As much as I’m looking forward to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad finally reopening after being closed for 16 months, it’d be a lie to write that I’m most excited for the ride itself. What I’ve really been salivating over is the prospect of new views into the Villains Land and Cars construction zones. Unfortunately, new aerial photos suggest some of those big views might be blocked by a couple of really tall walls. Here’s the latest.
As basic background, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad closed for a lengthy refurbishment project early last January. The ride has already been down for over a full year for a “crevasse-deep to mountain-top refurbishment” in addition to “new magic” being added to the attraction.
Originally expected to reopen before Easter, Walt Disney World recently announced that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will reopen on May 3, 2026. Since that date was revealed a few weeks ago, we’ve seen ride testing accelerate, as Cast Members prepare for the attraction to return in less than one week!
Saying “a lot has changed” at Magic Kingdom around Big Thunder Mountain Railroad since last January would be a mild understatement. BTMRR closed approximately one month before Disney received approval on its permits to raze and replace the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island, which were operational until last July.
In the months since then, we’ve seen demolition and site clearing kick into high gear. Site clear is now complete, and work has commenced on a retaining wall that’ll form the foundation for the multi-level rockwork of the Piston Peak Cars Land. Although that’s a completely separate project, the boundaries of Piston Peak and BTMRR have been blurred.
This is evident from the aerial photos below, as there really isn’t any demarcation between Piston Peak and Big Thunder at this point. Well, except for the giant wall that’s in the process of being built. But setting that aside, the aerial photos almost make it look like Big Thunder is a toy playset that’s been dropped down in a sandbox.
It makes sense that Big Thunder is basically its own little island (or more accurately, peninsula) amidst the project. Eventually, a large walkway between Haunted Mansion and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will form the northern boundary Piston Peak, providing a path between those two existing attractions and a connection to Villains Land.
Against that backdrop, the latest aerial construction photos & video via friend-of-the-site @bioreconstruct reveal that a really tall construction wall is going up to separate Big Thunder Mountain Railroad from Piston Peak. Here’s a look:
We’ll start with a really high-level establishing shot of Magic Kingdom.
Since I don’t plan to do another Villains Land update until next month, this post is pulling double duty–showing both the tall walls and the progress made on Piston Peak and Villains Land since last month. There hasn’t been a whole lot, hence the lack of a standalone update.
If you haven’t been following this project closely, it’s a bit shocking to see. One thing worth emphasizing here is that most of the cleared land will not immediately be developed. Pretty much the whole back half will be a laydown yard, used for staging construction equipment and materials. Piston Peak will be built south of Big Thunder, with Villains Land pretty much in-line with it.
Coming in closer to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, we can see the construction walls taking shape.
Actually, there are several sets of walls here. There are walls in front of the attraction inside Magic Kingdom; you’d see these today if you walked over to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. These will come down by or before May 3, 2026.
Inside that wall, there’s another traditional construction wall that runs between Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and the former Rivers of America, separating the exit area from the construction zone. Once the other walls come down, these will form the new boundary of the project site.
The next wall has nothing to do with Big Thunder at all.
This is our first of two tall walls; it’s already visible from the ground in Frontierland, and is only going to grow (see my above photo). This is the vertical concrete retaining wall that’ll separate the new Piston Peak National Park landscape from the existing Frontierland.
If you were to follow this around, you’d see what looks like the snaking shape of a smaller stream, roughly one-third or one-quarter the width of the previous guest-facing Rivers of America waterfront in Liberty Square and Frontierland.
Finally, we arrive at the really tall wall that’s being built around portions of the roller coaster track. Technically, there are two of these–and we don’t believe they’ll be connected.
As you can see from the above aerial image, there are heavy-duty columns being installed to support a yet-to-be-built construction wall. This support structure is more substantial than what we’re used to seeing for construction walls, indicative of this being both taller and longer-lasting than normal.
The tall wall is being built in an area of nothing-ness, meaning there’s no break between it and potentially hurricane-force winds that it’d need to withstand. That explains the stronger supports, although I’ll be curious to see what kind of material is used for the actual wall. (Will it be something that Disney can remove in the event a hurricane is forecast?)
The superficial explanation for these really tall walls is to block views into the Piston Peak Cars and Villains Land construction sites from Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
And it’s accurate to say that guests riding the attraction will have their views blocked from some sections of the track. However, these are literally the worst views in the first place, occurring on sections that are whipping guests around. As someone who is salivating at taking my camera on BTMRR, it never crossed my mind to take photos from these locations. It’d be an awful idea.
Moreover, I heard fairly credibly that Walt Disney World does not intend to block construction, viewing it as a fool’s errand. That it’s pointless to even bother since the best views are from the slower-moving lift hill, and those cannot conceivably be concealed due to the higher elevation. Likewise, there are views from the queue that would be similarly difficult to obscure.
This is purely speculative on my part, but I’m guessing that the tall walls are for the sake of guest safety.
In the photo above, you can spot a truck spraying down the dirt. The need to do this should likewise underscore the need to add the walls to protect BTMRR riders from getting dust or debris in their eyes. Sort of like a reverse scream shield. This also explains why there are two tall walls positioned right next to the low-lying roller coaster track, as opposed to an uninterrupted wall for the entire attraction.
There’s always the possibility that someone deemed it bad show to have sections of the track right over a construction zone (they’re right); it’s also savvy to have walls here so guests don’t even think about taking photos during an intense stretch.
Aerial video of construction in Magic Kingdom.
