This place was simple, classic, and a great break to the monotony of a cold winter day. Yes, our 3 20 somethings wanted to go ride the coaster! Some things never change. It was fun for them and very nostalgic however, it was slightly lackluster being from Orlando the home of roller coasters. But they all said they would do it again! You are given a choice between one and three rides. Hint make a reservation so you are sure to be able to ride! read more

Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster - Classic - Amusement Parks Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

Such a fun activity! So many waves, twists & turns, and loops. It was not as scary as I thought it would be- helps that you are able to control the speed; if it's reassuring, even kids have a great time here. Ambiance is awesome- lots of pretty scenery as you ride. Service is fast- we never had to wait long, but we did go on a Wednesday morning. We got the bundle, which is 3 rides per person- definitely suggest doing that (each ride passes by in no time). A registered check-in time is required to be guaranteed a time. The only negative is that for whatever reason my ride was not captured by their camera, so I didn't have any videos/photos of the experience to purchase. Lots of free parking available. 9/10 would recommend! read more

I visited Banner Elk specifically just to ride the alpine coaster and was not disappointed. I arrived right when they opened and had filled out the waiver prior to my arrival, so I only had to pay when I showed up. I didn't have to wait long at all to get on the track which was nice. The track was lots of fun with numerous twits and turns, and you don't have to brake at all if you like to go fast. My only complaint is that it's a relatively short track, so be sure to purchase the ticket for 3 rides. I'd definitely come back to ride again if I find myself back in the area. The staff was also very friendly and the coffee shop on the premises was also very good. read more

Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster - Amusement Parks Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

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What a fun thing to do in Banner Elk!! My boys loved it! We made a reservation for a Saturday July 5. To be expected it was busy but the line moved. Didn't wait more than a half hour. Did 3 runs which was fun. Our family always goes on alpine coasters when on vacation if they have them!! My son got going really fast one run. Definitely a must do when you are in the area. read more

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10/10 love this place and the coaster imported from Germany! Always busy so expect a little line sometimes, but it moves quickly. The coaster is so fun for all ages, and littles can ride with their parents as long as the total is under a certain weight limit. The photo package option doesn't always work which is a little disappointing, but does nothing to hamper the riding experience which is SUPER! The stone retaining walls and landscaping are all so gorgeous. Next we want to try the adventure ropes course! read more

Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster - Taking off! - Amusement Parks Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

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The Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster in Banner Elk, NC, is an absolute gem! It's the perfect mix of fun, adventure, and stunning mountain views. The ride lets you control your speed, so you can go full throttle for a thrilling rush or slow down to take in the gorgeous scenery. The track twists and turns through the forest, making it exciting from start to finish. The staff is super friendly, and the overall experience is well-organized. Overall the ride itself is pretty short so they offer an adult ticket single ride at $16 or a bundle ride ( 3 consecutive rides) for $35. They also offer a first responder discount . Also , there is a camera outfitted on your coaster cart that records you the entire duration of your ride . You can watch a preview of your video inside the gift shop and purchase the full video for $12 . Hang onto your ticket as you'll need to scan it for the video . Whether you're with family or friends, this coaster is a must-do in the Banner Elk area--definitely a highlight of the trip! read more

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Our family loves the Alpine Coaster. When people rode the brakes the whole way down, they allowed frustrated customers who were stuck behind them to get an extra ride or would slow down the intervals between riders. We will be back! read more

So much fun! This is a must do for adults and kids! Go on a warm day cause it can be cold and windy, but still ally of fun. read more

Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster - My grandson riding with my son. - Amusement Parks Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

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This Wilderness Alpine Coaster was such a fun experience on my recent trip to Boone. Located in Banner Elk, this spot is a nice attraction for adults and children alike. My suggestion would be to book ahead, as it seems pretty popular and they stop accepting walk ins if they are full. This coaster is located on a mountain, and you get to ride your own car and control the speed. You can go slow, but if you have a need for speed you can get up to 27 MPH. I am someone who is so scared of things like this, and I felt super safe and had the best time going down the coaster. They also have a little coffee shop and gift shop within this attraction. The entrance itself is pretty organized, as they only allow you to park when you check in if you have a ticket, or if there is space for walk ins. Overall, I would suggest this if you're in the area! read more

