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Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

This is a four-minute roller coaster ride up, down, and around Thunder Mountain. Along the way riders may spot a flooded mining town, an earthquake, a dinosaur skeleton and a large assortment of desert animals. While this is a roller coaster, it is built with the Disney standard for family fun. There are a lot of exciting turns and little dips, but nothing as intense as with what is found at a Six Flags or another amusement parks.

minimum height requirement	40 inches
ages 2-4	Children who are over the height requirement may still find the ride a little too intense, or be scared by the lengthy periods in the dark with loud noises.
ages 5-10	If your kids have never been on a roller coaster before this is not a bad ride to introduce them into the genre. The beginning which is quite dark and features loud sounds is very intimidating for children.
ages 11-15	Most pre-teens and teens rank this attraction as one of their favorites in the Magic Kingdom.
ages 16-adult	Most adults rank this attraction as one of their favorites in the Magic Kingdom.
senior citizens	Many seniors dislike the roller coaster type experience of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

When to Go

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a very popular attraction and generates long lines. To avoid the crowds, either visit the first hour the park is open or in the last two hours the park is open.

FASTPASS

It's generally advisable to only get a FASTPASS for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad after you've obtained a FASTPASS at either Splash Mountain or Space Mountain since they tend to get longer lines.

Trivia

• Until Expedition Everest opened in Disney's Animal Kingdom, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was the tallest "mountain" in Florida at 197 feet.
• The track length is 2,780 feet and the ride reaches speeds of 35 m.p.h
• Look carefully at some of the names used throughout the attraction for some wacky puns. For example, one of the crates at the entrance is from the Lytum and Hyde company.