Credit: Inside The MagicA historic Disney attraction has been removed from the list of approved rides for millions of families until further notice.
Disney Attraction Removed From List of Approved Rides for Families (but Not for Long)
Disneyland visitors arriving this week will find one of the park’s most recognizable mountains open only for photographs.
Matterhorn Bobsleds closed for refurbishment Monday, July 20, removing the historic Fantasyland coaster from the attraction lineup during four scheduled operating days. The interruption is expected to be short: the ride is currently scheduled to reopen Friday, July 24.
That means guests visiting Disneyland from July 20 through July 23 should plan on confronting the Matterhorn’s Abominable Snowman another time. This is a scheduled refurbishment—not an unexpected breakdown, announced permanent closure, or extended overhaul.
Disneyland Blocks Access to Matterhorn Bobsleds
The official Matterhorn Bobsleds attraction page currently displays no operating times and states that the ride is “closed for refurbishment.”
A sign positioned outside the attraction told guests, “Our bobsled runs are currently undergoing improvements. Please enjoy other Fantasyland attractions.”
The wording confirms work is underway, but it does not explain what Disneyland is improving. Disney has not publicly identified repairs, new effects, track work, vehicle changes, or alterations to either of the attraction’s two routes.
With such a short closure window, guests should temper expectations about finding a visibly transformed mountain on Friday. The schedule is more consistent with concentrated maintenance than a substantial reimagining, although that remains an interpretation rather than something Disney has confirmed.
Who Will Actually Be Affected?
The immediate impact is tightly limited but still significant for anyone whose Disneyland visit falls exclusively within the four-day closure.
Matterhorn Bobsleds is not duplicated across the resort. Guests cannot cross the esplanade to find another version at Disney California Adventure, nor can they experience it at another Disney destination on a future trip. According to Disney, the attraction remains the only Matterhorn mountain at any Disney park.
Visitors affected by the closure will also have one fewer Lightning Lane attraction available inside Disneyland Park. Guests purchasing a multi-attraction Lightning Lane product should review the day’s participating lineup in the Disneyland app rather than assuming every normally eligible ride will be operating.
Disneyland’s posted schedules are also subject to change. July 24 is the expected return date, not a guarantee that the attraction will begin operating at park opening or remain available without interruption throughout the day. Anyone visiting specifically for the Matterhorn should check the app before entering the queue—or before building an entire morning around it.
A Four-Day Closure Carries Decades of History
The unusually short refurbishment may be routine, but the attraction receiving attention is anything but ordinary.
Matterhorn Bobsleds opened June 14, 1959, alongside the Disneyland Monorail and Submarine Voyage as part of Disneyland’s first substantial expansion following the park’s 1955 debut. In a Disney Parks Blog retrospective, Disney identified it as the first roller coaster in the world to employ a tubular-steel track.
That engineering choice helped establish the model used by generations of modern steel coasters. The attraction’s 147-foot mountain also became a defining piece of Disneyland’s skyline, positioned between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland.
Its experience has evolved over the decades. The Abominable Snowman arrived in 1978 and received redesigned figures in 2015. Yet the essential premise remains wonderfully direct: six guests board an alpine sled, climb into the mountain, race through caves and snowy chutes, and attempt to escape the creature guarding the peak.
That mixture of mechanical history, physical intensity, and old-school Disneyland strangeness explains why even a four-day absence is noticeable. The mountain is still standing over the park, but the growls, waterfalls, and bobsleds have temporarily stopped beneath it.
What Disneyland Guests Should Watch Next
Barring a schedule change, Matterhorn Bobsleds should be unavailable through Thursday and return Friday, July 24.
What guests should not expect—at least without further evidence—is a dramatically different attraction. Disneyland has announced a refurbishment and the posted sign mentions improvements, but neither source specifies what work is being completed.
The responsible conclusion is narrower: Disneyland has set aside four summer operating days to work on one of its oldest and most historically important rides. For guests visiting this week, the timing is disappointing. For everyone arriving Friday or later, the mountain should be growling again soon.
