Walt Disney World’s Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America have closed forever, but these iconic Magic Kingdom attractions live on in today’s farewell tribute from the Unofficial Guides.
Last weekend’s Independence Day celebrations hit a little differently at Walt Disney World this year, as they also marked fans’ final opportunity to visit Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America before those fundamental features of the Magic Kingdom closed down forever.
Sunday, July 6th, was the last day for guests to board the rafts and riverboats that have plied Frontierland’s waterways for over half a century. By Monday morning, the entire area had already been digitally drained—according to the map in Disney’s app—and construction walls were quickly erected around the boat landings.
Although far from an E-Ticket draw, Tom Sawyer Island and Fort Langhorn formed a great midafternoon getaway from the crowds. Tom Sawyer Island had hills to climb; a cave, windmill, and pioneer stockade (Fort Langhorn) to explore; paths to follow; and even an escape tunnel.
One of the Magic Kingdom’s better-conceived areas, and a personal pet project of Walt himself dating back to the Disneyland original, Tom Sawyer Island was underrated. It was almost a must for families with children, offering a rare in-park opportunity for safer, unstructured exploration without large crowds.
Follow along on our final visit to Tom Sawyer Island through these Instagram highlights:
Then explore the now-closed Tom Sawyer Island from your seat with this complete POV video tour:
Access to Tom Sawyer Island was by rafts, with a landing near Big Thunder Mountain. While a maximum of two rafts operated simultaneously in recent decades, during the 1970s and 1980s, up to six rafts operated at a time.
Sharing the Rivers of America with Tom’s rafts was the Liberty Belle, a riverboat originally christened the Richard F. Irvine, which was inspired by the Mark Twain steamship at Disneyland. Also known as the Liberty Square Riverboat, this large paddle-wheeler navigated the waters around Tom Sawyer Island, passing settler cabins, old mining paraphernalia, a Native American village, and a small menagerie
of animatronic wildlife.
The Liberty Belle provided a lofty view of Frontierland and Liberty Square, as well as a respite from the park’s queues, making it a good attraction for the busy middle of the day. Take a round-trip cruise aboard the riverboat with our POV video:
The entire Rivers of America area, including Tom Sawyer Island, will be redeveloped over the coming years into Piston Peak National Park, a Yellowstone-esque area inspired by the Pacific Northwest that will become home to an off-road Cars E-Ticket ride, plus some smaller offerings.
After the extreme makeover of Frontierland, a new Villains Land is promised beyond Frontierland’s current borders. Until both projects are complete, the Walt Disney World Railroad will only run a single train in shuttle mode between the Main Street and Fantasyland stations, and access to the remaining Frontierland attractions may become complicated by construction walls.
What will you miss most about Walt Disney World’s Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America? Let us know in the comments below!
For all there is to see and do at Walt Disney World, check out The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to our YouTube channel and sign up for our newsletter here. Be sure to follow us on Threads, X, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.
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