Well worth the $40 3x run adult bundle. (vs $18 for a single) Friendly staff and lots of fun. Also has a cute gift shop with cool T-shirts and hoodies, candy and other typical souvenirs. They have a coffee shop too. read more

The Alpine Coaster is so much fun! It's great for all ages. I love that you can control your speed. You'll definitely want to buy a bundle to ride three times because once isn't enough. I went with my family and have a younger child that needs to ride with someone. She wanted to ride with me and then with her dad. Since we needed to switch rides, we did have to get off and get back in line. If you aren't switching riders, and are doing multiple rides, you can stay on the coaster. The staff is extremely friendly. There are also nice views from up top looking back at the mountains. This will be on our list of places to go whenever we are in the area! read more

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I have never had such a fun experience before! Not only did I feel like I was flying I saw and I swear on my meemaw that I saw a fairy! This place also knocked my extensions off!!! Guess I'll have to get them replaced LOL! read more

Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster - Fairy - Amusement Parks Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

$46 and one hour time spent waiting for three people to go down a two minute ride. If that's worth it to you then go for it. The ride was thrilling, but not worth the time and money. And those times are correct. I saw when we pulled up and I saw when we left. Also, they are disorganized on the inside. There are four young ladies working behind the counter, however two were staring into space. One girl was ringing up a purchase. The fourth was trying to figure out who was next in line but there was no way to figure out how to get in line. No space for a line. After a few minutes, I did get her attention and she started selling me the tickets while the third girl started asking me if I had a reservation. So they're both talking to me at the same time which confused the hell out of me. Both very nice, but like I said, disorganized. read more

Amazing! So fun. Well worth the wait. Such a wonderful addition to Banner Elk. The views are amazing. Everything was well ran and all the folks working were super sweet and accommodating. I'm coming back. Just a tip. Make a reservation prior to arriving, and come at the actual time of the reservation. (Like within 5 mins.) Don't come too early and don't be late and be nice to the person in the parking lot checking you in. Trust me. Also buy the video they make of you afterwards, it's the best $12 you'll ever spend. Was awesome to be able to experience this with my entire family. My son and I rode together and he had an absolute blast! read more

Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster - Amusement Parks Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

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Pre-visit, staff was very knowledgeable about ride limitations for guest accommodation. On the day of the visit, staff assisted in getting a guest with a medical condition to the ride and did not make the guest feel as if their assistance was a burden. The ride is awesome. I would definitely recommend purchasing the 3 ride package. For our party, everyone felt timid on the first ride, then comfortable on the second ride, and then let themselves be daredevils on the third ride. Most of the carts have go pro like cameras and the picture package is reasonable. I plan to bring all my guests to experience this ride. The staff are all polite, helpful, reassuring, and just overall nice. read more

Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster - Good times! - Amusement Parks Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

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I came here yesterday, they turned my family away because we didn't make a reservation and refused for us park and make the reservation. Mind you, we had 3 separate cars so there were 3 families. I asked if the 3 families could come up and purchase tickets and she said no. So I returned to my cabin and came back the next day. At check in for one I wasn't even greeted, which you would think if 12 people are coming you would have great customer service. I was getting tickets for my family and the lady in the beige outfit was very rude and had an attitude, I recommend you have better customer service when people are coming in here and spending money. If there was another place I would spend my money elsewhere. read more

Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster - The lady who gave me an attitude at check in - Amusement Parks Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

Excellent, Excellent experience. Purchase tickets in advance on their website!!! This facility is organized so well!!! We had no issues purchasing our tickets online. We chose a date and time, then had to cancel. I was able to easily rebook to another date. They sell out over the weekend, I suggest purchasing in advance. On "busy" days they suggest arriving 10 minutes before your time slot or at exact time. I had no issue finding parking. Once you enter upstairs you get in line to pay. You can do a single ride or bundle of 3 rides. Highly recommend the bundle. They offer a military discount, thank you. After you pay you stand in line, which was short since they follow a time stamp ticket. So smart!!! (Other places we have been did not offer this and the wait was ridiculous) The ride!!!! So much fun, so smooth and an awesome experience. On the back of your ticket is a white sticker that can scan to order a video and images. $12! Well worth it to me. We had our video and over 100 images within minutes. Halloween decor was fun. I am hoping we can squeeze in a "night time" ride soon. Highly recommend. To the owners, your staff are polite, friendly and engaging. Stellar customer service. read more

