Facts

• Set in a Southwestern landscape, reminiscent of the brilliantly colored wind-swept scenery found in Arizona's Monument Valley, the attraction is punctuated by narrow gorges, tunnels, caverns and dry river beds.
• Imagineers scoured ghost towns out west in search of antique cogwheels, buckets, ore carts and mining gear to add to its authenticity.
• Passengers climb aboard a 15-row train that ventures to the mountain's peak. At 197 feet above sea level, Big Thunder is currently the tallest mountain at Walt Disney World Resort.
• It took years of planning, hundreds of rock makers, tons of steel and concrete, 4,000 gallons of paint and 900,000 gallons of water to create realistic red rock buttes and mine buildings.
• Favorite western melodies can be heard throughout the ride, including "Oh, My Darling Clementine," "Home on the Range," "Little Brown Jug," "Red River Valley" and "Turkey in the Straw."