Big Thunder Mountain, aka the wildest ride in the wilderness, is a staple at several
Disney parks around the world.
This mine train roller coaster wraps its way around and through a giant rock mountain.
The visuals already elevate it above most mine train coasters, but this one also packs
in more thrills than you may expect.
Find out why it’s the world’s best mine train coaster in this review.
This coaster can be found at four different Disney parks worldwide.
The first two opened at the American castle parks.
Big Thunder Mountain was originally planned for the US parks in the early to mid-1970s,
but development was delayed as Disney decided to prioritize Space Mountain instead.
But this had the advantage of allowing Big Thunder Mountain to use computer-aided design
to make the layout.
That’s part of the reason it rides smoother than the mine trains that came before it.
Disneyland’s Big Thunder Mountain opened in 1979.
Just one year later, the version in Florida opened at the Magic Kingdom.
These two versions were built by Arrow Dynamics.
In 1987, the Tokyo version opened.
And then in 1992, the final version opened at Disneyland Paris.
The latter two versions were both designed by Vekoma, who has become the manufacturer
of choice for Disney’s coasters over the past 3 decades.
All 4 versions are located in the Frontierland sections of their respective parks.
Each features a giant rocky mountain inspired by those in the American Southwest.
Disneyland’s is styled after Bryce Canyon while the other 3 are inspired by the buttes
in Monument Valley.
Then the shade varies park to park as well.
All versions are extremely picturesque and beautiful, especially when you hear those
whistles as you’re looking out over the water.
All 4 are at least partially bordered by water.
The one in Paris is interestingly located on its own island, which makes it even more
stunning from both an off-ride and on-ride perspective.
Big Thunder Mountain has a full backstory, but it’s not explicitly dictated to guests
in the queue line or pre-show.
Gold was discovered on Big Thunder Mountain, leading to settlers creating mine trains to
run through the caverns to collect the ore.
However, this mountain was a sacred spot to Natives and cursed.
This led to the abandonment of the nearby mining town and the trains became possessed
and able to run without engineers.
This is one of the more popular rides at the castle parks.
But it has amazing capacity.
Each version has 5 trains and several will be running the course at once.
And stacking is rare.
Plus fun fact about the Florida one.
The transfer track for this one is located across the Walt Disney World Railroad.
It’s probably the weirdest and most asinine location for storage tracks between its distance
and the fact you need to close an entirely separate ride to transfer a train on or off.
Everything comes with guests, including bags, so you don’t need to waste time heading
to a loose article bin.
Then you have simple restraints that can be checked quickly by cast members.
Each train has 5 cars and each car has 3 rows.
Most people ride in pairs, but it is possible to fit up to 3 people per row since there
are no seat dividers and just a single shared restraint.
So while it is technically possible for each train to accommodate up to 45 riders, that
figure will almost always be closer to 30.
Wait times for this attraction vary park to park.
This is the most popular ride at Disneyland Paris and routinely sports an hour wait there.
I highly recommend rope dropping or finish with Big Thunder at the Paris park.
The line will move the fastest during these times.
If you want to ride as a group midday, it may be worthwhile investing in an individual
Premier access skip-the-line pass for 12 to 13 Euros.
This one also has a single line that can be a huge timesaver if you don’t mind splitting
up.
The ride is popular at the other 3 parks, but it isn’t the premier coaster like it
is at Paris.
It can get a long wait, but it won’t have the longest wait in the entire park.
Therefore, it’s still a smart one to hit early or late in the day.
I especially recommend the latter since it’s an amazing night ride winding around those
caves.
Then if lines are problematic, these parks also offer paid skip-the-line options like
Paris.
All 4 versions feature a dual load platform.
The station is open on the California one, but enclosed on the other three.
At the end of the queue, you are assigned a row.
But if you ask nicely, the staff members are typically happy to honor seating requests.
My go-to seat on this ride is the back.
This is the wildest seat by far for airtime and laterals.
And those sensations are enhanced by the restraints.
That lap bar is fairly loose, allowing you to pop a few inches off your seat.
Then the lack of seat dividers will have you sliding side-to-side on the turns.
All 4 versions have very similar layouts, but this review will cover the similarities
and differences between them.
All of them have great visuals.
You travel past and through rocky caverns start to finish.
These obscure the layout, create some sweet headchoppers, and enhance the sense of speed.
California’s is a mirrored image relative to the other 3 versions, but the elements
are nearly identical.
This one is also the smoothest installation.
While it is the oldest version, it was closed for a yearlong refurbishment from 2013 to
2014 to receive all new track and trains from Dynamic Systems.
The other versions all run their original track.
I think the Tokyo and Paris ones are both very smooth after decades of operation, but
the Florida one does have a shimmy at points.
The final wholistic difference is that Tokyo’s had no airtime for me.
The dips and drops on that one are more gradual, so they lack the pops of airtime on the other
3.
