Wilderness Swamp Nature Trail

[dale62676]

Hey all, newbie here. I've been camping at FW since 1978, so many memories there! I'll be there with the fam this coming week, and I've known that swimming in Bay Lake has been closed for a while (darn those brain eating amoebas!), but does anyone know when (and why) the wilderness swamp trail has been closed? I suspect it was downed trees from hurricanes, last time I checked the trail it was pretty bad and not cleared. But I still can't think of a better spot in all of WDW where the trail became a mangrove boardwalk out over Bay Lake. So sad it's closed!

P.S. I'm also a big FWRR fan. I don't have many memories of it, but I have pics of me as a toddler riding it.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

The last time I was on when it was opened, the boardwalk was getting pretty rotten in places. That combined with a hurricane that downed a few trees on it did it in. I guess it was just too expensive for Disney to repair and maintain an attraction that brings in no revenue.

 

[BigDaddyRog]

Last May....I thought I was gonna walk the trail despite the weather damage and lack of upkeep...seemed like a real adventure, and besides.....its freakin Disney, how bad could it be? I walked what probably equaled about a block and a half....and noticed the bugs were getting larger and louder, the leaves surrounding me were starting to rustle without a breeze. Im a big guy....takes alot to scare me....I take it maybe another half a block in and pause for just a moment,....look around to be aware of my surroundings.......turned around and got the hell out of there!!! It was truelly SPOOKY, there was absolutley no sign of a trail any longer, and in as short of a distance of about 2 blocks....there was not even the slightest sign of civilization, I honestly got scared to go any further!!! Now, I know Im gonna get razzed from some of you guys who have spent weeks upon weeks walking through the jungles of foriegn countries, and Im ok with that. As far as Im concerned, Disney is as foriegn of a country as I will ever wanna go jungle trekking through....ya never know, there could have been some rogue, runnaway animatronic living in the swamp trail area that was JUST ABOUT to jump out and eat me when I turned and hauled butt back to the trail....and you know at my size, when I haul butt......I have to make 2 trips!!!!! Stay off of that trail....theirs horrible things waiting for you in there!

 

[ftwildernessguy]

Last May....I thought I was gonna walk the trail despite the weather damage and lack of upkeep...seemed like a real adventure, and besides.....its freakin Disney, how bad could it be? I walked what probably equaled about a block and a half....and noticed the bugs were getting larger and louder, the leaves surrounding me were starting to rustle without a breeze. Im a big guy....takes alot to scare me....I take it maybe another half a block in and pause for just a moment,....look around to be aware of my surroundings.......turned around and got the hell out of there!!! It was truelly SPOOKY, there was absolutley no sign of a trail any longer, and in as short of a distance of about 2 blocks....there was not even the slightest sign of civilization, I honestly got scared to go any further!!! Now, I know Im gonna get razzed from some of you guys who have spent weeks upon weeks walking through the jungles of foriegn countries, and Im ok with that. As far as Im concerned, Disney is as foriegn of a country as I will ever wanna go jungle trekking through....ya never know, there could have been some rogue, runnaway animatronic living in the swamp trail area that was JUST ABOUT to jump out and eat me when I turned and hauled butt back to the trail....and you know at my size, when I haul butt......I have to make 2 trips!!!!! Stay off of that trail....theirs horrible things waiting for you in there!

Hey, are you the guy who wrote the dialogue for Splash Mountain?

 

[John VN]

There was virtually no sign of the trail last weekend. Nature is consuming it as she most often does in Fl. when things are not maintained by man.

 

[ntsammy5]

The otters hold their keggers there!

 

[dale62676]

Now, I know Im gonna get razzed from some of you guys who have spent weeks upon weeks walking through the jungles of foriegn countries, and Im ok with that. As far as Im concerned, Disney is as foriegn of a country as I will ever wanna go jungle trekking through....ya never know, there could have been some rogue, runnaway animatronic living in the swamp trail area that was JUST ABOUT to jump out and eat me when I turned and hauled butt back to the trail....and you know at my size, when I haul butt......I have to make 2 trips!!!!! Stay off of that trail....theirs horrible things waiting for you in there!