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I had a friend that used to work there and they gave me permission to write about everything that went on in there. First off they are absolutely terrible, the management is horrid. They raise the prices for no reason even when they make no upgrades and continue to have non-cameras on the carts. They have an employee operated elevator and multiple people have gotten stuck in that outdated death trap. The emergency button does not work nor does the phone inside the elevator used for emergency. The manager Favian or fabain would talk about customers bodies and objectify them contently, especially if you were on the heavy side or a different race. He would call the female employees good girls and get upset if anyone made a complaint towards him. One of the owners, instead of talking to favain about his behaver, she instead threatened to fire everyone and start new if there were anymore complaints about Favain. They would constantly let children on the ride that did not meet the height requirement. They would let two year old ride if they were "being good" while being measured or if the parents were making a big fuss about it. The owners would knowingly sell expired candy they would get from discount stores and would get mad at the employees if they threw the candy away. The manager would put non working carts on the track and make the employees test them. There were a few times were he would put the non working carts on the track and let customers ride them. One cart bumped into the cart in front of them because the breaks did not work, causing minor injury. They would allow minors, despite age restriction, to rise alone as long as they "looked tall enough". The other manager Brittany would always let children ride despite age and height restrictions, she would just tell them to write her initials on the ticket and let them on. They have fired multiple employees for putting in their two weeks and worst of all they fired one disabled employee because one of the owners claimed it was "to much trouble to keep a disabled employee and operate the elevator everyday". There is so much more but all in all JUST DO NOT GO HERE! read more

Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster is an outdoor alpine roller coaster in the mountains near Banner Elk, North Carolina. To ride the coaster, reservation times are booked through the website. Arrive at your scheduled time because parking is limited (we arrived early and were told to come back). When purchasing you have the option of booking three rides or one. Seeing the line, I only booked a single ride. Next time I'd book three because they are continuous (no getting off and then getting back on). The cool thing about the coaster is you control the speed (to brake or not to brake, that is the question). My son (6 years old) and I ran through as fast as we felt comfortable and it was a very exhilarating experience. After the ride, check out the gift shop for cool Alpine Coaster drip. They also have a coffee shop. I would definitely do this again! read more

Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster - Coaster - Amusement Parks Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

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Every time we visit the area, we make sure to ride the coaster. It's great fun, and my nervous daughter appreciates being able to control her intensity level with the brakes on each cart. Overall, we enjoy our time there and will continue to return. read more

Fun place to alpine slide near Boone Nc. Went here Friday morning during App State's spring break. It was raining, so that brought down the potential rider competition even further. This made it a little too quick for us, since even with a group of 8 we were probably finished with 3 laps under 30 min. The staff put up some plexiglass to block the rain, so the ride was nice and dry. The speed is based on if you apply the brakes or not. You get some nice air if you let go and let God ;) make sure you leave some distance between you and the rider ahead. At the end you can buy the video or shop the cute boutique inside that sells local goods and has a a plaid vibe. read more

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This place refuses to refund if the weather gets bad. Our whole softball team and the families paid to ride waited almost 2 hours to ride and just as it was their turn it started to lightning. We live 6 hours away and they paid a lot of money for nothing! I do not recommend this place unless you have plenty of money to throw away. Total waste of time and money Unethical business. Do NOT Recommend read more

First time riding a coaster like this. It was super fun. Before boarding the coaster a staff will let you know what to expect. He talked pretty fast so I wasn't able to capture everything he said. These little coaster go really fast. You maneuver how fast you want to go. Definitely get the bundle as one ride will not be enough. Also, they have a gift shop where you can buy your photos and videos of your ride. I absolutely recommend and definitely will do it again. read more

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This was my first time on the Alpine coaster. It was so much fun. I rode with my daughter and went full speed most of the time it was very exciting and thrilling but wasn't too scary if you're scared of roller coasters. Staff are very friendly and helpful to show you the braking/ acceleration function before going on. One thing I noticed is that they seem to value safety. They've got cameras to monitor riders on the coaster and the flow of traffic coming back in at the end. Then you can also purchase the video of you riding down afterwards. read more

Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster - Amusement Parks Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

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Amazing ride! Tons of fun for our whole group. The workers were extremely friendly and made it even more fun!

