If you’ve stepped into the queue for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom lately, you’ve likely noticed that the view across the riverbed looks completely unrecognizable. As Walt Disney World pushes forward with its massive expansion plans, crews have officially demolished the iconic Frontierland boardwalk, removing one of the park’s most familiar rustic landmarks to make way for the future.
Where guests once enjoyed scenic waterfront strolls along the Rivers of America, heavy machinery now moves dirt across a muddy construction zone. Here is a look at what remains of the historic walkway, why it was removed, and what Disney plans to build in its place.
What's Left of the Frontierland Boardwalk?
For decades, the wooden boardwalk offered a picturesque path connecting Liberty Square to the back corners of Frontierland. Today, the entire structure has been dismantled.
Looking out from the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad queue, only a few weathered wooden pilings remain sticking out from the dirt embankment where the walkway used to sit. Brown construction walls keep the work zone hidden from the main thoroughfare, where festive autumn decorations line the surrounding buildings.
In fact, only one tiny piece of the original boardwalk survives. Near the former location of the Westward Ho kiosk, a short stub of wooden decking—complete with its original rope-net railing and red caution tape—stands in front of a tall construction lighting tower. Beyond that single remnant, the entire path has been wiped clean.
Retaining Walls and Heavy Machinery Reshape the Riverfront
Behind the construction barriers, the area looks less like a theme park and more like an active industrial site. Heavy equipment, including excavators, wheel loaders, and skid steers, is actively moving earth across the drained riverbed. Industrial pumps and hoses run constantly to drain standing water from the mud.
In place of the old riverbanks, new concrete retaining walls are rapidly taking shape. Rebar and concrete forms first appeared early in the year, and thick concrete walls now trace a winding line along the former edge of the boardwalk.
During a panel at the D23 Expo, Imagineer Jason Grandt pointed out that the queue for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad gives guests a front-row seat to this transformation. Rather than completely shielding the work, Imagineering is allowing parkgoers to watch the land being reshaped in real time.
The Timeline Leading to Demolition
The removal of the boardwalk marks the culmination of a months-long shutdown process across Frontierland:
- Late January 2026: Initial reports indicated that several Frontierland retail and snack locations would close for expansion prep work.
- Late April 2026: Disney officially announced closing dates for Big Al’s (May 11) and Westward Ho (June 22).
- Mid-May 2026: Big Al’s closed permanently and went behind construction walls.
- Early June 2026: The first section of the boardwalk closed alongside a new paved bypass path.
- June 22, 2026: Westward Ho served its last guests and permanently closed.
- Mid-July 2026: Disney scrubbed the boardwalk from the My Disney Experience digital map.
- Late July 2026: Westward Ho went behind construction walls, and nearby snack carts were relocated.
- October 2026: Demolition crews completely removed the remaining sections of the boardwalk.
Why Was It Demolished? The Piston Peak Expansion
The destruction of the boardwalk was necessary to clear space for Piston Peak National Park, the new Cars-themed expansion coming to Magic Kingdom.
The new land will permanently replace Tom Sawyer Island and a major section of the Rivers of America with two brand-new Cars attractions. Clearing the boardwalk gives crews the space needed to bring in heavy foundation equipment, grade the terrain, and construct retaining structures for the new themed areas.
A Reimagined Boardwalk Will Return
While losing the original wooden path is sad for nostalgic Disney fans, the boardwalk won't be gone forever. Disney has confirmed that a brand-new boardwalk will be built as part of Piston Peak National Park.
Instead of lining the wide Rivers of America, the new boardwalk will run along what Disney describes as a “calming waterway”—a narrower, winding stream designed to maintain Frontierland’s rustic, natural atmosphere. Scale models of the expansion shown at the D23 Expo revealed a redesigned wooden promenade curving past trees, rockwork, and national park scenery.
Though the landscape will look dramatically different, guests will once again be able to enjoy a waterfront stroll through Frontierland when Piston Peak National Park officially opens.
