In this post we give an overview of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, a roller coaster at Disney’s Magic Kingdom theme park in Walt Disney World. We cover the basics of the ride, how to ride it, and our thoughts on the experience before closing with an FAQ. Read on to learn more!
Related Posts
This post is a quick guide to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, but we have related content that dives deeper into topics. Our Magic Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lane post covers Lightning Lane strategy in deep. The Magic Kingdom Rides and Entertainment Guide gives brief introductions to all the park’s offerings. For putting together your day at the park, we have a One Day Plan for Magic Kingdom.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Basics
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a roller coaster at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. The ride
offers rider switch
has a Lightning Lane that is a part of Genie+
does not have a single rider line
is a NOT part of Early Entry at Magic Kingdom
is about 3 minutes long
Disney warns that expectant mothers and people not in good health should not ride.
Where is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad located?
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is located in the far back of the park in Frontierland. Entering the park you’ll go to the hub and take a left. You can take the first left, through Adventureland, or the second left, through Liberty Square.
In either case you’ll head all the way in that direction before turning right toward Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The only other ride over there, former Splash Mountain, is now closed.
Since Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is on the west side of the park it is not a part of Early Entry and its rope drop occurs at the scheduled time for the park to open.
If you’re riding it first at rope drop, you’ll typically queue with the guests heading into Liberty Square. You can queue in Adventureland, but that area tends to be more crowded and you’ll have to depart from the pack to catch the main Frontierland crowd.
Once that side of the park opens, you’ll pass Haunted Mansion and arrive at a line of Cast Members that stops guests from heading all the way into Frontierland for a minute. They’ll explain that you’re heading into Frontierland before walking you to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. There’s no advantage to using the boardwalk or any alternative path, all guests are held by the line of Cast Members.
How to Ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Our preference is to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad right when it opens or shortly thereafter, regardless of whether we have Early Entry or not, and regardless of whether we have Genie+ or not. Because of its remote location and exclusion from Early Entry, the ride tends to have relatively low waits to immediately start the day.
These waits won’t last long, though, and it can be a priority on Genie+ if you have that service (we rank it around fifth most important in the park). Again owing to its remote location, the ride also tends to see steeper drops in waits at the end of the day than other rides, though I love it too much to risk that option not working out.
If you’re visiting Magic Kingdom with small children, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad unfortunately has a height requirement, so you’ll probably use rider switch for the taller members of your party to ride.
There is a very small playground nearby at the exit to Splash Mountain where your little one could spend time while others ride. You also might consider taking the nearby rafts to Tom Sawyer Island (particularly if someone will be waiting more than 30 minutes for Big Thunder) or walking a bit to Pirates of the Caribbean or Magic Carpets of Aladdin.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Ride Experience
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is an outdoor roller coaster. It doesn’t go upside down or do anything too thrilling, but it is a fast and fun coaster with western theming. We rank it in the middle of the roller coasters at Walt Disney World, but it is a personal favorite of mine. You can view a video of the ride here.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad FAQ
How fast is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad?
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad goes 35 miles per hour.
What movie is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad from?
None! Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a wholly original story not tied to any movie.
Does Big Thunder Mountain Railroad help kidney stones pass?
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Know what to ride with our guides to: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, Epcot rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our guide to Blizzard Beach and our guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some some fun prep, check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.
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