If you’re a fan of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at the Magic Kingdom, then you might be familiar with Miner’s Cove, located near the exit of the attraction. This area was a smoking area in the back of Frontierland, located along the Rivers of America. Recently, we discovered the area tarped and closed off. On our most recent visit, we can now see the area has received fresh, new pavement.

The area is still closed off, but the tarps are gone and the bright pavement is visible now. It looks pretty good. We saw the stones around the perimeter of this newly paved on our recent visits, but now it’s looking closer to completion.

The area between the pavement and the dock are still covered, so the work isn’t finished yet, but you can still go down by the water and sit in the rocking chairs. This is a very nice spot to hang out if you’re not interested in taking the wildest ride in the wilderness.

The shape of the area looks like it might be intended for stroller and wheelchair parking, but we will see. This would be great as it would remove the mess and clutter from outside of the attractions.

Like we said, this is a great view and a very secluded spot to sit and get away from the crowds. The pavement certainly needed to be redone from all of the damage caused by cigarette butts over the years.

This cute little area near the exit of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad almost seems forgotten. Now that this area is smoke-free and being refurbished, let’s hope they add the benches back and encourage people to enjoy the beautiful Frontierland pier.