I loved this place! The ride was amazing but definitely not worth 16$ a ticket for 1 ride that didn't last that long. Overall pretty nice but the prices are outrageous for that short of a ride. read more

Great ride and experience, but what's the point of having appointment times if you still have to wait behind walk-ins? A separate line for reservations would make the process smoothe read more

This is a must do! So much fun and the staff were so friendly! Love that you can purchase the video and pictures for an affordable price! ($12) read more

Wasn't able to get the website to work with making a reservation, so went to try and get in line. The blonde lady in the parking lot was yelling at people and so incredibly rude. She went up to one car and screamed at the driver until they left. This place seems like a mess. We definitely won't be back. Chaos, rude employees, and horrible parking seems like a combination for disaster. They are turning away a ton of business and it seems like a crazy business plan. read more

We've gone to the coaster every year on vacation and LOVE it, however, the new NAZI regime in place does not make it worth the hassle. I came 20 mins early to our check in time and they wouldn't sell me tickets yet. Fine, browsing the shop. Worker comes over and hassles me about moving my car. Explained to her that we had people in our group over on the ropes course and she said I had to move it there rather than just making a reasonable exception. What is wrong with these people? Not worth it for me. read more

This was something fun and different for us to do! You have a break so you're in control of your speed. This was a cool experience for a mountain trip. read more

My family was with the group of 30 that went yesterday. After over an hour of lightning delays we went in to see about a refund. We are over 6 hours away here for a state all star tournament and can't make it back. I sent an email beacuse we were told our tickets could not be refunded but used anytime. However after we left some of the others talked with the manager and got a refund. I sent a copy of my receipt and was wondering if there was a way to get a refund. I also left my phone number in the email for contact purposes. thanks in advance. We were really looking forward to enjoying the experience, however i completely understand the lightning delays. read more

It's a beautiful place, make sure you give your self about 45-1hour wait as some ppl go three times around so that can make the wait in line a little bit longer. The good think is they have a cute gift shop and coffee shop. Bring gloves it gets cold. They charge $20 if you loose something and they have to retrieve it for you and you have to wait till the end of the day. I don't think they have an elevator so if you have a problem with stairs forget it! I had a blast it's really fun. There was also an obstacle course that I saw but we weren't there for that so I can't say much about it. I definitely recommend this for kids and teens or a date! read more

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I heard about this coaster so I had to try it when I was traveling in the area! It was advertised to register and sign up for a time online which I did, however, it really didn't mean anything because people were walking in and we all still waited in the same line. My time was for 1:30pm, I showed up at 1:15pm, and didn't actually get on the coaster til almost 3pm. The line goes super slow mainly because most people buy the bundle which means they can stay on for 3 rides in a row. The coaster itself was super cool and went way faster than I thought it would which is definitely worth the experience and price. Glad I went but I think this is a one and done kind of experience. read more

I was happy to see this place was developed over the summer as it brings more to the area of Banner Elk/western NC. While it looked fun, to be honest, riding on this coaster wasn't on the top of my list of activities to try, especially during a worldwide pandemic. Lo and behold, I was convinced to go with a friend, and it turned out to be more fun than I imagined it would be. This was my first time riding an alpine coaster, so I didn't know what to expect. For those of you like me who didn't know this, alpine coasters are known for being different than others, in that the ride is formulated around the landscape of the area, usually down the side of a mountain or hill. When you ride, you are in a single- or double cart (i.e., 1 or 2 people at at time) and you go through the coaster yourself. There are brakes on the cart that you pull with both hands to slow yourself down the ride if you don't want to go full speed, which in this case is 27 mph, I believe. When I first saw the ride before actually getting on it, it looked sort of dinky and not fun. But once you're sitting in the cart, alone, being pulled up the track, you finally realize how freaky this is about to be! I am a scaredy cat, so I pulled my brakes the entire time. My two friends who went before and after me didn't brake once. The only reason I'm giving this 4 stars is the pricing. It costs a lot of money to ride a coaster lasting only a few minutes. My friends and I each paid for the single ride option (instead of the 3 ride package), simply because we couldn't afford otherwise (side note: I don't see how any family could afford this; my brother is a firefighter and father of 3... How is he expected to pay for his family of 5 to go on this, let alone more than one time?) However, next time, I definitely want to do the 3-ride package. For me, the ride was over just as I was getting the hang of it. I'm sure I would have gone the whole ride without braking on my 3rd try - just needed to work myself up to it. Lastly, the gift shop is really neat; they had a lot of cute t-shirts and stickers for the Appalachian Trail, Banner Elk, Boone areas. Overall, this was a really fun experience, and it is much needed in and around this area. I will be suggesting that others go check it out! read more

