Crews are actively testing the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad geysers and the coaster’s trains ahead of its scheduled spring reopening. The Magic Kingdom ride has been closed since January 2025 for a major refurbishment.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Refurbishment

Our reporter could see trains being tested intermittently throughout her visit. Scaffolding remains up around the entrance as it appears work is continuing throughout the day to ensure a Spring opening, although Disney has not announced a date yet. The ride has been testing on and off for a few months. The trains and the entire track have been replaced.

Beyond the rocks and faces of the ride’s entrance, we saw two geysers occasionally spraying water skyward, as we also did earlier this week. Guests pass these geysers near the end of the ride, in a hot springs scene. Take a look at the geysers in motion in the video below:

Our reporter also noticed one of the railings now had construction walls around it. It is unclear if the refurbishment will expand beyond its construction walls, considering the attraction is supposed to reopen sometime in the coming months.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad should reopen this spring. Changes include an updated opening scene with a transformation of the Rainbow Caverns, refreshed Audio-Animatronics, and gold props. Here is the concept art of the new Rainbow Caverns opening scene:

The trains will enter the Rainbow Caverns, full of hundreds of bats, phosphorescent pools, and shimmering stalagmites and stalactites: a majestic, beautiful scene full of color.

Thunder will then rumble as the scene changes to something menacing as the mountain “fights back.”

Watch our POV of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad from before its closure below:

Are you counting down the days until you can ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad again? Let us know on social media.

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