Wii Mushroom Gorge

Mushroom Gorge is the third course of the Mushroom Cup in Mario Kart Wii. The course is located on a mountainous zone with tall Mushroom Platforms rising over cloudy pits. Racers travel the course mainly on land; however, on a part of the course, they enter a cave where they find a pit full of Mushroom Trampolines, which are mushrooms the racers use as platforms. Players can drive two different ways over these mushrooms to cross the cave. Red Mushroom Trampolines cause drivers to bounce, so players can do a trick while they are in the air to get a small boost of speed later. The green-capped Mushroom Trampolines, however, do not cause vehicles to bounce. Some Goombas appear serving as obstacles on the track.

A court based on Mushroom Gorge appears in Mario Tennis Open, called Mushroom Valley. Mushroom Gorge reappears in Mario Kart 7 as the third course of the Shell Cup, in Mario Kart Tour starting with the 2022 Mii Tour, and in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as the third course of the Propeller Cup.

The background music of this course is available as a selectable music track on the Mario Circuit stage in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and on any Mario Kart stage in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, as well as Battlefield, Big Battlefield, Small Battlefield, and Final Destination as of the version 8.1.0 update of the latter.

Course layout
The track begins on a dirt road with Mushroom Trampolines and Mushroom Platforms in the background. There is a slight turn to the right and another to the left, which brings racers to a wooden bridge that curves right. After that, there are Item Boxes for the player to take and a jump with a single red Mushroom Trampoline, hanging over an abyss.

After that, there is a left turn in which the player can choose a longer path with Item Boxes and Dash Panels or the shorter path with Mushroom Trampolines, which is the path that CPUs usually take. After this is an entrance into a cave, in which the road turns left and into an abyss with Mushroom Trampolines and Platforms all over. The player has two paths to take, and both involve the use of the Mushroom Trampolines in the cave. Item Boxes also appear in the cave.

After exiting the cave, there is a left U-turn around an abyss. Goombas are on this part of the track, which act as obstacles. After passing the Goomba section, the player reaches is the finish line.

Shortcuts
In Mushroom Gorge, there is a shortcut that allows the player to speed past the regular curving route and get a boost. It can be performed without a mushroom (by jumping over the thinnest part of the grass and turning slightly right after bouncing off the first Mushroom Trampoline). After starting the race, the player should head to the left through an area with no fence and use a mushroom boost (or jump) to drive off the cliff and bounce off the Mushroom Trampolines below, landing on the bridge. This shortcut is utilized in a glitch where racers turn around and bounce off the first Mushroom Trampoline and lean back to climb on the cliff, moving left for a while before being dropped onto the track before the finish line. Because of this, the deliberate shortcut and two Mushroom Trampolines were removed in Mario Kart 7. These Mushroom Trampolines return in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but if the player attempts this glitch, Lakitu will simply pull them back to where they last were on the track.

Also, by the last U-turn, if the player cuts across the grassy patch with some sort of speed boost and doesn't fall into the crevice, there is a time gain of a second or two. Players can also use a mushroom and jump across the gap itself. It is also possible to bounce off the final Mushroom Trampoline on the left side of the cave and climb on the left wall and get onto the other side of the gap; a Mushroom boost is required. In Mario Kart 7, this can be done with the glider, but is much harder and costs time.

Tournaments
The second tournament of June 2008 was a Time Trial of Mushroom Gorge. However, the course had to be driven through backwards. Ramps were added to the beginnings of the mushroom paths (or else it would be impossible to land on them without falling off). The same tournament later appeared as the second tournament of June 2010, the first tournament of December 2011, the second tournament of February 2013, and finally the only tournament of May 2014, the final tournament before the discontinuation of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service.

Mario Kart 7
Mushroom Gorge makes its classic course debut in Mario Kart 7 as the third race of the Shell Cup. Due to graphical limitations, the Mushroom Trampolines are flat and larger than in Mario Kart Wii, and most of the ones in the background have been removed. The arrows at the first split paths have been changed from brown to red. Some of the Dash Panels have been shifted around, with an extra one being added to the first split track section, and the one on the right at the split paths has been moved forward.

The most significant changes to the course are that the shortcut near the start of the track with the Mushroom Trampolines has been removed, five of the red Mushroom Trampolines inside the cave have been removed, and the Mushroom Platform on the left route is now a blue Mushroom Trampoline that acts as a Glide Ramp.

Mario Kart Tour
Mushroom Gorge returns in Mario Kart Tour as a classic course starting from the 2022 Mii Tour. It is the third Wii course to be included in the game and the first since Wii DK Summit in the Snow Tour twenty-seven tours prior. The course has received a graphical update. The starting line has been redesigned into a stone archway with the modern Mario Kart logo. Most Mushroom Trampolines have been restored to the background. Certain elements, like the elevation of the Mushroom Trampolines and the types of ramps used in some locations, had to be changed to accommodate for Mario Kart Tour's physics; there is also an additional Mushroom Trampoline in the cave section compared to the Mario Kart 7 incarnation of the track. Players can also now perform Jump Boosts by dropping off Mushroom Platforms. There is no longer a Dash Panel on the first or second ramp of the course. One of the three Goombas near the end of the course has also been removed.

