Walt Disney World rides routinely close for refurbishment, but rarely do these temporary closures last longer than a few months. We track all the Disney World ride refurbishments here.
A classic Disney World roller coaster has been closed for over a year. Keep reading to learn when it will reopen, what changed, and how it will affect your trip. At Mickey Visit, we cover the latest Disney news, like new Star Wars merchandise coming for May the 4th 2026 and scrapped plans for a hotel inside Magic Kingdom.
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Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is Finally Reopening
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom closed in January 2025 for refurbishment. This roller coaster, known as “the wildest ride in the wilderness,” has now been closed for over a year.
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On April 8, 2026, Disney revealed Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will finally reopen at Magic Kingdom on May 3, 2026.
When it finally welcomes riders back into its caverns, the classic flair of the attraction will blend with new effects and general improvements to the ride experience.
What Changed on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad for 2026
Disney just announced that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad’s height requirement at Magic Kingdom has been lowered from 40 inches to 38 inches. Disneyland’s version in California remains at 40 inches, so perhaps Disney considers that iteration a rougher ride.
During the refurbishment, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad’s entire track was removed and replaced with new pieces. This should result in a smoother feel on board the ride and adhere to modern roller coaster safety standards.
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Every roller coaster, no matter how well-maintained, has what’s known as a service life. This is the amount of time the coaster can safely operate before needing to be torn down or replaced with new track. Disney takes good care of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, but the ride first opened in 1980 and requires new track every few decades.
Additionally, a new story moment will populate the ride’s lift hill scene. At first, the cavern will be illuminated in rainbow colors, a nod to Disneyland’s defunct Rainbow Caverns attraction.
With a crack of thunder, the cavern will transform into an ominous red glow and reveal bats hanging from the top of the cavern. Imagineers shared more details about this new scene with us last year.
The Disney World version of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad doesn’t have the big climactic explosion scene like its Disneyland counterpart, so this new change is a good way to make the Florida version a little more exciting overall.
The updated version of the coaster also seems to sport a new paint job for its ride vehicles with a darker shade of brown than the previous color scheme.
How Big Thunder Mountain Railroad’s Reopening May Impact Your Trip
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad isn’t too scary for elementary-aged kids, but it still packs a punch for thrill-seekers. It does not go upside-down.
Having another attraction open helps increase Magic Kingdom’s park capacity, or the number of people the park can accommodate on any given day. An additional attraction also helps guests flow more evenly among Magic Kingdom’s lineup of rides.
For guests who prefer to put more strategy behind their park visits, the reopening of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad might affect your Magic Kingdom itinerary when it comes to Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Early Theme Park Entry. Let’s dive into both of these.
Magic Kingdom attractions eligible for Lightning Lane Multi Pass are sorted into two groups by Disney.
Prior to its refurbishment, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad belonged to the same group of Magic Kingdom’s Lightning Lane Multi Pass selections as Jungle Cruise, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Space Mountain. This means guests can only possess a Lightning Multi Pass for one attraction within this group at a time. We expect this to be the same upon Big Thunder Mountain Railroad’s reopening.
Additionally, each day, Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland and Tomorrowland sections open 30 minutes prior to the regular opening time exclusively for guests staying at Walt Disney World hotels during a period called Early Theme Park Entry. All of Frontierland, including Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, is not open during Early Theme Park Entry.
With Big Thunder Mountain Railroad not opening early for resort guests, all guests have an even playing field for “rope-dropping” the ride when Magic Kingdom officially opens to everyone. While an additional ride being open may draw more guests to this corner of Magic Kingdom at rope drop, that larger crowd will be more evenly distributed between Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and the adjacent Tiana’s Bayou Adventure rather than the entire mass of people headed directly into the latter attraction.
Aside from touring strategies, riders on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will have a prime view over the next few years of ongoing construction for two new areas of Magic Kingdom: Piston Peak National Park and Villains Land. These projects are huge and historic for Magic Kingdom, and we’re excited to continue bringing coverage of their progress right here on Mickey Visit.
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