Disneyland Rides

Rise of the Resistance is the most ambitious, most immersive, and most technically jaw-dropping attraction Walt Disney Imagineering has ever built. Before you ever step into a ride vehicle, you've already experienced a life-size Star Destroyer hangar bay, live First Order stormtroopers, a full-scale AT-AT walker, and Kylo Ren himself.

Indiana Jones Adventure is the crown jewel of Adventureland — and honestly, one of the best theme park attractions ever built, full stop. You're boarding a troop transport jeep and blasting off into the Temple of the Forbidden Eye alongside Indy himself, dodging booby traps, fire, a giant rolling boulder, and a very unhappy snake. The queue alone is worth 30 minutes of your day.

Pirates of the Caribbean is the original Disney dark ride masterpiece — the one that set the template for everything that followed. Walt Disney himself oversaw its creation, and it opened in 1967 as the last attraction he personally supervised. You drift through moonlit bayous and into a chaotic port town under siege by buccaneers.

Haunted Mansion is the quintessential Disney dark ride — spooky, witty, and endlessly detailed. You board a Doom Buggy for a guided tour through a grand manor populated by 999 happy haunts. The Disneyland version is the longest Haunted Mansion in any Disney park worldwide, with a unique outdoor section through the New Orleans bayou.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a mine train coaster through the red-rock canyons of the American Southwest — and the Disneyland version is the best Big Thunder Mountain in any Disney park on earth. Its island setting, surrounded by the Rivers of America, gives it a sense of scope the Orlando and Paris versions simply don't have.

Space Mountain has been Disneyland's signature indoor coaster since 1977. It tops out around 35 mph, but complete darkness makes every twist feel like you're flying through space with zero warning. The unique single-file seating makes it feel more personal and intense than any other version of the ride.

Tiana's Bayou Adventure is the 2024 retheme of the former Splash Mountain, set in the world of The Princess and the Frog. Guests join Princess Tiana and Louis the alligator on a Mardi Gras bayou journey that culminates in the signature 52-foot flume drop.

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is one of Disneyland's original 1955 dark rides, and it survives as the last of its kind — Disney World replaced theirs with Winnie the Pooh decades ago, making this the only Mr. Toad's Wild Ride left on earth.

Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway uses a revolutionary '2.5D' technology that blurs the boundary between two-dimensional animation and three-dimensional physical sets. You step inside a Mickey Mouse cartoon and get caught up in Goofy's runaway train — one of the most visually inventive rides Disney has built in decades.

it's a small world is one of the most beloved and culturally significant theme park attractions ever created. The Disneyland version is the original — the same attraction Walt Disney personally oversaw for the 1964 World's Fair. A gentle boat ride through 300 Audio-Animatronic children from over 100 nations.

Smugglers Run puts you in the cockpit of the actual Millennium Falcon and sends you on a smuggling run through hyperspace and asteroid fields. Every seat has a different role — pilot, gunner, or engineer — and how well your crew performs actually affects the experience.

Tom Sawyer Island is one of Disneyland's greatest hidden gems — a freely explorable island in the middle of the Rivers of America, accessible only by raft. No ride vehicles, no queues, no Lightning Lane. Walt Disney personally designed the island's layout.

Matterhorn Bobsleds was the world's first tubular steel roller coaster, opening in 1959 and directly inspiring every modern coaster that followed. You board a bobsled and race through a snow-capped alpine mountain, encountering a Yeti along the way and splashing down into an icy pool at the finale.

The Mark Twain Riverboat is a gorgeous three-deck paddlewheel steamboat that has been sailing the Rivers of America since opening day 1955. One of the most iconic and photographed sights in Disneyland.

Star Tours is a motion simulator with dozens of possible destination and storyline combinations — almost every ride-through is different. The randomized scenario system is still genius and makes it one of the best replay-value rides in any Disney park.

The Disneyland Railroad is a genuine 1.2-mile steam-powered railroad that has circled the park since opening day 1955. The Grand Canyon and Primeval World diorama tunnels are unique to Disneyland and genuinely impressive pieces of large-scale Imagineering.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is a gentle, colorful dark ride through the Hundred Acre Wood. The heffalumps and woozles dream sequence has surprisingly psychedelic energy for a Pooh ride.

Dumbo the Flying Elephant is one of Disneyland's most iconic visual experiences — soaring Dumbo cars circling above Fantasyland with riders controlling their own altitude. For toddlers and young children, this is an absolute must-do.

The Sailing Ship Columbia is a full-scale operational replica of the 18th-century merchant vessel Columbia Rediviva — the first American ship to circumnavigate the globe. A genuine piece of living maritime history at a theme park.

Storybook Land Canal Boats is one of Disneyland's best-kept secrets — a slow, guided canal boat tour through hand-crafted miniature dioramas of scenes from classic Disney films. The level of detail in these miniatures is extraordinary.

Peter Pan's Flight is a suspended dark ride where guests soar over miniaturized London and Never Land in a pirate ship hung from overhead tracks. The sensation of flying is genuinely magical. The problem is the wait time, which is almost never justified by the roughly 3-minute runtime.

Snow White's Enchanted Wish is a classic Fantasyland dark ride significantly improved by a 2021 renovation that added projection mapping, new effects, and a stunning wishing well finale. An opening-day 1955 attraction that has been lovingly maintained and updated.

Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters is Disneyland's signature interactive dark ride — board a Star Cruiser, grab a laser cannon, and shoot targets to help Buzz Lightyear defeat Emperor Zurg. The ride scores your accuracy and awards a Space Ranger rank, creating instant family competition.

Mad Tea Party is the classic spinning teacup ride themed to the Mad Hatter's unbirthday celebration from Alice in Wonderland. The spin wheel in each cup controls how dizzying the experience gets — you choose your own adventure.

Pinocchio's Daring Journey is the last major dark ride built in the original Fantasyland style. A charming trip through Pinocchio's adventures — from Geppetto's workshop through the dangers of Pleasure Island and the belly of Monstro the whale.

The Disneyland Monorail is the first daily operating monorail system in the Western Hemisphere, dating back to 1959. The Mark VII trains loop around Disneyland and pass through the Downtown Disney area, offering elevated views of the resort from above.

Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin is a spinning dark ride through the animated world of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. The ride vehicles spin freely, giving you some control over your rotation as you move through Toontown scenes.

Casey Jr. Circus Train is a classic 1955 original — the circus locomotive from Dumbo chugging through miniature Storybook Land on a small, hilly track, passing over the same dioramas that the Canal Boats explore.

Gadget's Go Coaster is the gentlest roller coaster at Disneyland — a small wooden coaster built from oversized everyday objects like acorns, matchsticks, and spools of thread. Designed specifically for young children experiencing their first coaster.

Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage places guests in a retro-futuristic submarine that descends beneath the lagoon to discover the characters from Finding Nemo living in an underwater coral reef. The submarines are real — they actually submerge — though the sea creatures appear via clever video screens.

Autopia is one of Disneyland's original 1955 opening-day attractions — a futuristic highway where kids get to drive their own car along a guided track. Pure magic for a 4-year-old, completely skippable for everyone else.