Disney Magic Kingdom - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Spectacular rock workpraised for its great theming

Magic Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, Florida

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

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2,780ftNo. 160 longest of 398 US coastersThe Beast 7,361 ftFury 325 6,602 ftBig Thunder Mountain Railroad3:30ride time40into ride
POV
Ride it: back row POV
Back row
Nighttime rides are the best on this one.
What riders love
  • The speed in enhanced by the tunnels and how close you get to the terrain - which is BEAUTIFUL by the way, the mountain in the middle of the lake looks exquisite and the theming and landscaping is literally so cool.
  • The setting is great with the rockwork and the water nearby.
  • The line theming and continued theming on the ride make it extra fun. It truly is a runaway train.
  • This ride is perfect for families, because it was perfect for mine.
  • Great family coaster that still delivers enough to please enthusiasts.
  • I have a memory of riding it over and over as a kid. Very nostalgic coaster for me!
  • I love the helixes and it has some airtime, surprisingly for a family coaster.
  • Despite not being excessively fast, it is really fun and has some good airtime too.
  • Big thunder mountain is a great family coaster, it has some pops of ejector in the back row and the rock work is spectacular.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Watch Performance Should I ride it? Specifications Reviews Planning History

Watch POVs and more

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad front seat on-ride HD POV Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom

youtube.com › CoasterForce

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Backseat On-Ride POV Disney World Magic Kingdom (4K 60FPS)

youtube.com › Coaster Thrills

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Full POV Ride 4K at Magic Kingdom - January 2023 - Walt Disney World

youtube.com › MouseSteps / JWL Media

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - Safety Spiel | Full Source Audio | Magic Kingdom

youtube.com › ThemeParks&Me

Performance

Vs. other coasters at Magic Kingdom

It does offer a few great laterals and pockets of airtime, although the last 1/3 of the ride feels like it crawls back into the station.

Gavin

Big thunder, it has a fun, lengthy layout with brief pops of airtime, although it has some janky transitions but not too bad considering its from 1980.

gegg

Big thunder mountain is a great family coaster, it has some pops of ejector in the back row and the rock work is spectacular.

Pedro Valverde

Row three with the super minimal lap bar has provided me some legit ejector and I love it.

Chris Jones

Wow, this ride gave me unexpected airtime in the back.

@tiedough7481

Despite not being excessively fast, it is really fun and has some good airtime too.

Michael M.

They’ve really smoothed out this ride though, and the line was never too long, so it’s a decent time.

Richard Aldridge

At the same time, it is slow enough and comfortable enough for everyone to enjoy.

Brian Sheldon

The only complaint I have is that this Arrow has gotten quite a bit rougher then the Arrow in the park.

Jack Jack J.

Now this is one of my favorite coasters at Magic Kingdom even if it bruises me up a little.

Sean Kearns

Yes I would say there are some I repeat some dead spots here and there but this ride actually has a good amount of intense moments especially that big head cutter moment.

Isaiah White

A well themed mine train with a bit more intensity then it’s sister seven dwarf mine train.

Tom Fairnie

This ride is a decent break from the rest of the park with a long and rather chill ride, but I do wish it had a decent drop.

George Branum

For some reason, I feel this version was even less thrilling than the California one, but maybe it’s in my head.

Ethan Finn

Great theming as well which is something Disney is very good at and great pacing as well as good speed.

Casey Maymon

I thought it would just be a boring family mine train coaster, but it’s actually kinda fast.

AirtimeStudios

It’s actually got some intensity to it, with its fast turns and crazy little dips.

Matt McIrvin

The theming is great on this one like all Disney rides, but the pacing isn’t too good.

Keegan M.

there are some dead spots due to the quantity of lifts, but is not that big of a deal

Pedro Valverde

...in any Disney ride and the duration on this ride is great but what makes it nice there are many trains and there are quick dispatches we waited about 30 minutes in a line that looked 2-3 hours.

Isaiah White

It has a pretty good capacity too so I didn’t have to wait too long for it.

AirtimeStudios
Motion sickness risk

i cant remember anything but i remember puking out because i ate alot alot alot of nachos and alot alot of tacos it was awesome

@krisnteenerx1223

...else she would call me a chicken so i did and i got that drop feeling, so i literally grabbed on the the black bar, and put my head down to the floor while everybody was watching me, and i threw up.

