Come Ride The Newly Reopened Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and See All The Changes!

After over a YEAR of waiting, we finally got to ride the newly refurbished version of the Wildest Ride in the Wilderness!

There’s a lot that has changed with Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, but it’s still the ride we know and love. It has officially reopened to the public today, May 3rd. Before you ride for the first time in 1.5 years, here are a few things that surprised us that we think you should prepare for!

The Track

Part of the refurbishment was that this ride got a new track to make it a little smoother. Knowing this, we did expect to feel different, and when we rode, we noticed that it actually felt like a completely different ride!

Rather than the old ride system this new track feels extremely similar to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, with a little more thrill. And we actually felt like it might even be too smooth?? We never thought we would be saying this about a coaster, but the smoothness of the ride creates a little disconnect with the theming of the attraction.

You are supposed to be traveling the mines in a broken-down old train, but it feels like a super new and smooth ride. While this wasn’t a huge deal, it was something we noticed. But we can’t really complain too much about a great new track.

The Details

There’s also new story details throughout both the queue and the ride itself, and you’ll really want to keep your eyes peeled. While the ride was under refurbishment, Disney said, “The story of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad dates back to Olden Times, or rather, Golden Times, during the early days of America’s first major gold rush. When Barnabas T. Bullion struck gold in the Big Thunder region, he saw a future full of riches and hustled to start the Big Thunder Mountain Company.”

However, Bullion then found himself in a battle against nature as “strange and unexplainable things started happening” in the mine. When passengers take a ride on the new attraction, they’ll “learn just how wild the wilderness can get.” This new storyline culminates in one of the biggest surprises on the attraction: the reveal of the huge gold nugget!

We loved this reveal, and we are excited to see the theming of this new storyline tie into this cool moment.

Moving back towards some OG details, we were actually a little bit disappointed by the iconic dinosaur bone scene at the end.

Considering how long this ride has been under refurbishment for, we were hoping for some of the old scenes and effects to be updated, and it appeared to us that this scene hadn’t received much love.

Now, moving away from the details of the attraction itself, we were shocked by how much we were able to see of the Piston Peak construction.

Almost everything you can see in the outdoor portion of the ride, is this new area. It appears that the area has been mostly cleared in preparation for Big Thunder’s reopening; however, we expect that it will become difficult to hide as construction continues.

So this actually might end up being the best place to grab a sneak peek of this upcoming area, and maybe even a little bit of Villain’s Land.

The Rainbow Caverns

Disney had also let us know that there would be new lighting and effects inside the ride, and part of that was the addition of the Rainbow Caverns!

When you first enter, these are “spectacular natural caverns full of phosphorescent pools, shimmering and illuminating iridescent stalagmites (the ones on the floor) and stalactites (the ones on the ceiling),” but things change once you enter.

As you enter the caverns, though, you’ll hear a loud rumble, and it becomes clear that the caverns aren’t as friendly as they looked. We were so excited to get a new ride scene on this attraction. It was the perfect way to breathe new life into the beloved attraction.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Overall, after our first ride, we felt this refurbishment was a great way to update an existing ride while maintaining the integrity of the original experience! We are expecting some conflicting opinions as folks continue to experience this attraction again.

Specifically, we think some die-hard Big Thunder Fans might be feeling a little like the integrity of the ride is lessened by such a smooth vehicle. However, we know the average guest will appreciate the less bumpy ride.We are thrilled that this fan-favorite is back in Magic Kingdom, and we can’t wait to continue to ride and find more fun details to tell you about!

We have a feeling this ride will be EXTREMELY popular now that it has reopened, so prepare yourself for long lines practically all summer, especially since the height minimum has also been lowered from 40″ to 38″!

We’ll continue to keep you updated on all the latest Disney World news, so stay tuned to AllEars!

Come with us for a full Big Thunder Ride Through!

Come ride the UPDATED Big Thunder Mountain Railroad with us! 🤠🚂⛰️ pic.twitter.com/PzkibhEqpi

— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) May 3, 2026

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What are you most looking forward to seeing and experiencing on the new ride? Tell us in the comments!

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