Wii Mushroom Gorge

Mushroom Gorge is the third course of the Mushroom Cup from Mario Kart Wii.

Description
The course is located on a mountainous zone with tall mushrooms rising over cloudy abysses, where racers have to use some of them as platforms to pass certain gorges. Characters travel the course mainly on land throughout the course. However, in the middle of the route, they enter a cave where they find an abyss full of mushroom platforms. Players can drive two different ways over these mushrooms to cross the cave. Red mushrooms will cause drivers to bounce, so players can elaborate a trick while they are in the air to get a small boost of speed later. The green-capped mushrooms, however, do not cause vehicles to bounce. Some Goombas appear serving as obstacles on the track.

Course Layout
The track begins on a dirt road. There is a curving wooden bridge when the player reaches there and there are item boxes for the player to take. After the item boxes, there is a single red mushroom that the player can use a trick on to gain momentum. Before this mushroom, other mushrooms can be seen, but are not accessible. In between the road to the bridge and mushroom is an abyss the player can fall into. After the mushroom is a left turn in which the player has a choice to take the longer, but safe path or the more dangerous, but short path with the mushrooms on them. The path the A.I. will usually take is the mushroom path, which has several red mushrooms and some green mushrooms. Before the mushrooms is a ramp with a boost panel on it so that the player can perform a trick and boost on the red mushrooms. The alternate path is a curving path that first swerves to the left and then to the right, back to the normal track. It has item boxes and boost panels there to help the player or to throw the player off course. After the mushrooms/alternate path, there is an entrance to a cave. In the cave, the road turns left and into an abyss with mushrooms all over. The player also has two paths to take, and both involve the use of the mushrooms in the track. One path on the right is normal while the one on the left will take the player to a greater height. Both paths have green mushrooms, red mushrooms, and item boxes for the player to use and both paths won't have much of a time difference between them. After the mushrooms is the end of the cave and the last turn, which is a U-turn left. Goombas are on this part of the track, either helping the player with the coughing up of their mushrooms or hindering the player by running into them. On the extreme left is an abyss for players not careful who are using a mushroom to cut through the grass in this part of the track. After the goombas is the beginning of the race again and another lap and cycle.

Shortcuts
In Mushroom Gorge, there is a shortcut that will allow the player to speed past the regular curving route and get a boost, although it requires a Mushroom, and is recommended for Time Trials. After starting the race with a turbo boost, the player should head to the left. After the player has headed left, they'll see that there's no fence and that there's a crevice. As soon as the player is a few lengths away from the crevice, use a Mushroom to get a boost. The player will be flung onto a large Mushroom. Perform a trick, bounce on the other giant Mushroom, perform a trick, and the player should land back on the pathway.

Another much harder shortcut, which probably was programmed unintentionally, is as soon as the player exits the cave, the player should power slide to the left. The player should go towards the crack and use a mushroom just before the player gets on the grass. The player should hop right to the end before the player leaves the ground. If performed correctly, the player should make it across, saving a fair few seconds. This is how some of the Top Ten and others use their three mushrooms.

Tournament
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).