Lightning Rod (roller coaster)

Lightning Rod
Lightning Rod main entrance
Dollywood
Location	Dollywood
Park section	Jukebox Junction
Coordinates	35°48′21″N 83°31′44″W / 35.8058°N 83.5289°W / 35.8058; -83.5289
Status	Operating
Opening date	June 13, 2016 (2016-06-13)
Cost	$22 million
General statistics
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Rocky Mountain Construction
Designer	Alan Schilke
Model	Topper Track
Track layout	Terrain
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Drop	165 ft (50 m)
Length	3,800 ft (1,200 m)
Speed	73 mph (117 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	3:12[1]
Max vertical angle	73°
G-force	3.5[2]
Height restriction	48 in (122 cm)
Trains	2 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.
Single rider line available
Lightning Rod at RCDB

Lightning Rod is a steel roller coaster located at Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC), the ride is themed to hot rod cars from the 1950s and opened to the public on June 13, 2016. Initially marketed as the first launched wooden roller coaster of its kind, Lightning Rod was later modified for the 2021 season, with over half of its wooden Topper Track getting replaced with RMC's steel I-Box track. Prior to the conversion to steel, Lightning Rod was considered the fastest wooden coaster in the world reaching a maximum speed of 73 mph (117 km/h).

Dollywood originally planned for the ride to open at the beginning of the 2016 season, but it was delayed due to a problem with its magnetic launch system. Lightning Rod operated in limited capacity for much of its inaugural season and has been plagued with issues over the years that led to frequent closures. For the 2024 season, the trains were replaced, and the launch system was removed in favor of a high-speed chain lift to improve reliability.