The Mountain Monster in the signature attraction at the Mountain Mile in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
This complex opened in 2019 and it may just be home to the most intense attractions in the area.
The Mountain Monster is a three-in-one tower combining 3 extreme Soaring Eagle rides in one.
You have the Monster Fall, a drop tower. You have the Monster Launch, a launched saddle sling.
And you have the Monster Dive, which feels like an evolution of the Skycoaster.
In this video, I will touch on the complex as a whole,
but I will mostly be reviewing the Monster Dive because of its uniqueness.
For a while, the Monster Dive was referred to as the Mountain Monster,
which was confusing since the complex also refers to the tower as a whole as the Mountain Monster.
As of this recording, the Monster Dive is only the second launched swing like it in the world.
The first is the famous TerrorDactyl at Cave of the Winds in Colorado. That one has one of
the most iconic settings of any thrill rides as it is placed on the edge of a 200 foot cliff. I
unfortunately have not ridden that version, but I hope to one day.
Originally the Mountain Monster was supposed to open in 2018 with the Tower
Shops shopping complex following in 2019. However, neither attraction opened until 2019.
Unlike most Pigeon Forge attractions that are located directly on the parkway,
the Mountain Monster sits parallel to it just off Teaster Lane. But you cannot miss
the ride’s hulking presence from the main road. This 200 foot or 61 meter tall tower
is among the tallest rides in the tourist town. I visited the complex once in 2020 after a visit
to Dollywood. Typically, the Mountain Monster is open later than Dollywood, staying open until 10
or 11 pm most nights. Just confirm they are open if this is a priority for you. Originally I tried
to ride this attraction in November 2019, but it had closed for the season. I believe it ran
through the winter in 2020 though from reviews I saw online, so it may operate year-round now.
If you want to experience any of the attractions on the Mountain Monster,
it will cost you. You have an option to pay-per-ride or get an unlimited wristband for the
drop tower and saddle sling. But for the Monster Dive, you can only pay-per-ride and it also costs
more than the other two attractions. And I think that’s due to its inherently lower capacity.
The ride only seats 2 riders and the entire experience takes 7-8 minutes.
On the weeknight I visited, the complex wasn’t too busy, but it was still a 15 minute wait with just
two groups ahead of me. So I’m not sure how long the line could get on a busy weekend.
The lengthy ride time is because the experience includes 3 different ride systems.
I believe it cost me $30 to experience the Mountain Monster. That was about on par with the
cost to experience most skycoasters and I think this was a much better value for reasons since
it included so many different “rides”. What do I mean by that?
Since the Monster Dive starts atop the 20 story tower, you first need to get up there. While the
Mountain Monster includes its own separate drop tower on the outside of the tower, there is also
a second drop tower on the inside. This one has the same seatbelt only restraints you can
find on the other Soaring Eagle drop towers; the carriage is just smaller- only seating 2 riders.
So you ride this drop tower to the top platform. The ascent is slow and the ride
plays the most stereotypical of elevator music on your way up, which caused me to chuckle.
Once at the top, you are unlocked and told to transfer to the Monster Dive carriage.
It’s sort of surreal to leave a ride vehicle like that mid-ride. It felt like an evacuation. You may
have to wait on the platform for the prior party to complete their ride and if that’s the case,
it will only build anticipation as you see them blast towards the ground.
When you transfer to the Monster Dive vehicle, you will notice the restraints
are quite a bit different than the drop tower. You have these shoulder straps. The straps will
fit quite tightly over your shoulders, but I had clearance with the rest of my body.
I had a few inches of room between my chest and the straps. And then I probably had a foot of
room between my lap and the straps, which was really freaky considering what this ride does.
If you look forwards, you get a great view of the Island which is right in front of you.
If you ride during the day, you get an amazing view of the Smoky Mountains.
At night, the view isn’t quite as good since you can’t quite see the mountains.
Instead you see all the lights of the strip. Once the platform rolls away,
your ride carriage slowly rotates 90 degrees so you’re staring directly at the ground.
The effect is similar to the Intamin drop towers like Falcon’s Fury at Busch Gardens Tampa
or Ikaros at Grona Lund, except the straps on the Monster Dive are far looser than the hard
over-the-shoulder restraint on the other rides.
So you sort of fall forwards a bit with all your weight supported by those thin straps. I could see
that sensation being a deal-breaker for a lot of people, but it just added to the thrill for me.
Once you rotate the full 90 degrees, you immediately drop towards the ground.
And the drop felt similar to a skycoaster with one key difference.
It feels like you drop faster on this one. I think the added weight of the ride carriage
causes the initial descent to have more of a kick to it. It sort of feels like you’re launched into
the drop. It left my stomach atop the tower and it was a true freefall sensation for a few moments.
The strap restraints are also a lot freakier than the full body harness you typically have.
About halfway down, you begin the graceful arch over fountains down below.
On a windy day, it’s possible you will start spinning at this point, which is another
thing that can also happen on a skycoaster. When this ride was announced, I figured you
would unload at the bottom of the ride, but you are actually winched back up atop the 20 story
platform where you boarded, which gives you one last chance to admire the view, especially if you
were too terrified to take it in the first time. You are then unbuckled and transfer back to
the drop tower carriage you rode atop the tower. You then have two options to get down.
First, you can request a slow descent. This was the less popular option,
but I did see one party take advantage of it since they were still shaken up by the Monster Dive.
The option I went with was the drop tower. With no warning, you will drop like a rock. And I know the
Monster Dive is the focal point of the experience, but this is among the most forceful drop towers
out there. The drop is absolutely gut-wrenching. And you’re secured by just a seatbelt. One other
thing that’s a bit different with this drop tower is the sightlines. Since you’re on the inside of
the tower, you drop among a blur of scaffolding. In some ways, I think that accentuated the
speed of the freefall since you couldn’t focus on a stationary point of reference.
So what would I rate the Monster Dive? Yes it was pricey, but I would give this thrill ride
a 10 out of 10. This cost about as much as your average upcharge attraction
like a Skycoaster or a Slingshot, but the fact you get two amazing thrill rides for the price of one
makes it worthwhile. The launch itself feels like a more intense skycoaster and
the drop tower you ride back to the ground is a borderline top 10 drop tower on its own.
As I mentioned in the review, I think the experience is better during the day, but I
definitely understand if you want a full day at Dollywood before visiting the Mountain Monster.
While I didn’t ride the Monster Drop or Monster Launch, I have ridden similar rides elsewhere.
I have a separate review on Soaring Eagle drop towers in general, specifically the Skyfall in
Myrtle Beach, but they ride similarly to the drop tower component of the Monster Dive.
I also have a review of the Super Sling ride, specifically the version at Bigfoot Fun Park in
Branson, Missouri. These rides are similarly freaky for their minimalistic restraints
and they ride like an upgraded version of the slingshot style attractions you see worldwide.
These ones have more pep in their launch and it’s easier to induce flipping since
you aren’t surrounded by a metal cage. So those are my thoughts on the Mountain Monster,
one of the best and newest thrill rides in Pigeon Forge.
Have you ridden this attraction? Or have you ridden a similar ride elsewhere? I would love
to hear your thoughts on this ride down in the comments. If you enjoyed this review, I’d
appreciate it if you gave this video a like and you considered subscribing since there will be a
lot more roller coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!