• Retaining walls for Piston Peak National Park
• Infrastructure work for Villains land
• Waterway filled in. Service canal now for Electrical Water Pageant floats only. pic.twitter.com/mzDfw2e8EG— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) April 26, 2026
I’m nevertheless skeptical that these tall walls are primarily motivated by concealing construction. We should know soon if there’s been a change of heart about that based on whether walls or scrim go up all around the queue, too.
I really hope not. And not just for my own sake as a photo-happy blogger. Come summer, having that open for the sake of airflow will be crucial for comfort.
What follows is a recap of the updates coming to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad when the ride reopens in less than one week…
BTMRR Lowered Height Requirement
With all the improvements made to the attraction, along with a comprehensive review from Walt Disney World safety teams, Big Thunder Mountain will reopen with a lowered height requirement of 38” (down from 40″). Climb aboard, lil prospectors!
This is a small but significant rule change, and a huge win for parents to young children! Many Walt Disney World fans are wondering how it’s been accomplished. There’s some concern that the roller coaster has been “slowed down” to achieve the lower height or otherwise made less intense.
It’s our understanding that this comes down almost entirely to the new ride vehicles and restraints, along with the smoother ride offered by the retracking. Despite viral video on social media suggesting the ride is now slower, that should not be the case; it appears slower simply because this is ride testing and the vehicles don’t have the full weight of guests. Nothing to worry about!
New Track & Trains
A key part of the refurbishment was installing a new track and refreshed passenger trains. These updates were carefully planned to preserve the attraction’s classic storytelling and trademark hootin’ an’ hollerin’ energy, while adding new life, movement, and detail to the experience guests know so well.
In addition to the action and adventure we know and love, Big Thunder Mountain will reopen with enhancements for fans to discover. Some of that’s discussed deeper in this post–the expanded Barnabas T. Bullion backstory, enhanced Rainbow Caverns, etc.
Expanded BTMRR Backstory
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. (The Barnabas T. Bullion and Big Thunder Mining Company tall tale is one of our favorite backstories at Walt Disney World.)
Shiny dreams rarely come without a cost, and Bullion quickly found himself in a battle with the forces of nature and in a whole heap of trouble. One day, strange and unexplainable things started happening. Machines failed. Cave-ins shut mines down.
No matter how deep the miners dug into the heart of the mountain, the forces of Big Thunder fought back. When Big Thunder Mountain Railroad reopens on May 3, 2026, the unsuspectin’ passengers who board the runaway trains will learn just how wild the wilderness can get.
No additional details have been shared about what that means, but we’re hoping Barnabas T. Bullion pulls a Lord Henry Mystic and acquires an adorable-but-mischievous monkey who wreaks havoc on the mountain. The lesson to be learned from the increased popularity of Jungle Cruise post-reimagining is that monkeys make everything more popular. (I would also settle for Mr. Bullion to acquire a herd of goats. Or both!)
Enhanced Rainbow Caverns
The rumblin’, rollin’ fun of Big Thunder Mountain at Walt Disney World is currently undergoing a mountain-top to cavern-deep refurbishment meant to keep the classic attraction in tip-top shape, ready to delight guests who want to ride the rails for years to come.
In addition to the action and adventure we know and love, Big Thunder Mountain will reopen with some of the aforementioned “new magic” for Walt Disney World fans to discover.
One such moment comes when the trains rattle their way underground to spectacular natural caverns full of phosphorescent pools, shimmering and illuminating iridescent stalagmites (the ones on the floor) and stalactites (the ones on the ceiling). And hundreds of bats.
The Rainbow Caverns are beautiful, true to their name with a scene that’s more vibrant than before. But then a flash of lightning reveals that they aren’t as friendly as they first appear. That menacing rumble from deep within the mountain may be a sign that we aren’t welcome and shouldn’t venture deeper.
More ‘New Magic’ to Come?
When revealing the enhanced Rainbow Caverns, Imagineers also mentioned that more is going to be revealed for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad down the track. There have been a lot of teases of “new magic” for it to just end up being lighting effects in a single scene.
The most obvious candidate here is the explosive effect on the final lift hill, which can be found at other versions of BTMRR. This dynamite finale being the big marketable addition makes sense, and fans are widely assuming it’s coming to Magic Kingdom. However, there are not any credible rumors of this–and Disney still hasn’t mentioned it.
We’re worried that it won’t, and that fans are setting themselves up for disappointment. With the reopening date for Big Thunder now set for May 3, 2026, and the big promotional push for summer happening right now, it seems like that would’ve already been announced.
Who knows, though. Walt Disney World also did tease this to conclude its announcement: “There’s more new magic for guests to discover once Big Thunder Mountain Railroad returns on May 3, 2026!”
The dynamite finale seems ‘too big’ to save as a surprise, but we’d love to be wrong about that. Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise us if the Rainbow Caverns are about it, and that this project was primarily the track replacement to extend the roller coaster’s life. Which is still a great reason for a year-long closure, but not one that ‘excites’ fans.
Ultimately, I’ll be glad to have Big Thunder Mountain Railroad back even if it’s only with an expanded backstory, new lighting in the Rainbow Caverns, a few other minor enhancements…and a bird’s eye view into the Piston Peak Cars and Villains Land construction zones. BTMRR is a WDW classic for good reason, and it’ll be great to have this iconic attraction operating at Magic Kingdom for the first time in over a year.
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Your Thoughts
Thoughts on the really tall walls being built between BTMRR and Cars construction? Excited for the May 3, 2026 reopening date for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad? Hope there’s more “new magic” beyond what’s already been teased? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!