So when I mention airtime in this review, it does not apply to the Japan version.
All start by plunging into a cave.
The drops aren’t too large and shallow, but you have a decent sense of speed from
their narrowness and the darkness.
And all have squealing bats for atmosphere.
On three of the versions, you immediately hit the first lift hill since the stations
are adjacent to the mountain.
On the Paris version, you have an extended straightaway in the dark since you need to
reach the main island.
This allows the ride to showcase its speed more.
The first lift on all 4 versions is enclosed and in a beautifully lit cavern.
But all are being hit by a natural disaster.
California and Paris are experiencing an earthquake.
While Tokyo and Florida are experiencing a flood.
Atop the lift, you pass a waterfall and head outdoors for the layout.
It starts with a 180 degree swooping drop, offering some decent laterals further back
in the train.
This is followed by a 180 degree turn in the opposite direction.
You again get solid laterals so you’re pushed towards the other side of the train this time.
3 of the 4 versions then have an abrupt dip and ascent.
The dip gives a quick pop of airtime in back.
The ascent gives a pinch of airtime up front.
On the Tokyo version, this dip is absent.
There’s just a straightaway instead.
Each then does its own thing to finish the first third.
Both Tokyo and California head into a dark cave with a little dip.
The other two are better in my opinion.
On the Florida version, you have a rowdy section of trick track next to a western town.
You hear gunshots and get thrown around.
On the Paris version, you have a s-bend followed by the best drop on any Big Thunder.
It’s a sizable drop that gives standing airtime in the back car.
Most people praise the Paris version for the tunnels at the start and end, but this is
the standout moment for me.
All 4 versions then pass under a mine shaft and head up the second lift hill.
It’s the only outdoor lift, so it’s your best opportunity to appreciate the sights
while on-ride.
The second third begins with another swooping drop, but this one induces far stronger laterals
than the first.
You’re pinned to the side of the train.
You then rise upwards, which produces weak floater airtime on 3 of the installations.
All then navigate a 540 degree downwards helix.
This element is dizzying as it spirals around a rock formation and passes through multiple
caves.
And you also are treated to some ok but sustained laterals.
All versions then hop upwards and sharply dip down into a cave.
Those up front get an ok pop of airtime going up.
Those in back get a good burst of airtime on the descent, especially since it feels
like you’ll strike the cave’s entrance.
You then head outside briefly, only to head back inside for the third and final lift.
On the Florida and California versions, the lift hill has this weird trick track effect
towards the top.
You don’t get that on the international versions.
Then the visual effects vary by ride.
Tokyo and Florida have some nice lighting, Paris has some great projection mapping, but
California’s reigns supreme.
That one has the projection mapping of Paris plus dynamite exploding that launches a plume
of fog into your face.
All 4 versions begin with a small dip downwards.
You then gently rise upwards.
Neither has any force.
You then emerge outdoors and navigate a swooping drop with some weak laterals.
You then turn into a cave.
The finale varies ride-to-ride.
On the US versions, you have a mild turn in the dark followed by a straightaway.
Then you have a one last swooping drop.
There’s a splashdown effect as you pass some bones.
Then you rise up into the final brakes.
And on the Disneyland version, you pass some nice western facades.
On the Tokyo version, you have an extended tunnel filled with bats.
It’s a nice little surprise and accentuates the speed.
You then head outdoors for one last drop past a water splash.
Then you hit the brakes.
The Paris version has the best finale by far.
The cave leads to a long shallow drop that goes underwater.
You then have an extended straightaway back towards the loading area.
This one has the greatest top speed at 40 mph or 65 kph, but it feels even faster when
you’re in the dark holding the speed for that long.
You then climb upwards, aided by a chain lift, and hit the final brakes.
The two tunnels on the Paris one to start and end the ride add roughly an extra 1000
feet to the experience.
This is the longest version with 3953 feet or 1205 meters of track.
Before giving my final rating, let’s talk about the pacing.
Big Thunder Mountain does a good job for a mine train when it’s in motion, but those
three lift hills do disrupt the pacing.
The visuals help compensate for the break in the action at least.
So what would I rate Big Thunder Mountain?
This rating depends by version.
Tokyo’s gets a 7 out of 10.
It has the same great visuals and laterals as the other versions, but it lacks the airtime.
Both US versions get an 8 out of 10.
They do everything Tokyo does well, but they each have a handful of airtime moments, particularly
in that back car.
The Paris version gets a 9 out of 10.
This version specifically is the world’s best mine train.
You have a cooler setting on the water, those two extended tunnels to showcase the speed,
and the best overall drop plus all the other things the US versions do well.
Big Thunder Mountain is a Disney staple and there’s a reason it has stood the test of
time.
So those are my thoughts on all 4 versions of Big Thunder Mountain, the mine train coaster
at the Disney parks.
How do you think these coasters compare to the other mine trains out there?
Which version do you like best?
Let me know down in the comments.
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