Your next trip to Magic Kingdom might just be a little bit more magical.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
We’ve been waiting and waiting to ride one of our favorite roller coasters with a brand new refurbishment, and we finally have the reopening date. Hold onto your hat because we’re about to ride the wildest ride in the wilderness!
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is reopening in Magic Kingdom on May 3rd, 2026! The ride will also be lowering its height requirement to 38 inches instead of 40. That means more kiddos will be able to ride!
©Disney
This attraction closed on January 6th, 2025, with the promise of a refurbishment and a touch of new magic in 2026.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad construction June 2025
The closure brought a refurbishment to “keep the attraction in tip-top shape, ready to delight guests who want to ride the rails for years to come.” Along with general renovations to keep the ride running smoothly, Rainbow Caverns will be added, and “shimmering and illuminating iridescent” will help bring the mountain to life.
©Disney
Disney even teased that there’s even more new magic for guests to discover once the attraction officially reopens. What do you think is coming? I’m hoping for projection mapping like the one at Disneyland.
Construction at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
The rest of Frontierland is also undergoing a transformation, including Piston Peak, the Cars-themed land replacing the permanently closed Rivers of America, and Tom Sawyer Island. We don’t have an opening timeline yet, but we’re looking forward to the two Cars attractions.
Cars Area Concept Art ©Disney
You can’t forget about the Disney Villains land coming, too. While this is placed behind Big Thunder Mountain, it will technically be its own land and not part of Frontierland. Disney hasn’t released too much information on it yet, but we couldn’t be more excited for this brand-new concept.
Villains Land ©Disney
I’m already dreaming of riding Big Thunder Mountain and seeing the new changes. Make sure you keep following Disney Food Blog for more Disney news and all the tips and tricks you need for your next vacation.
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We’re so excited to do this on our trip in June! Do we know if they will have it open with any different availability (like virtual queue, LLSP/standby only, etc), or do we assume it will be on the LLMP like before?
Hoping for the best refirb ever, but am expecting less,
Will there be a soft opening date before May 3rd for BTMRR ?