In a surprise turn of events, water has returned to the Rivers of America at Magic Kingdom Park. After being drained this summer for construction work on the new Piston Peak National Park area, the waterway around Tom Sawyer Island has been refilled. This unexpected development comes as Disney continues its efforts to transform Frontierland for the upcoming Cars (2006)-themed Piston Peak National Park.
Walt Disney World Resort first announced these major changes during the D23 Expo 2024. The Piston Peak National Park project, inspired by America’s national parks, will incorporate several existing features from the Rivers of America, including iconic barrel bridges. The new area will feature two attractions: a thrilling rally race and a family-friendly ride.
Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and the Liberty Square Riverboat welcomed their final guests on July 6, 2025. In the weeks that followed, crews drained the Rivers of America, and Disney Park guests spotted Imagineers surveying Tom Sawyer Island, tagging props for either destruction or preservation. Once the river was dry, crews began removing sections of the former Liberty Square Riverboat tracks.
But Mother Nature had different plans. According to several reports from Disney Park guests, heavy rainfall in Central Florida recently caused the Rivers of America to refill on its own.
“Water has been re-added to the Rivers of America, we won!” @bigthunderzac wrote on X (formerly Twitter), sharing a video of the river’s “return.”
Sadly, it won’t be long before Magic Kingdom Park guests won’t be able to see the waterway at all. The scaffolding in the video is just the beginning, with taller barricades expected to go up soon to block views of the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island as demolition begins for the new Cars attractions.
Walt Disney World Resort has yet to issue an official statement on the ongoing changes or the delays with the Piston Peak National Park project. It’s likely that crews will install new infrastructure to prevent future water pooling and continue with construction.
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