Big Thunder Mountain

I’ll start by saying Big Thunder Mountain was the first roller coaster I enjoyed. When I was a kid I was a wimp. I hated thrill rides. Big Thunder helped change that.

Big Thunder Mountain was the second Roller Coaster to be opened in Walt Disney World. It goes without saying that it is one of the best rides in Disney World and is a classic. In an age when a roller coaster was an ugly collection of twisted steel or wood Disney created an experience not instead of a thrill ride. Down to this day it remains one of the most well themed roller coasters in the world.

Big Thunder was one of the first Disney World roller coasters to be designed with computers. You may not have known this, but you have noticed it. How? Compare the Space Mountain to Big Thunder. Space Mountain can be jerky and it’s not what one would call a smooth ride (at least in its original state). Big Thunder has a really smooth ride when compared to Space Mountain.

The queue starts off great. After you walk under the sign you’re teleported to the old west. The old broken down mining equipment is all over the place. At times there the water is even running which really adds to the feel. However, once you enter the building it takes a turn. This can be a brutal experience. A seemingly never ending maze of switch backs. There are only a couple of decent things in this part of the attraction. The first are the panoramic views of the roller coaster itself. The second is the decent into the mine where you get on the trains.

The loading dock is one of the best loading areas you’ll find for any roller coaster. It is themed to the point where you start to believe you are in a mine. The other thing that stands out is the announcement. They could have done anyone’s voice but they didn’t. They must have been very picky. It’s the perfect western coot. It fits perfectly.

When you start moving you go through what I call the bat cave. You can see glowing eyes and hear the bats screeching. This ends at the first lift. I have to say that this lift is loud. I think it’s the loudest lift hill I have ever been on. I don’t know if this is because of when this attraction was built or if it’s on purpose. Anyways, this is a fun hill but be careful if you are video taping. The lift hill ends at a broken water tank. Water dumps off both sides of the track but you will get a little wet.

As you go through this ride you’ll see why it has some of the best theming of any roller coaster. You’ll see something new every time you ride this. If you think you’ve see it all – have you sent he guy in the bathtub, the goat chewing dynamite, the dancing girls, or what is going on in the bank? If you haven’t you might want to ride it again and then do ride it a few times at night. I’ve mentioned it before but this ride is completely different at night.

Another great part of this ride is the last lift hill. It is in a cave and as you go up the lift there is an earthquake happens the giant boulders start to tilt towards the track. It’s a great effect and fits in well with the story of the ride.

Not many people know the story of Big Thunder Mountain. Miners started mining the area despite being warned by Native Americans that the mountain was a sacred mountain where spirits lived. A massive earthquake occurred and the miners ran for their lives. When they came back they were shocked to fine the mining trains running on their own as if possessed by the mountains spirits.

Now that you know the story, go back and check the theming again. It’s creepy how well it fits into the story.