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Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Take a wild roller coaster ride through the old west as you race through an abandoned mining town!
Location:Magic Kingdom
Frontierland
Type of Attraction:Roller Coaster
Height Restrictions:40″ or taller
Typical Wait Time:20-90 minutes
Is It Scary?Very scary!

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Magical Moments
Hidden Mickeys & Other Secrets
Did You Know…?
Touring Tips
Photo Gallery

Once you board your mining car, your first stop is a bat-filled cave, complete with stalagmites, stalagtites and eerie pools of water. But hold on, as you exit the cave the fun really begins!

Your runaway mining car whips through hairpin turns at breakneck speeds, speeding up and down and in and out of mountains and tunnels. If you can keep you eyes open, you’ll see the remains of the once prosperous mining town (with a few old-timers still in residence), a mountain goat perched high atop Thunder Mountain, and a few other surprises.
Pretty soon you’ll find yourself back in an underground cavern, only this time it looks like it’s in danger of caving in! As you escape just in time, you make one last mad dash past some half-buried dinosaur bones, then it’s back to the station.
Don’t forget to hold on to your hats!

Magical Moments

  • Take a ride at night when Thunder Mountain is extra magical. The initial climb through the (now dark) bat-filled cave is particularly eerie, and as you race through the mountain passes you’ll feel like your isolated in the untamed twilight wilderness of the old west.
  • As you enter the second cave (the mine shaft), watch out for falling boulders!
  • Throw your hands up in the air to really feel those twists and turns. And go ahead and scream your lungs out-it’s OK! (If you’re brave enough, you can even give a nice, hearty “yeehah!” as you pull out of the station to get everyone in the mood.)
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Hidden Mickeys & Other Secrets

  • Towards the end of the ride, look on the ground to the right of your train. There are three gear wheels forming a Hidden Mickey!
  • Look for a crate near the exit labeled “Lytum & Hyde Explosives Company” (get it?).
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Did You Know...?

  • Each of the six trains actually has its own name. They are: U.B. Bold, U.R. Daring, U.R. Courageous, I.M. Brave, I.B. Hearty and I.M. Fearless.
  • Keep an eye out for the rainmaker in the town. His name is Professor Cumulus Isobar.
  • Look around the ghost town to find an ore crusher, a mining flume, and an ore-hauling wagon. These are no mere props. they’re actual artifacts that were acquired on trips by Disney Imagineers through the American Southwest.
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Touring Tips

  • You must be 40″ tall to ride. Big Thunder Mountain features lots of sharp of turns and sudden drops. If you have back problems or other medical conditions you’ll want to be especially cautious.
  • Big Thunder Mountain is a FastPass+ attraction. Like the nearby Splash Mountain, it’s one of the most popular attractions at the Magic Kingdom and lines can be long (45 minutes on slower days and 90 minute or more on busier days, though it’s usually not quite as busy as Splash Mountain). The bulk of the queue line is a back and forth maze in the station which can make a long wait seem even longer (the line does move along at a decent pace however). A popular FastPass strategy is to get a FastPass for either Thunder Mountain or nearby Splash Mountain first thing in the morning, then ride the other while you wait for your FastPass time to arrive. At that time you shouldn’t have to wait long for either attraction. If you’re lucky and the park isn’t too busy you may even get to loop them for a while until the crowds start to build!
  • Big Thunder Mountain is usually open during Extra Magic Hours. You can ride as often as you’d like with little or no wait!
  • This is one of the few attractions where you won’t be able to request a front row seat (unless there’s no line). You do have some control of where you can sit, however. Assuming you aren’t in the very front, as you move down the train you may be able to choose between sitting way in the back and somewhere in the middle (if the attraction is very busy though don’t count on it, you may be asked to continue down as far as you can go). If you are able to choose, keep in mind that the further back you sit, the rougher the ride is.
  • If you are riding with a small child you should board so that you’re sitting on the right (with the child on the left). You’ll find that most of the turns (but not all) will throw you to the right, and by sitting on that side you won’t crush your companion. When you’re thrown to the left, well, just hang on!
  • Hang on to your hats-literally! You’ll be bouncing around a lot and it’s easy to lose lost articles.
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Photo Gallery

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