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I was really excited when this place opened back up after being closed due to COVID. Some friends and I were in the mountains for Thanksgiving and this was a must do. They are taking great steps to follow health guidelines...you reserve a time to arrive and buy tickets (wait in the car until then); every staffer was wearing a mask; riders must wear masks the entire time they're on the premises (can remove while on the ride); you can't go to the platform until called to prevent overcrowding; the floor is taped off into six foot sections. All that said, the employees were friendly and kept things moving at a good pace. It took just a few seconds to figure out the brakes and then it was down the first hill! I would have ridden more had there been more time. Dress warmly and have fun! read more

Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster - Amusement Parks Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

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I had read about the new Alpine Coaster in Banner Elk a few months ago and, having been to a similar coaster in VT, I was excited to try this one out. I went online and made a reservation per their site guideline. They state that you should only "reserve one seat per group" as it would "allow them to better control the crowds and provide proper social distancing." I entered in a time of 3pm on June 13th. My boyfriend and I arrived a few minutes early, parked in the overflow parking lot, and made our way across the street to the main building. Once we got there, there was a confusing jumble of people and we had no idea where we were supposed to go. We finally saw a sign to go inside to purchase our tickets. I checked us in, we bought our tickets, and then we went outside to WAIT. In hindsight we should have just asked for a refund and left. The line wrapped all along the outside deck in a confusing jumble. We had to ask others around us to make sure we were at the end of the line. There was no signage and people were DEFINITELY not social distancing - there was no way you could! We were packed in like sardines. My boyfriend and I were only a handful of people wearing masks. None of the staff were wearing masks either. We arrived just before 3pm and it was almost 5pm by the time we were finally seated on the coaster. The ride itself is only about 3 minutes long from start to finish. It was definitely not worth the time we spent waiting. My boyfriend did complain as we stepped off that he was displeased and they did let us go up again for a second ride. I get it was a Saturday and people are excited to go out as quarantine restrictions have been easing, but Wilderness Run definitely needs to improve how they handle their crowds. I wouldn't go back and I certainly won't recommend other people go either. It's not worth the money or the aggravation. read more

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After reading reviews about how short the ride was, I was going to sit this one out and let my daughter and granddaughter go on. But, as we drove up, I decided that I needed to experience this first hand as at my age, I love the uniqueness of a virgin experience! It was awesome! You reserve your time online and pay when you arrive. They do allow walk ins, but only guarantee is if you register ahead. Parking lot is small so don't arrive too early. The line to wait is painfully slow. Took about a half hour to get through, but the ride is super fun and easy to navigate. Push brakes forward for full speed or pull back to slow down. The ride is super smooth with lots of curves and if you feel the need for speed, push forward and wheeeeeeee! read more

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It is exactly how it sounds - a roller coaster in the woods. nothing more, nothing less. IT WAS A BLAST!!! We stood in line for about 15 minutes. We got our own personal cart. it took about a minute to get to the top of the hill and about another minute to go around and around to the bottom. The cool thing was that I could control my speed throughout thanks to the hand brake system. It felt like I was going to fly off the rails at one point but that is all part of the thrill. The staff was friendly from the ticket booth to the team making sure we were strapped in and ready to go. read more

Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster - Amusement Parks Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

We each enjoyed, including my in-laws. We went back the following day as we left the mountains and bought 3 rides each. It's vacation so you spend more, I thought the price was very high for return on investment but during Covid we did not do a lot of other things like dining out so it felt justifiable. For ages from 15 to 69 Everyone enjoyed the rush We got there 30 minutes before it opened to try and beat crows and over concerns of Covid exposure, I should have done 45. As far as Covid the place was not designed for the crowds and social distancing, more could be done but without major working it just not ideal. read more

Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster - Going up - Amusement Parks Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

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