First timer at the Fort

[KristinU]

All 4 of us have bikes... We enjoy riding them The kids will be 12 and 15. They'll prob roam the campground like they own it LOL. The crazy protective mom in me wants to be close enough to know a generalized area they should be in...

We have visited the fort but never camped. Hard for me to put in perspective just how big the park is. I don't want them having to ride from one end to the other to "hang out"... Really appreciate everyone's advice on the loops I should request... Very helpful advice!!

Perfect ages!

And I know everyone's protective level is different and every kid's sense of independence is different, but for reference - last year when my DS was nearly 11 we let him ride his bike to the arcades and gift shops at both the Settlement and Meadows by himself (during daylight, with his phone, always with a helmet) from the 400 loop. This was after riding around for a few days together as a family to ensure he knew the lay of the land. Having his charging privileges on his magic band and being able to choose snacks for the family was really a pretty cool thing for him. Oh, and we also let him ride (again daylight, phone, helmet) from our site on the 400 loop to the site my parents were on in 1600.

 

[landryfam]

Perfect ages!

And I know everyone's protective level is different and every kid's sense of independence is different, but for reference - last year when my DS was nearly 11 we let him ride his bike to the arcades and gift shops at both the Settlement and Meadows by himself (during daylight, with his phone, always with a helmet) from the 400 loop. This was after riding around for a few days together as a family to ensure he knew the lay of the land. Having his charging privileges on his magic band and being able to choose snacks for the family was really a pretty cool thing for him. Oh, and we also let him ride (again daylight, phone, helmet) from our site on the 400 loop to the site my parents were on in 1600.

Lol... I'm doing better with letting them go. Always feel safer if they stick together! The hubs is usually the relaxed one but now he is the protective one; our girl is getting to dating age and think he's trying to put her on lockdown LOL

How far is the marina to the outpost? 1 mile? X minutes? I know the campground is huge but trying to mentally understand if things are really far apart or closer than I imagine

 

[PaHunter]

Lol... I'm doing better with letting them go. Always feel safer if they stick together! The hubs is usually the relaxed one but now he is the protective one; our girl is getting to dating age and think he's trying to put her on lockdown LOL

How far is the marina to the outpost? 1 mile? X minutes? I know the campground is huge but trying to mentally understand if things are really far apart or closer than I imagine

It's a lot closer than one would imagine. It is a mile from the check in area to the marina. Now that is a straight line distance. We saw kids biking all over the fort last Feb, our nephew was out walking around the loop and making new friends. Enjoy it's Disney.

 

[tltay2005]

If you are leaning towards the full hook up, they are all close to the pool and movie area. We just got home today and rode our bikes there daily. We have a cart, but preferred our bikes since it was so close. Also a short ride to the marina and Trails End. We were in 1600 loop, but for our next trip we are requesting the 1700 loop.

 

[peg110]

If you are leaning towards the full hook up, they are all close to the pool and movie area. We just got home today and rode our bikes there daily. We have a cart, but preferred our bikes since it was so close. Also a short ride to the marina and Trails End. We were in 1600 loop, but for our next trip we are requesting the 1700 loop.

Not sure of what your definition of close is but while the 1600 loop is reasonably close in that it's a relatively short walk, I think depending on where you are in the loop it, it can be a "Hike" (especially if you have little ones). This can be particularly true when are in the back reaches of the 1800 or 1900 loops.

Just as a reference to help with "Estimation" here is a map of the fort (granted it's older)
http://www.disneydrawingboard.com/WDW/MKArea/Fort Wilderness/OldFortWildernessMap.gif
Essentially from the front of the fort at the Outpost to the back by the Settlement it's about 1 mile (as the crow flies)

Loops designations are as follows:
Loop 100 - Preferred
Loop 200 - Preferred
Loop 300 - Preferred (Pet friendly loop)
Loop 400 - Premium (Pet friendly loop)
Loop 500 - Premium (Pet friendly loop)
Loop 600 - Premium (Pet friendly loop)
Loop 700 - Premium (Pet friendly loop)
Loop 800 - Premium (Pet friendly loop)
Loop 900 - Premium (Pet friendly loop)
Loop 1000 - Premium
Loop 1100 - Premium
Loop 1200 - Premium
Loop 1300 - Premium
Loop 1400 - Premium
Loop 1500 - Partial
Loop 1600 - Full (Pet friendly loop)
Loop 1700 - Full (Pet friendly loop)
Loop 1800 - Full (Pet friendly loop)
Loop 1900 - Full (Pet friendly loop)
Loop 2000 - Partial

 

[FtW Mike]

Here is my 2 cents take it or leave it.
We needed pet loop and our TA got us in 1800 loop site 1811 (Full Hook up) for us it was perfect. Canal area right opposite us so extra convenient for walking our 2 dogs. Site held our 37 ft RV ( 2 Slides ) no problem.
We had our bikes so going to Meadow Complex Ie pool, campfire program, Bike Barn Play Ground ect. Was an easy 5 Min ride for us Hint Bike Barn had an air hose that was avail as both our bikes had gotten flats due to cold
We loved the loop and have asked to be there again this year. Added attraction this is where a flock of turkeys came across the canal every day and drovenone of our cat nuts but then again he is our special needs furbaby