The first big addition was the Fort Wilderness Railroad, which soft opened in Spring 1973. In the years that followed, Fort Wilderness would expand considerably. The campground debuted with 232 campsites as well as Tri Circle D Ranch, which was primarily constructed as a convenient location for horses in the parades at Magic Kingdom. Similar to how Contemporary was viewed as an extension of Tomorrowland and Polynesian of Adventureland, Fort Wilderness was viewed as a counterpart to Frontierland, giving guests a way to stay in the American frontier. In fact, the land earmarked for the campground was essentially pristine wilderness as of Spring 1971 when the team arrived on-site to begin work on the project.Ĭonsequently, Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground opened on Novemover a month after Magic Kingdom and the two hotels. Unlike those hotels, it wasn’t fast-tracked to debut by opening day of Magic Kingdom. Along with the Contemporary and Polynesian, “construction” of Fort Wilderness was behind schedule in the home stretch of 1971. Unlike Magic Kingdom, Fort Wilderness did not open on October 1, 1971. We’ll also explain why it’s such a special spot that you should visit on your next Walt Disney World vacation! In this post, we’ll share history of Fort Wilderness and look at how the rustic retreat is paying tribute to 50 years with “new” entertainment, merchandise, and more. Fort Wilderness Campground is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary, being one of the original three resorts at Walt Disney World.

Magic trail boat trailer