Dollywood will feature a new thrill ride as part of its largest ever park expansion. When visitors return to Wildwood Grove in the spring of 2023, there will be an exciting new roller coaster called Big Bear Mountain opening too. The coaster will be the longest at Dolly Parton’s Pigeon Forge, Tennessee theme park, circling the entire new area.
Big Bear Mountain will be a two-minute right on 3,990 feet of track, according to the Dollywood announcement. The ride runs along the Wildwood Grove border, just behind Hidden Hollow and the Dragonflier. The ride will reach a top speed of 48 mph as guests go on a search for Big Bear. There are three separate launch times, multiple airtime hills, high-speed carousel turns, and tunnels. One of the signature aspects of the ride will be a tunnel taking riders behind a waterfall.
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This will also be Dollywood‘s first ride with onboard audio. The sound system completes the experience for riders as they come perilously close to Big Bear. However, the ride won’t be too scary for little ones. The minimum height requirement is 39 inches.
“The Smokies are all about adventure and going exploring,” Parton said in a statement. “I’m excited our guests will be able to head out on their own trip into the Smokies to see if they can find that Big Bear! Whether he’s out there or not, I’m sure they’ll find a lot of memories along the way that they’ll keep forever.”
Wildwood Grove has a detailed backstory, with a legendary Black Bear that is rumored to be roaming the area. No one has ever seen him, but there are signs he is somewhere in the grove. The area’s resident botanist and wilderness explorer, Ned Oakley, will lead the search for Big Bear.
Big Bear Mountain is scheduled to open in the spring of 2023, and fans can already pre-register for a 2023 Dollywood season pass until Sept. 30 at the Dollywood website. Those registering during that period are guaranteed the lowest price of passes and get access to an exclusive Big Bear Mountain ride event. Pre-registrants can start buying 2023 season passes on Oct. 17.
Wildwood Grove is the youngest area in Dollywood. It is home to the family coaster Dragonflier, a swinging boat ride called The Great Tree Swing and an indoor play area called Hidden Hollow. The area cost $37 million to build and is part of a $300 million expansion program, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported in 2019. It increased the size of Dollywood by 20%.
“As a result of that, especially with the introduction of DreamMore Resort, we’ve been blessed with incredible growth and visitation from our guests. And as a result of that, just to kind of keep up with the high standard of guest service that we have, we came to the realization that we really need to expand the park,” Dollywood Company President Craig Ross told the Knoxville News Sentinel in 2019. “And so about four years ago… Wildwood Grove has been four years in the making… As a result, we decided to expand the park to build out the guest experience, and here we are at Wildwood Grove today.”