Should I ride it?

Organize by

Specifications

50 ftHeight
90 SpaceMountain 78 TRONLightcycle/ Run 50 BigThunderMountain
36 mphTop speed
TRONLightcycle /…59 Big ThunderMountain Rail…36 Space Mountain27 059 mph
0Inversions

What riders say

Praised for

Great themingFunLong rideShort waits

Criticised for

Slowed by trims

Big thunder mountain is a great family coaster, it has some pops of ejector in the back row and the rock work is spectacular.

Pedro Valverde, Captain Coaster review

For some reason I came into this ride expecting a LOT and it gave me very little.

Carter M., Captain Coaster review

The theming is top notch, though I prefer Anaheim’s.The coaster itself is pretty good for a mine train, but not an elite coaster by any means.

Nathan F, Captain Coaster review

While this is probably the worst of the three BTMR I have been lucky enough to ride I still adore the charm and theming of the *prospector voice* WILDEST RIDE IN THE WILDERNESS!

Ben Hietanen, Captain Coaster review

The turns had some laterals and there was headchoppers here and there.

Sam M., Captain Coaster review

It’s actually got some fun and unique elements, especially considering how old it is.

Kristofer Wempa, Captain Coaster review

Photos

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom
Jackdude101, CC BY-SA 4.0
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World
HarshLight from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World
HarshLight from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom with Lightning Lane signage
TheWanderingTraders, CC BY-SA 4.0
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom
AmaryllisGardener, CC BY-SA 4.0
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Walt Disney World - Magic Kingdom
Theme Park Tourist, CC BY 2.0
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Walt Disney World - Magic Kingdom
Theme Park Tourist, CC BY 2.0
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Walt Disney World - Magic Kingdom
Theme Park Tourist, CC BY 2.0
Disney Magic Kingdom - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Michael Lowin, CC BY-SA 3.0
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom
Jackdude101, CC BY-SA 4.0

10 photographs. Swipe or drag sideways.

Planning your ride

History

November 15, 1980Opened

Built by Walt Disney Imagineering.

Sources

Restraint types: Captain Coaster. Specifications and status: Coasterpedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. From the park and maker: Magic Kingdom guide. Also read: Captain Coaster (converted to feet and mph). Rider sentiment and performance scores: rider reviews on Captain Coaster, read and scored by AirtimeFever.

Photographs via Wikimedia Commons: Michael Lowin (CC BY-SA 3.0), Jackdude101 (CC BY-SA 4.0), HarshLight from San Jose, CA, USA (CC BY 2.0), TheWanderingTraders (CC BY-SA 4.0), AmaryllisGardener (CC BY-SA 4.0), Theme Park Tourist (CC BY 2.0). Video thumbnails remain the property of their channels and link back to them.

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What riders love, by theme (themes in the order riders pick them most on Captain Coaster): Jamie Óchi, rider review on Captain Coaster: “an insanely fun mine train with immaculate theming.”; AirtimeStudios, rider review on Captain Coaster: “The speed in enhanced by the tunnels and how…”; Jack Jack J., rider review on Captain Coaster: “The setting is great with the rockwork and the…”; L B, rider review on Captain Coaster: “The line theming and continued theming on the ride…”; Matt McIrvin, rider review on Captain Coaster: “This is one of those rides I love because…”; Reed Dutton, rider review on Captain Coaster: “This ride is perfect for families, because it was…”; Brian Sheldon, rider review on Captain Coaster: “Great family coaster that still delivers enough to please…”; Emile P., rider review on Captain Coaster: “I have a memory of riding it over and…”; Chris Jones, rider review on Captain Coaster: “Row three with the super minimal lap bar has…”; Mik Gov, rider review on Captain Coaster: “I love the helixes and it has some airtime,…”; Michael M., rider review on Captain Coaster: “Despite not being excessively fast, it is really fun…”; Pedro Valverde, rider review on Captain Coaster: “Big thunder mountain is a great family coaster, it…”; Alexia Englund, rider review on Captain Coaster: “Long! Nighttime rides are the best on this one.”.

The photo slider at the top and the fading stills: Coaster Thrills's back row POV, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Backseat On-Ride POV Disney World Magic Kingdom (4K 60FPS) (YouTube), and the page's Wikimedia Commons photographs.