Disneyland’s “Wildest Ride in the Wilderness” may soon fall temporarily silent.
While Disney has yet to make an official announcement, a look at the Disneyland park calendar indicates that the Frontierland staple, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, will be closing for refurbishment early next month.
Currently, Big Thunder has operating hours through September 1st, Labor Day. Beginning on September 2nd through mid-September (the furthest the calendar goes as of publishing time), the ride has no operating hours, indicating an upcoming closure.
If Big Thunder does close, it would join its Magic Kingdom counterpart on the refurbishment calendar, as the Disney World version of the attraction has been unavailable since January while undergoing a massive refurbishment of its own. In my 6+ years of covering Disney theme parks, I can’t recall too many instances of the same attractions closed for refurbishment at both Disneyland and Disney World at the same time.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has been one of the “Happiest Place on Earth’s” main attractions since the Tony Baxter-designed coaster first opened at the park in 1979. Interestingly, the concept wasn’t even meant for Disneyland initially, as Baxter’s first designs of the coaster were as an ancillary ride to the Magic Kingdom’s never-built Western River Expedition. Disney World would get its own version of the ride in 1980, followed by Tokyo Disneyland in 1987 and Disneyland Paris in 1992.
The Disneyland calendar indicates that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is closing next month, with no reopening date yet announced. Stay tuned to DFB for further updates.
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2 Disney Rides That Will Be Closed in Magic Kingdom For the Rest of 2025
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