Big changes are coming for the “wildest ride in the wilderness”!

Since it opened in 1980, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has been one of the most popular rides at Disney World. Despite many attractions and even full theme parks that have opened since this Magic Kingdom staple has remained one of the resort’s busiest rides consistently over the last 40+ years. However, things are about to change.

In October 2024, Disney announced that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad would be closing for a massive, year-long refurbishment beginning in early 2025.

According to Disney, “Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will temporarily close for refurbishment on January 6, 2025. The attraction will reopen with a little bit of new magic in 2026.”

This timeline roughly matches up with a permit we discovered earlier this year. Back in June, Disney filed a permit for “general construction” of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The permit names Coastal Steel, Inc. — the same group currently working on the ongoing Test Track refurbishment —  as the firm scheduled to complete the work.

At the time we noted that the permit stretched longer than usual, running to August of 2025. However, this jives with Disney’s 2026 reopening timeline.

So, what changes are coming to Big Thunder Mountain during its year-long downtime? Well, while we’re not sure, clues can perhaps be found in its West Coast counterpart at Disneyland.

While Big Thunder Mountain was first conceptualized for Disney World — as part of Marc Davis’s legendary unbuilt Thunder Mesa/Western River Expedition complex — the first version of the Tony Baxter-designed attraction actually opened at Disneyland in 1979.

Following a major refurbishment of its own about a decade ago, the Disneyland Big Thunder currently provides a much smoother ride than its Walt Disney World sibling thanks to a brand new track and features a slew of special effects that Florida’s is lacking, including the “explosive” finale segment involving faux dynamite. Could a new track, or at least clones of these special effects, be coming to Disney World during this year-long refurbishment?

As for now, Disney hasn’t shared too many details about what all this refurbishment will entail, so we’ll have to keep a close eye on things while we wait for more news. Keep checking back here for the latest announcements!

Big Thunder Mountain, one of the Magic Kingdom’s most popular rides, is going down for a year-long refurbishment this coming January. Stay tuned to DFB for more updates on this refurbishment.

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What are you hoping to see come to Big Thunder Mountain during this refurbishment? Let us know in the comments below.

The post What a YEARLONG CLOSURE Means for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog.