Best Time to Ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at a glance
- Ride length
- About 4 minutes, not counting the wait
- Height requirement
- 40" (102 cm) or taller
- Average standby wait
- 28 minutes (last 30 days)
- Shortest waits
- Around 8AM (avg 11 min, hourly average, last 30 days)
- Latest status
- Closed (latest check 4:23 AM park time, Oct 17) · Downtime history
- Breakdowns (90 days)
- 98 unplanned breakdowns, median 62 min · down on 60 of 90 tracked days (~67%)
- Forecast accuracy
- Our day-ahead wait forecast landed within 10 minutes of the day's actual average on 15 of 21 scored days (71%), average miss 7 min (last 30 days) · How we score it
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is an attraction at Disneyland Park. It lasts about 4 minutes. Minimum height: 40 inches.
Hour-by-Hour Wait Guide
Wait Times by Hour
Best Day of the Week
Wait Time Heatmap: Day × Hour
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad averages 47 minutes at 7 PM on Sundays but only 7 minutes at 8 AM on Wednesdays.
| 7a | 8a | 9a | 10a | 11a | 12p | 1p | 2p | 3p | 4p | 5p | 6p | 7p | 8p | 9p | 10p | 11p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 10 | 21 | 30 | 32 | 30 | 36 | 41 | 26 | 36 | 35 | 35 | 34 | 35 | 28 | 23 | ||
| Tue | 13 | 22 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 31 | 38 | 38 | 39 | 39 | 32 | 23 | ||
| Wed | 7 | 14 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 27 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 16 | |
| Thu | 10 | 15 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 24 | 27 | 29 | 36 | 44 | 38 | 29 | 20 | 12 | |
| Fri | 12 | 21 | 28 | 29 | 32 | 27 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 32 | 35 | 37 | 34 | 35 | 29 | |
| Sat | 10 | 25 | 31 | 35 | 33 | 34 | 33 | 30 | 35 | 34 | 34 | 36 | 36 | 30 | 29 | 25 | |
| Sun | 14 | 16 | 24 | 31 | 26 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 34 | 37 | 39 | 47 | 46 | 24 | 19 | 19 |
Tips for Riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad with Minimal Wait
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland Park averages a 28-minute wait, but timing makes a huge difference. The data shows waits are shortest around 8AM (11min) and longest around 7PM (37min) — a 26-minute difference just by choosing the right time.
Wednesday is typically the lightest day of the week with an average wait of 21 minutes. Avoid Saturday if possible — waits average 31 minutes.
Pro tip: the shortest waits in this data come early in the day (around 8AM), so heading to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad soon after you arrive at Disneyland Park pays off.
Predicted wait for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad — next 7 days
Our forecast of the average standby wait, built from this ride's historical patterns, day-of-week trends, and the seasonal calendar.
Forecasts are estimates of the daily average and update as new data arrives — actual waits swing by hour, so use the hour-by-hour chart above to pick your window.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad — ride facts
- Type
- Transportation
- Ride length
- ~4 min
- Height requirement
- 40" or taller
- Setting
- Outdoor
- Lightning Lane
- Lightning Lane Multi Pass
Frequently asked questions
How long is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad?
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad lasts roughly 4 minutes, not counting the wait in line.
How long is the wait for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad?
Over the last 30 days, the posted standby wait for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland Park averaged 28 minutes and peaked at 85 minutes, based on 4,102 live wait readings.
What is the best time to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad?
Based on real wait time data, the best time to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is around 8AM when average waits are 11 minutes. The worst time is 7PM with 37-minute average waits.
What is the best day to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad?
Wednesday tends to have the shortest waits for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, averaging 21 minutes.
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