime is frustrating for sure.
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
It will still be an epic ride.
Lightning rod is my number 1 bucket list coaster. My current number 1 is phantom
Both rides are elite.
The coaster did you like the least in the world was Loup Garou at Walibi Belgium?
No
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 :(
It's definitely a buzzkill seeing it closed.
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.
Nice!
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
B
And between the two, which one does have a longer track length? What do you think?
Coaster Express sadly
I’ve heard claims that the launch was slowed down because it was running faster than the 45 mph advertised
I've heard it was going faster than its posted speed too.
OMG I WAS THERE ON SUNDAY!!!! I had to leave though before it opened... I never got on thunderhead or Lrod😖
I was surprised Lightning Rod opened before Thunderhead.
What speed does lightning Rod reach?
Was limit at heide Park your least favorite coaster in the world?
Officially, 73 mph and Limit is bad.
What was the coaster manufacturer did you like the most?
What was the coaster manufacturer did you like the least?
Worst is probably RCCA. Best is probably RMC or Intamin.
Is it more reliable than before?
I think so.
The top speed. Your favorite coaster reaches a top speed of...
Please refer to RCDB for the stats of Lighning Rod and Coaster Express.
I will have to say that orion's wave turn is probably bigger than lightning rods
That's true that one is bigger. I was only thinking RMCs.
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
Glad you got on it!
its an awsome ride to bad my back row ride the seat belt was all wedged werid so any time i got air time it felt like some one stabed my leg
front row ride was pretty good tho
Is it not painful?
It's smooth.
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:
I have full videos out answering most of those.
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?
No to both.
It is the best coaster in the world for you.
It is for me.
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
C
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?
Lightning Rod is the best. Coaster Express is the worst.
It’s my most favorite too
Nice!
The quad down DOES looks like a quint down; I only believe it's a quad down because people like you (who have ridden it) say so
I think the park calls it a quad down officially.
The most painful coaster for you in the world was Stunt Fall at Parque Warner Madrid?
No
Ouch
Lightning Rod was worth it.
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
C
It was down and then opened when I came to the coaster since I came later in the day lucky I guess?
At least it opened!
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.
I heard a rumor it went beyond 73 mph in its opening year. If that's the case, then it may still hit 73 mph.
The trains on both coasters, the best you've ridden uses trains comprised of...
each car seats...
for a total of...
Please refer to RCDB for the stats of Lighning Rod and Coaster Express.
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.
That's a bummer you didn't love it. It did everything I wanted.
@@CanobieCoaster I mean, for me it's debatably the best in the park. It's still a good ride, I just didn't find it elite, and thought, as an RMC, Twisted Timbers did better for what I wanted.
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
I value unique locations and pacing, so this ride is right up my alley when you throw in all the airtime.
@@CanobieCoaster fair, some of it might been my expectations, it can be hard for a coaster to live up to expectations when there high. I had a little bit of that problem when I rode steel vengeance but not to the same extent as Lighting Rod. I just ended up enjoying arieforce and even twisted cyclone more which shocked me
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...
Voyage at night comes close, but I prefer the elements on this ride.
Awesome history of this attraction! It does have some downtime, but hopefully they have figured out all those kinks over the past few years.
Hopefully!
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.
My guess is the wood supports caused sway. I don't think I'll get on lift hill Lightning Rod this year, but I will in the future.
@@CanobieCoaster They could have put metal supports on the lift hill, but I digress.
Lol Lightning Rod was indeed the first RMC to be RMCd.
Sure was.
I don’t see how this is better than the voyage, Steve, iron gwazi, velocicoaster, and all the other elite coasters. Sure, it has some great off-axis floater and some rapid fire ejector, but it seems a bit lacking in most other departments and there is hardly any sustained ejector. It also only has one moment of good laterals, being the twist and shout, but other than that, it’s mostly negatives. I get it has great pacing, but the pacing seems about on par with most other RMC’s, and the quad down, while incredible, seems to be leagues ahead of the rest of the ride. I haven’t ridden it yet, so this is just speculation, maybe if I get down there and experience it for myself I will see what makes it so good, but for now, it looks pretty overrated.
The sustained speed and setting are two big advantages for me.
I’ve ridden IG, SteVe, and Lrod, in addition to velocicoaster and the voyage, and while it does top voyage and velocicoaster, IG and SteVe both top it. It’s an amazing ride, but it is a bit overrated.
Different factors are more important to different people. He likes the setting a lot, and that trumps other coasters that may have more sustained ejector airtime.
@@CoasterBoyAdventures fair, but I can think of coasters with much better settings, but true, none of them are quite like lightning rod. While Boulder dash and the beast have better settings, the beast is a bit boring and Boulder dash is more floater than ejector (still my #1). So I can see how it’s someone’s #1, I just don’t really agree.