Big changes are coming for the “wildest ride in the wilderness”!
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Since it opened in 1980, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has been one of the most popular rides at Disney World. Despite many attractions and even full theme parks that have opened since this Magic Kingdom staple has remained one of the resort’s busiest rides consistently over the last 40+ years. However, things are about to change.
In October 2024, Disney announced that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad would be closing for a massive, year-long refurbishment beginning in early 2025.
According to Disney, “Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will temporarily close for refurbishment on January 6, 2025. The attraction will reopen with a little bit of new magic in 2026.”
©Disney
This timeline roughly matches up with a permit we discovered earlier this year. Back in June, Disney filed a permit for “general construction” of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The permit names Coastal Steel, Inc. — the same group currently working on the ongoing Test Track refurbishment — as the firm scheduled to complete the work.
At the time we noted that the permit stretched longer than usual, running to August of 2025. However, this jives with Disney’s 2026 reopening timeline.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
So, what changes are coming to Big Thunder Mountain during its year-long downtime? Well, while we’re not sure, clues can perhaps be found in its West Coast counterpart at Disneyland.
While Big Thunder Mountain was first conceptualized for Disney World — as part of Marc Davis’s legendary unbuilt Thunder Mesa/Western River Expedition complex — the first version of the Tony Baxter-designed attraction actually opened at Disneyland in 1979.
Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland
Following a major refurbishment of its own about a decade ago, the Disneyland Big Thunder currently provides a much smoother ride than its Walt Disney World sibling thanks to a brand new track and features a slew of special effects that Florida’s is lacking, including the “explosive” finale segment involving faux dynamite. Could a new track, or at least clones of these special effects, be coming to Disney World during this year-long refurbishment?
As for now, Disney hasn’t shared too many details about what all this refurbishment will entail, so we’ll have to keep a close eye on things while we wait for more news. Keep checking back here for the latest announcements!
Big Thunder Mountain
Big Thunder Mountain, one of the Magic Kingdom’s most popular rides, is going down for a year-long refurbishment this coming January. Stay tuned to DFB for more updates on this refurbishment.
75% of Fans Are Desperate for Disney World to Bring Back This Ticket Option
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
What are you hoping to see come to Big Thunder Mountain during this refurbishment? Let us know in the comments below.
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
I will be happy if they don’t ruin it with bad animatronics and lackluster scenery as seen in the latest iteration of Tianna’s Bayou. Sad.
Probably closing to make a solid wall to isolate the area from the Cars construction. Another bad idea to remove cooling trees and water to add hot concrete and walkways. If I wanted that, I could go to Universal. Come on Disney. Show us there is still an emphasis on the patrons as opposed to the almighty dollar.
A whole year!? Doesn’t seem broken to me. People love it as is. Seems to me that, with all this construction in so many parks and resorts, wdw should LOWER ticket and room prices! We’re paying more but getting less and having to put up with less than magical walls and noise. Maybe we should just say NO to wdw in 2025!!
I planned on making 2 trips to WDW next year, and there won’t be Big Thunder Mountain?? Who wants a SMOOTH ride? I loved getting shoved to one side of the car as we rode. We would get hysterical laughing! Do you think this year long closure will also include working on the Villain Land or getting rid of the River and Boat at the same time?
Why don’t they hire people to work on it on off times like they used too? Oh yeah more big bonus for the big wigs they even got bonus during the plandemic! Failure of a park.