We’ve got some new aerial photos of the Piston Peak National Park construction site thanks to friend of the site Bioreconstruct. The new photos showcase the ongoing construction of a retaining wall that will define the water feature that will wind along the southern perimeter of the new area. Here’s a look at the latest work, along with a discussion of what to expect from the next phase of work.
New Aerial Photos of Piston Peak National Park
To get an idea of what we’re looking at, we’ll start with a look at the fun map, followed by a highlighted portion of the stream that is taking shape. The fun map is the latest piece of artwork that we have for Piston Peak National Park. While concept art was released back in August 2024, the fun map was released in June 2025, offering a new look at the current plans for the area.
Of interest to us for this article is the waterway that runs along the southern edge of Piston Peak National Park. This new stream will start with some geysers near Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, flowing past Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and continuing along the Frontierland boardwalk. While Disney has used the term “roaring rivers” to describe Piston Peak National Park, the area along the boardwalk will contain “calming waterways”, as seen in the description below (emphasis added by BlogMickey.com):
From the outside, trees will provide a natural barrier between the off-road rally and other parts of Frontierland and Liberty Square. Rugged mountains with dramatic peaks will be nestled along a calming waterway across from Grizzly Hall and soaring geysers from the famed Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will stretch into the trails of our off-road rally. 
Ok, so what is Disney doing right now? As we have been exclusively reporting since early February, Disney is working on shaping that border stream. The early work that we covered in February included shaping one side of the stream. At first, the work was focused on creating a foundation for the retaining wall to sit on. Now, guests are able to see the retaining wall peek out above the construction walls, and new aerial photos reveal the latest progress.
In the first few photos below, we can see an overview of the diamond-shaped area that will become Piston Peak National Park. Actually, the first photo below is perfectly cropped to show the Piston Peak National Park boundaries. We’ve often described the separation between Piston Peak and the upcoming Villains Land as being an imaginary line between Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and the Haunted Mansion. The extreme right side of the image immediately below shows that imaginary line.
Continuing on, we can see that work is focused on the western side of the Piston Peak National Park site, near Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Big Thunder is currently closed to guests as part of a 16-month refurbishment. The attraction is expected to reopen in early May, which is likely why Disney is trying to complete work closest to Big Thunder first.
In this third overview image, we can see the foundation work for the retaining wall continuing to snake along the Frontierland boardwalk. Ultimately, we expect that the stream will end somewhere near the former Liberty Belle Riverboat dock area in the upper middle of the image below.
These next couple of photos will offer a closer look at the retaining wall. This wall stretches higher than it would need to just hold water. It’s possible that we’ll see some theming elements added to this wall at some point. That said, we believe that the primary function of this wall is to define the edge of the “calming waterway”.
So, what’s next for the project? Dirt. Lots of dirt. Once the retaining wall is in place, Disney can begin filling the non-stream side of the wall with dirt. Disney will need to create a new grade from which to build on. Once the dirt is in place, Disney can begin infrastructure work. From there, we’ll start to see foundations for the attractions and experiences within Piston Peak National Park take shape.
Here’s a look at the anticipated footprint of two of the foundations that will be built to support attractions within Piston Peak National Park. Once the retaining wall is complete, and dirt has been filled to create a new grade, Disney can begin work on these two structures.
For everything we know about the Cars-themed expansion to Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland, check out our dedicated project page below!
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
Wonderful! But I think you have the direction of the river backwards. Seemingly it would “start” near the liberty Belle as that is where the waterfall coming from the mountain and the source of the river is and would wind towards Thunder Mountain increasing in width as river naturally does.
No, the creek or river will be flowing downward on the left side of the mountains, and will meet with the waterfall near the old riverboat dock. They are separate and converging streams of water. You can see this in both versions of the concept art.