The idea for the Splash Mountain ride at Disneyland was originally conceived by Imagineer Tony Baxter while stuck in traffic in 1983. He wanted to attract guests to the often empty “Bear Country” Land in Disneyland, which at the time only featured the Country Bear Jamboree attraction. Construction began at Disneyland in April of 1987. Baxter and his team developed the concept of “Zip-a-Dee River Run,” which would incorporate scenes from the controversial movie Song of the South. The name was later changed to Splash Mountain. The ride was set to open on July 17^th, 1989. However, this had to be pushed back several months as the boats were redesigned in an effort to get guests “less wet.”

The plot of Splash Mountain is a composite of several Uncle Remus stories from Song of the South. These tell the story of Br’er Rabbit who leaves home in search of adventure. Br’er Bear and Br’er Fox are determined to catch Br’er Rabbit but are repeated tricked into letting him free. Br’er Fox eventually catches Br’er Rabbit and throws him into the briar patch (the rides big drop), which Br’er Rabbit escapes uninjured. The other animals rejoice to have Br’er Rabbit back home, while Br’er Fox and Bear are last seen barely escaping the jaws of Br’er Gator.

Splash Mountain – What You Need To Know

You WILL get wet. Sometimes very wet. Splash Mountain at Disneyland acts more like a traditional theme park log flume attraction than its counterparts. This means that the splashes are grander, and you will be getting wetter than you would riding Splash Mountain at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. And don’t underestimate the first and second “mild” drops either.

Some will say you get wetter in the front, other the back. Even Disneyland advertises that the back is the “dryer” choice. Truth is, however, there’s no safe seat on the log. The key is weight and weight distribution; the more weight in the log the wetter you’re going to get. And with Cast Members filling every seat in every log, plan on a soaking no matter where you are seated. And if there’s already inches of water in the bottom of your log consider it a warning of what’s to come.

Disneyland sells plastic ponchos for those who don’t want to get as wet. However, you’ll still get wet… and your wallet will be lighter.

The very back seat of the log at Disneyland fits two riders, if it’s an adult and child. So, if you have a young child who just made 40 inches and wants to ride, but not alone, ask to be seated in the back. You will still be getting wet, however.

The on-ride camera is located just after the crest of the big drop, and it’s on the left side of the log. So, for the best photos be prepared and look slightly down and to the left.

Don’t try and expose any, um, body parts to the Splash Mountain camera. Splash Mountain earned a reputation early on as “Flash Mountain” however, being a family park Disneyland Cast Members remove inappropriate photos before they can be viewed. And if caught you can expect a chat with the slightly less cheerful security Cast Members.

The Best Time To Ride

Being Disneyland’s only water ride, we can conclusively tell you that the worst time to ride Splash Mountain is anytime the sun is out. It can get quite warm in Anaheim, so the Splash Mountain stand-by line remains consistently between 1 and 2 hours from about an hour after opening until the sun sets. Due to this popularity, FastPass availability typically runs out in the early afternoon as well.

To ride Splash Mountain with the least amount of wait time, hit the ride first thing in the morning or wait until the crowds begin leaving after Disneyland’s evening fireworks display. Fantasmic shows will also draw guests away from Splash Mountain, leaving a short wait. Our go-to for riding Splash Mountain is to save it for the last ride of the night. And be sure to bring a change of clothes for the littles.

FastPass and Single Rider

Splash Mountain at Disneyland features both FastPass and Single Rider lines. Returning FastPass riders will check-in with the Cast Member located at the main ride entrance deep in Critter Country, directly across from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Don’t be fooled, as the standard stand-by line often stretches all the way back to New Orleans Square.

The Single Rider line for Splash Mountain is one of the more difficult to find, as it’s not well marked and not always available. If available, riders will want to walk to the end of the Critter Country pathway where a Cast Member can be found near the Splash Mountain ride exit. You’ll want to first check-in with this Cast Member, who with either direct you to a line outside the ride near the Recycling sign or will send you up the exit to the Single Rider line at the ride loading station. The Single Rider line in the loading station crosses over from the exit side to the entrance where another Cast Member will assign your seat.

Interesting Trivia To Impress Your Friends

The Splash Mountain flume is filled with 950,000 gallons of water.

Splash Mountain’s big drop is 52.5 feet and the log reaches speeds up to 40 mph.

Two other Splash Mountains exist… one at the Magic Kingdom in Florida and the other at Tokyo Disneyland. A fourth, at Disneyland Paris, was scrapped for budgetary reasons.

The Disneyland version of Splash Mountain features 100 audio-animatronic figures.

Many of these animatronics were repurposed from the classic Tomorrowland attraction, America Sings, which closed in 1988. This was reportedly done because Splash Mountain construction slid way over the initial $75-millon dollar budget.

Disney announced in 2020 that the Disneyland and Magic Kingdom versions of Splash Mountain would be rethemed to the 2009 film The Princess and the Frog. However, no specific timeframe was given.  

Pro Tip: Bring sandals to wear on Splash Mountain. A wet shirt and short can feel good on a hot day, but nothing is worse than walking miles in soggy shoes and socks. Even just the walk back to the parking lot trams can be enough to bring on the blisters.

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Splash Mountain: The Basics

• Location: Critter Country

• Type: Thrill Ride, Water Ride

• Height Requirement: 40 inches (102 cm)

• Rider Switch: Yes

• FastPass: Yes

• Single Rider: Yes

• DWD Ride Rating: 5 Mickeys

• Fun Fact: When Splash Mountain opened in 1989 it was said that the ride had greatly exceeded its budget, which was set at a staggering $75-million dollars. Adjusted for inflation, construction of the entire Disneyland park cost just $80-million ($17-million in 1955).

Updated: July 22^nd, 2021