Matterhorn Bobsleds Fantasyland Disneyland
Introduction | Attraction | Touring Tips | Kids/Characters | Dining | Shopping | Interesting Facts
INTRODUCTION
Disneyland’s landmark Matterhorn Mountain is the home of the Matterhorn Bobsleds attraction — take a thrilling roller coaster ride up, down, and through Matterhorn Mountain.
ATTRACTION
The Matterhorn Bobsleds queue starts on the Tomorrowland side of the attraction, though if the line is long it can wrap around toward the Fantasyland side. The queue is entirely outdoors, although the final portion is covered. The attraction itself has two different tracks, and which one you ride depends on whether you go right or left at the turnstile when you reach the covered portion. If the timing is right you’ll be dispatched at the same time and can “race” the bobsled next to you.
The bobsleds will seat three people seated single file. Each rider is secured by a lap bar. (More Seating Photos) It’s not a very comfortable seat, especially when the ride starts bouncing around.
After leaving the boarding area the bobsled goes up hill, then comes down the mountain. There are many tight jerky turns — this is definitely not a smooth ride. Inside the mountain there are encounters with the Abominable Snowman before the bobsled eventually splashes down in the lake and proceeds to the unloading area.
TOURING TIPS
Lightning Lane access for Matterhorn Bobsleds is available with the purchase of Genie+. The standby line is usually quite long. The best time to ride is in the first hour after the park opens.
A single rider line is available, which could mean a shorter wait time.
The height requirement for this attraction is 42″.
This is a rough, jarring ride. Pregnant women and those with back and neck problems or other medical conditions should not ride.
Guests in wheelchairs or ECVs should enter through the regular queue and then go to the access gate at the boarding area, where they must transfer into the ride vehicle.
When you’re high on the mountain you’ll get brief views of Disneyland from up high — this is especially pretty at night.
The ride is about 2:15 minutes long.
Restrooms are located on the Fantasyland side next to the Alice in Wonderland ride.
KIDS AND CHARACTERS
Some kids really like the Matterhorn Bobsleds and some don’t — they may find the roaring of the Abominable Snowman to be scary.
There are no characters associated with this attraction.
DINING
The closest dining establishments are Tomorrowland Terrace in Tomorrowland and Village Haus in Fantasyland.
Disneyland Restaurants at a Glance
Menus from around the Disneyland Resort
SHOPPING
Le Petit Chalet, right next to the Matterhorn, offers Disney character t-shirts, souvenirs, and other gift items.
INTERESTING FACTS
Matterhorn Mountain is 140 feet high. It’s visible from the nearby freeway.
A Disneyland icon since June 14, 1959, this was the first steel roller coaster in the world. The Matterhorn was part of the first major expansion to take place at Disneyland park since the park’s debut in 1955. It opened along with the Disneyland Monorail and the Submarine Voyage.
The Matterhorn Bobsleds was the first roller coaster in the world to employ a tubular steel track and an electronic dispatch system which enabled more than one car at a time to be on the track.
The Disneyland Matterhorn was built to 1/100th scale of the original Matterhorn, or 147 feet versus the 14,700 feet of the original. The Matterhorn has been the highest point in Disneyland park since 1959. It is the second-highest point in the Disneyland Resort, behind the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney California Adventure park which stands 183 feet tall.
The attraction was inspired by the live-action Disney adventure film, “Third Man on the Mountain,” (which in turn was inspired by the book “Banner in the Sky”) which starred James MacArthur and Michael Rennie as mountaineers. The movie was filmed in Switzerland, on and around the real Matterhorn.
The Disneyland Skyway used to pass through Matterhorn Mountain, but the openings have been closed up.
The Matterhorn reopened in 2015 after a lengthy refurbishment, which added a much more sophisticated audio-animatronic Abominable Snowman figure.
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