The course also appears as Mushroom Gorge R (reverse), Mushroom Gorge T (with ramps), and Mushroom Gorge R/T (reverse and with ramps) respectively; the former two were introduced alongside the normal variant in the 2022 Mii Tour, while the latter was introduced in the 2023 Mii Tour. In the reverse variant, the Mushroom Platforms and Trampolines in the cave are replaced by blue Mushroom Trampolines. In the reverse/trick variant, many of the Mushroom Platforms and Trampolines are removed (with a Glide Ramp placed at the left side of the split path after exiting the cave), though the two Mushroom Trampolines that served as a shortcut in Mario Kart Wii make a return, albeit being made larger.

Appearances
For this course's tour appearances, see List of Wii Mushroom Gorge tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Mushroom Gorge reappears in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as part of the second wave of the Booster Course Pass. It is the third course of the Propeller Cup. It uses its appearance from Mario Kart Tour, albeit with graphical updates. The yellow road is now orange. Additionally, several features of the original Mario Kart Wii version of the track that were not in the Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart Tour versions return in this game, such as the shortcut at the beginning with two lower Mushroom Trampolines appearing leading up to the bridge (though the first mushroom now requires the aid of a Mushroom or a Super Star to reach it), along with the ability to jump across the gap at the last U-turn of the track using a speed boost. The mushrooms in the cave section are placed at different elevations again, like the versions prior to Tour, and the layout of the mushrooms in the cave section is now based on the original version, albeit with the green Mushroom Platform on the left path being replaced by another Mushroom Trampoline, as well as replacing one of the mushrooms with Mario Kart 7's glider mushroom.

One of the red mushrooms on the right side of the split path before the cave was removed. Several Toads and Koopa Paratroopas have been added as spectators on the course, and the eagles from Shy Guy Falls are visible flying above the track. Some Toad spectators are seen sitting, standing, jumping and waving on top of some Mushroom Platforms. The mushroom shortcut at the beginning of the course is now shown on the minimap. In a similar vein to, , and , the music is almost the same as the original Wii version, save for the addition of a reverb effect and different mixing, which notably makes the backing guitar louder and adjusts the volume of certain sections of the song. Additionally, the final lap version of the music is much faster compared to the normal version (as well as the final lap version of the Wii, 3DS and Tour renditions) than other retro courses.

Mario Kart Wii / Mario Kart 7

 * Mushroom (Trackside banners)

Mario Kart Tour / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

 * Dream Gliders (Trackside banners)
 * Mushroom Piston (Trackside banners)
 * 1-Up Mushroom Car Insurance Group (Signs)
 * Mario Automobile Association (Signs)
 * 1-Up Fuel (Signs)
 * Shy Guy Metals (Signs)
 * Bullet Bill Speed Trial (Signs)

Mario Kart Wii

 * Website bios:
 * Flag of USA.png "Bouncing and pulling tricks off the red mushrooms is crazy fun, but it's tricky to keep your car out of the chasms."
 * Flag of Europe.png "Bounce your way through an underground cavern on top of giant mushrooms that double as trampolines. Whatever route you take, just make sure you land safely!"
 * Prima Guide: "This is the first course to offer a multitude of tricks, as well as precarious edges and bottomless drops to avoid-or jostle your opponents into! The trick here is to figure out the quickest route when the course branches into two different paths, all the while avoiding the roaming Goombas, staying on the dirt track, and using the famous giant mushrooms as trampolines!"
 * Trading Card bio: "Get ready for some precision mushroom-bouncing action on this track! Upon entering the cavern, staying to the right seems to be the path most racers will travel. However, taking the path to the left will surely allow you to get a better shot at scoring a useful Item from the plentiful Item Boxes."

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

 * Nintendo Switch News app (US):
 * This course first appeared in the Mario Kart™ Wii game.
 * The course is a mountainous area with lots of mushrooms sprinkled throughout the landscape.
 * There are many Trampoline Mushrooms along the track. The key is to use your Jump Boost on these to get a small mid-air speed boost.
 * Nintendo Switch News app (UK): Bounce your way to victory - introducing Mushroom Gorge! This course first appeared in the Wii title Mario Kart Wii and takes place in mountainous terrain sprouting with all sorts of fabulous fungi. It even features lots of mushrooms that work like trampolines, bouncing you into the air when you drive over them and giving you ample opportunity to utilise Jump Boosts for an extra kick of speed. That's a little tip for you - be sure to use it to your advantage!

Trivia

 * Excluding Mario Kart Tour, Mushroom Gorge is one of two courses in the Mario Kart series to have returned more than once to occupy the same slot in a cup each time it has appeared (in this case, the third one). The other is.