OMG, me too! I've actually trekked through Cambodia to visit the lost city of Angkor Wat, and I wasn't nearly as freaked out by the weird creepy crawlies as those I saw last time I walked the Wildnerness Swamp trail! The boardwalk seriously was like that bridge scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, you never knew which rotten wooden board would give way and fall into the swamp. And then the scene in the tunnel with all the bugs, there were some things crawling around on the trail I have no description for!
I still kinda wish Disney repaired it, especially with Disney's interest in Enviromentality.

 

[Louisianafive]

It seems that Disney would want to board that up for safety reasons - It does sound interesting...............Where would one find this?

 

[F4disneyfan]

Hey all, newbie here. I've been camping at FW since 1978, so many memories there! I'll be there with the fam this coming week, and I've known that swimming in Bay Lake has been closed for a while (darn those brain eating amoebas!), but does anyone know when (and why) the wilderness swamp trail has been closed? I suspect it was downed trees from hurricanes, last time I checked the trail it was pretty bad and not cleared. But I still can't think of a better spot in all of WDW where the trail became a mangrove boardwalk out over Bay Lake. So sad it's closed!

P.S. I'm also a big FWRR fan. I don't have many memories of it, but I have pics of me as a toddler riding it.

My wife and I walked this trail in 98 on our honeymoon it was incredible. We saw lots of fish swimming inthe shallows along with some aligators hanging out in the area. In 99 when we went it was open but all teh water had receeded from that area so it was just dirt and mud. When we went back on 00 or 01 can't rmember now but is was closed on that trip.

 

[LONE-STAR]

In 2003 me the DW and my brother in law tore through there on our bikes and it looked liked it should have been condemned back then. I felt safer at my buddies deer lease (but there we have guns)

 

[DisCamper]

Here it the swamp trail as of two years ago

 

[F4disneyfan]

Those are great pictures DisCamper how did you manage to get out there 2 years ago? Did you make it any further our towards the canopy cover there used to be a bench or 2 along that portion. The wife and I sat there and fed the Brim and some small largemouth on our honeymoon it was a great place to walk around.

 

[Louisianafive]

Is there anyway to petition Disney to have this reopened?

 

[dale62676]

Those are amazing pictures of the trail! You can really see how the hurricanes toppled so many trees in there. Thanks for sharing, brings back some good memories!

 

[GOBA Mom Lynn]

The pictures make it looks so, I don't know, adventurous. Almost like a real-life Swiss Family Robinson. Now there's an idea.... Or since they've started MNSSHP, a haunted hike at FW....

 

[MadFF]

Dang, those pictures are neat! So... where exactly is this trail that I'm not supposed to know about??

 

[ftwildernessguy]

The entrance is behind the Settlement Trading Post. There is a marked trail there that takes you back where the haunted hay ride used to go. Go over the bridge over the canal towards the small cabin, and the boardwalk entrance is in the woods.

 

[BigDaddyRog]

Its just to the right of the little cabin across the canal from the rear of the 300 loop.....but seriously, it can be potentially dangerous.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

BDR- nice job on the map!

On the Microsoft Virtual Earth website, if you choose bird's eye view, you can see the boardwalk portion of the trail:

I visited the trail often, and I saw it in worse shape than the photos that were posted above. It was in very, very bad shape the last time I saw it.

On my last visit earlier this year, I could no longer find the path leading to the boardwalk.

I believe that the boardwalk has been removed.

I will investigate this when I visit next month, and will give you all a report.

TCD

 

[BigDaddyRog]

Do you guys know if they allowed fishing from the boardwalk? It LOOKS like it would have been a good spot to waste a couple of hours!!!