Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is closed
This popular ride in Disney World will be closed for at least a year, reopening sometime in 2026 with a “little bit of new magic.” If you wanted to ride it one last time, you were able to do so on Sunday, January 5th, but now you will have to wait at least a year before hopping on “The Wildest Ride in the Wilderness” once again. With the closure, we noticed Disney made another small but impactful change at Magic Kingdom!
While you can use your Disney World app to see wait times, closures, meet-and-greets, park maps, and much more for all the parks, Disney World continues to offer paper park maps inside the parks. As you step into the gates, you can grab one of these free maps to use throughout your visit or even as a collectible. But over at Magic Kingdom, we noticed that the park map has officially changed!
New Magic Kingdom Park Map
The new map features a picture of the newest Magic Kingdom ride, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, right on the front.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure picture on the new park map
But inside the map, you might notice a change. Now that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is closed, the map has been updated to reflect this closure.
The Magic Kingdom park map has been updated to reflect the closure of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad! pic.twitter.com/E93iB6qhNC
— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) January 6, 2025
This may be a small change on the park map, but it’s a big change for everyone who might want to ride this attraction in the coming year.
Big Thunder is temporarily closed
We stopped by Big Thunder Mountain Railroad on the first day of its closure and noticed construction walls have already gone up around the ride.
Entrance blocked
The walls join the giant crane that has been setting just behind the ride, which may be getting used for the new Villains Land or for the refurbishment of Big Thunder.
A crane has already shown up behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
We’re not sure what “new magic” Disney has in store for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad or when the ride will eventually reopen, but we’ll be keeping track of any new updates. In the meantime, you’ll be able to use the new park maps to help you plan your day at Magic Kingdom!
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