Disneyland’s four tallest structures, known as the Disney Mountain Range, include Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Matterhorn, and Splash Mountain. Each mountain has a unique construction and houses popular attractions such as roller coasters and log flume rides. The Matterhorn was the first mountain built, modeled after a Swiss mountain and featuring the world’s first tubular steel roller coaster. Space Mountain is a futuristic indoor coaster, while Big Thunder Mountain is a high-speed mine train ride through a desert hill. Splash Mountain is a slow log flume ride based on Disney’s Song of the South. These mountains are some of Disneyland’s most beloved attractions.
The Disney Mountain Range is a term used to refer to the four tallest structures at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Each mountain is unique in construction and each provides the setting for one of Disney’s most popular attractions. Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and Matterhorn all house high-speed roller coasters, while Splash Mountain contains a log flume ride with a tremendous drop.
The first in the Disney mountain range was the Matterhorn, completed in 1959. After a visit to Switzerland, Walt Disney was determined to build a replica of the real Matterhorn, an approximately 14691-foot (4478 m.) Swiss mountain The added roller coaster, called Matterhorn Bobsleds, was the world’s first tubular steel roller coaster, featuring waterfalls and a terrifying Yeti. Originally, the gondolas for the Skyway also passed through the mountain, allowing for a leisurely view of the alpine features. For many years, an employee-added basketball court resided near the top of the facility, used by cast members who had to climb the mountain for performances; unfortunately the court no longer exists.
Disney’s second mountain took riders far above the height of the Matterhorn, all the way to outer space. Space Mountain, a towering, futuristic flat-topped pyramid that dominates the Tomorrowland skyline, became one of the world’s first indoor roller coasters when it opened in 1977. Riders hurtle through a pitch-dark environment filled with fields of stars, supernovae, and meteors that sometimes look eerily like chocolate chip cookies. The dark environment adds to the disorientation, making the ride seem much faster and more intense than its modest actual proportions indicate.
Big Thunder Mountain, the third member of the Disney mountain range, had evolved through a variety of different settings in the Old West Frontierland. When the roller coaster was added in 1979, the mountain was updated to its present appearance, a desert hill based on the thin, weathered rock formations of Utah and the Southwestern United States. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad’s high-speed mine train ride was a high-speed adaptation of earlier mine train rides.
The latest addition to the Disney mountain range is Splash Mountain, a slow flowing mountain log that packs a huge trailing punch. Based on fairy tales from the Disney film Song of the South, the ride incorporates characters from southern stories, including Br’er Rabbit and Br’er Bear. Visitors to this Disney mountain tour are logged through spectacular animatronic scenes featuring dancing and singing animals, before taking a whopping 52-foot (15.8m) drop into a very, very cold pool. If you dare to ride Splash Mountain, be prepared to get completely wet.
The striking features of the Disney mountain range give the park some of its best landmarks and best rides. With mountains that can take you far into space, to the snow-tops of Switzerland, pioneer the Old West, and even make you sing and get wet, Disneyland’s big rides are some of the park’s most beloved attractions. None of them should be missing from any Disneyland fan.
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