NightFlight Expedition
Steel Water Coaster at Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Opened 2026.
- Height
- n/a
- Drop
- n/a
- Top speed
- 29 mph
- Length
- 1,255 ft
- Inversions
- 0
- Ride time
- 5 min 30 s
- Designer
- Mack Rides
NightFlight Expedition is an indoor roller coaster and whitewater ride in the Wildwood Grove area of Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Dollywood, Herschend Creative Studios and the manufacturer Mack Rides developed it, and it opened to the public on August 19, 2026, after passholder previews; it had been planned for the spring but was held back by an engineering delay. Its cost was reported as more than $50 million.
The ride is housed in a 44,000-square-foot, climate-controlled building. Ten-passenger amphibious boats on Mack's rocking boat system travel 1,255 feet of track at up to 29 mph, and the highest point of the track is nearly three stories up. The journey has four scenes: soaring over the Smoky Mountains, climbing a mountainside, plunging into whitewater rapids and crossing a lake of bioluminescent water. The whole experience, including loading and unloading, takes about five and a half minutes.
Riders must be at least 39 inches tall.
Sources
- dollywood.com/themepark/rides/nightflight-expedition (Park page: indoor adventure coaster in Wildwood Grove; 44,000-square-foot weather-independent building; track length 1,255 ft; maximum speed 29 mph; ride duration 5.5 minutes including loading and unloading; nearly 3 stories high at the highest track elevation; 10 passengers per car; 39-inch minimum height; four scenes (soaring over the Smokies, climbing a mountainside, plunging into whitewater rapids, navigating a mysterious lake).)
- rcdb.com/24445.htm (RCDB: operating since August 19, 2026; Mack Rides, Rocking Boat model line; steel family water coaster, indoor; length 1,255 ft, speed 29 mph, 0 inversions, duration 5:30; single cars of 10 riders.)
- wlos.com/news/local/dollywood-roller-coaster-nightfight-expe... (WLOS, August 14, 2026: built by Dollywood, Herschend Creative Studios and manufacturer Mack Rides; passholder previews August 15-18 and public opening August 19; originally due in spring, delayed by an engineering delay; reported cost $60 million; includes a media room and a whitewater rapids section.)
- amusementtoday.com/2025/11/dollywood-and-mack-rides-unveil-n... (Amusement Today, November 19, 2025: Dollywood and Mack Rides unveiled the custom amphibious ride vehicle; more than $50 million investment; 5 1/2-minute experience; opening in 2026.)
Numbers are from the ride's manufacturer and park where published; "n/a" means we have not confirmed that number yet. Spotted an error? Tell us.