For a more detailed description of everything Thunder Mesa, this is a great site.
www.omniluxe.net/wye/wre.htm
Thunder Mesa, which looms over the whole of Frontierland, is a huge complex that houses numerous interactive attractions fit for all ages.
To the left of Woody's Western Emporium lies a circular courtyard called the Frontierland Crossroads. To the left, a pathway takes guests to The Blue Bayou, flanking the pathway is The Haunted Mansion, next to the Haunted Mansion is
Boot Hill Shooting Gallery, an elaborate shooting range set amongst a haunted cemetary that shares a border with The Blue Bayou and Thunder Mesa, to the right of Boot Hill is the pathway leading to Thunder Mesa, and finally, to the right of the path is the docking area for the Mark Twain Riverboat as well as the Disneyland Band Stand.
The pathway between the shooting range and the dock takes guests right into the heart of the old west.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad provides as the center piece of the range, but whereas previous incarnations of the attraction block the entire backside of Frontierland, this mountain dares guests to explore the backwaters of the Rivers of America and the attractions that lie behind it.
Surrounding BTMR is a more calmer railroad...
The Walt Disney World Railroad, which winds around the mountain before returning to its more traditional course. Guests riding the railroad will ride past bubbling pots, a natural bridge, an arid desert, the flooded mining town, and prickly cacti.
Located between Boot Hill Cemetary and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a new addition to the Disney mountain range:
Geyser Mountain, which takes guests on a wild mine ride through the caverns of the mesa before being shot up through a bubbling geyser. To reach the attraction, guests must trapse through the half-flooded town of Tumbleweed, which was sunk by a massive flash flood caused by the destruction of the mountainside.
To the right of Big Thunder Mountain is the
Western River Expedition, which takes viewers on a Pirates of the Caribbeanesque ride through the waterways that flow in and around the mesa. Riders encounter a bank robbery, an Indian camp, wild Banditos, prairie dogs and buffalo, a dry gulch, the refugee townspeople of Tumbleweed, and a wild but mild waterfall drop that deposits guests into the Rivers of America.
Located outside the que area for the Western River Expedition is one of two docks that take put guests on a raft to
Tom Sawyer Island.
Between the que for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and the Western River Expedition is a pathway leading to the backside of the mountain. Here, guests pass a beautiful painted desert, before reaching a heavily wooded area. After a small trip through the woods, guests reach Jamestown, a large fort community containing Davy Crockett's Tavern, a craftsman's outpost, a gift shop, and the que area for the Rainbow Mountain Stagecoaches, which take guests on a pleasant journey into a wooded mountain area meant to evoke the ethereal beauty of the Appalachian Mountains (where I hail from... sortof). On your journey, your guide will inform you of the legend of
Rainbow Mountain, which is said to guard a mythical Indian village located in the lee of its shadow. Travelers eventually discover the mountain as well as evidence of the village, but in order to reach the home of the Indians, they must brave the
Rainbow Mountain Trails. To reach the trails, one must take a pathway near the que for the Stagecoaches. One trail (meant for more intrepid hikers) will take guests up and around the mountain and down into
Chief Powhatan's Indian Village, home of the legendary Pocahontas. The other path will take guests to Fowler's Harbour, where the Mike Fink Keel Boats can be found, which take a trip along the waters of the Rivers of America. Davy Crockett Canoes are also offers. For those taking the keelboat adventure, you will join Mike Fink, the legendary river pirate on a quest to pilage the Sailing Ship Columbia. If you choose to go with Crockett, you are on a daring mission to thwart Fink's plan and save the innocent passangers aboard the ship. On your journey around the river, guests pass Chief Powhatan's Indian Village, numerous wildlife, and even the Sailing Ship Columbia, which makes port in Liberty Street.
Thanks for reading. Up next is
Chief Powhatan's Indian Village. :king: