Experience Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster during Covid19
Location: Sugar Mountain, North Carolina (USA)
Covid 19 has definitely concerned a lot of us here in the United States. With many restrictions in place to social distance the public, it has been very difficult to enjoy the activities that many of us take for granted. This past Memorial Day weekend, I made the trip down to North Carolina with my wife (Sam) to check out the Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster in Sugar Mountain. The coaster is built on a hillside like many other mountain coasters. This one is very special due to the quick rise to the top and the views that you experience.
Social distancing guidelines were followed during my visit. The attraction had tape markers while you waited in the station to load. The line to ride was wrapped around the building when we arrived. I timed my wait at almost 2 hours. Inclement weather became a factor for 30 minutes during my visit due to a thunderstorm. Tickets can be purchased inside the building when you arrive. They also have a ticket window to the side of the building to purchase although due to high demand it was not open.
Waiting in line for the coaster was very interesting experience. They recommended that we stay 6 feet apart during our wait. This was very difficult as there was nobody enforcing it. A lot of guests waiting were not wearing face masks and many families with small children were not following social distancing. Upon loading there was no sanitizing of each vehicle and each guest was on their own if they wanted to ride or not. The climb to the top and the descent down was very similar to most mountain coasters. This ride has a lot of quick turns and was very fast. Exiting the ride into the building was still as safe as many would not expect. I didn’t see much enforcement on social distancing by the staff but they were very professional and wanted to let guests enjoy their ride while doing their part to keep a safe distance from others and ride responsibly. I praise the staff for everything they were doing to keep everyone safe.
Wilderness Run Mountain Coaster is open at the moment. Please follow them on Facebook for all the latest updates. Their Facebook page link is: https://www.facebook.com/wildernessrunalpinecoaster/. The coaster is located in Banner Elk, NC and their address is 3265 Tynecastle Hwy. Banner Elk, NC 28604. If you are planning a visit I recommend you arrive early. Parking is limited and many guests were parking their vehicles on the sides of Tynecastle Hwy during our visit.
To view more photos, visit: https://cutt.ly/AyDYZHf
Logo and image credits:
Top logo courtesy of Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster official
Feature image courtesy of Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster official
Publication prepared by: Brian Mitchell – Site Contributor
Disclaimer: SFNE Online is not affiliated with the park or attraction mentioned in this article. All photos and video are courtesy of the individual parks or outlets and used for publicity reasons. SFNE Online does not own the rights to photos or video used unless otherwise noted.
