Mike Fink Keel Boat Landing demolished as Magic Kingdom Piston Peak construction advances
The historic Mike Fink Keel Boat Landing has been completely demolished at Magic Kingdom as part of the ongoing Piston Peak National Park construction project. The landing, which hosted an opening day Liberty Square attraction, has been entirely removed from the former Rivers of America area between Liberty Square and Frontierland.
What happened to the Mike Fink Keel Boat Landing?
Construction crews have finished demolishing the entire Mike Fink Keel Boat Landing structure. The boats themselves were an opening day Liberty Square attraction that closed permanently in 2001, but the landing continued to serve park operations for more than two decades afterwards.
More recently, the upper landing area functioned as an extended queue space for the Haunted Mansion during busy periods. With the demolition now complete, this overflow queuing option is no longer available to guests visiting the attraction.
How does this affect current Magic Kingdom operations?
The removal of the Mike Fink Keel Boat Landing eliminates a piece of Magic Kingdom's opening day history. Guests who remember the original attraction or used the area as part of Haunted Mansion queuing will find the space completely transformed.
The Haunted Mansion itself remains operational despite ongoing refurbishment work, with scaffolding and roofing repairs currently visible around the attraction. However, the loss of the extended queue area may affect crowd flow during peak visiting periods.
What construction is happening in the area?
The Mike Fink Keel Boat Landing demolition forms part of the broader construction replacing the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island with Piston Peak National Park. MLC Theming has been contracted for general construction work at the site.
Construction crews are building a large white concrete retaining wall near the former riverbank. The specific timeline for this Piston Peak National Park construction progress at Magic Kingdom remains unconfirmed, with Disney yet to announce opening dates for the new Cars-themed area.
Additional closures are planned for the surrounding area, with Westward Ho and Big Al's both set to close permanently soon, though exact closure dates have not been confirmed.
