Fort Wilderness Campground
Photo Tour
Photos by Brian Bennett
Campsites |
Settlement |
Meadow | Wilderness
and Cabins | Tri-Circle D Ranch
Fort Wilderness Campground Navigation
tips: The campground is located on the South shore of Bay Lake.
The check-in area (and main parking lot, etc.) is at the far South end
of the campground off of Vista Boulevard. Inside the campground
complex proper, the marina and settlement areas are up by the lake; the
meadow area is located near the middle of the campground; and the wilderness
cabins (and wilderness pool) are all located in the loops farthest to
the South.
You may want to click
here for a reference map of the campground as you go on your tour.
The map will come up in a separate window.
Fort Wilderness Campground is also home to the Tri-Circle D Ranch.
The Ranch is home to the huge Belgian horses that pull the trolleys over
at the Magic Kingdom. The Tri-Circle D (check out that name, I think
it might be the only text-based hidden Mickey at WDW) is also home to
a petting farm and a working blacksmith shop (which helps maintain the
horse equipment).
Here's the blacksmith shop. There's not much to see, unless you're
lucky enough to stop in when some work is being done. During our
visit, things were pretty quiet.
The petting farm has several different animals from goats
to peacocks.
The domestic animals are fun to watch. Plus, if you
have a little one with you, a few minutes of barnyard education - up close
and personal - can be a fun experience.
Pony Rides are available, too. The ride takes place
along a short, fenced circuit. An adult must lead the animal while
the child rides. My son's ride on Blueberry set us back $2.00, but
he's still talking about the adventure several months later... and wants
to go back and buy Blueberry and bring her home on our next trip...
He'll have to settle for another $2.00 ride.
The Belgian's are kept in a huge barn. In fact, an
addition was being made to the facility when we were there. You're
welcome to walk right into the barn to check out the gorgeous animals.
Just inside the Barn door, to the right, is a great display
of the history of horses at the Disney parks. The presentation includes
some background on the breeds of horses that are used in the parks, as
well as some trivia about their work in the Magic Kingdom.
Just a couple of closing comments here...
First, below is a picture of the trail that runs from Fort
Wilderness Campground to Wilderness Lodge. The end of the trail
is located just a stone's throw from the Ranch. If you'd like to
enjoy a walk (about 20 minutes at a moderate pace) to visit the Lodge,
perhaps to have a meal at Whispering Canyon Cafe or Artist Point, you'll
have easy access via this walkway.
Second, I would be remiss in not mentioning that River Counter (for which
I have no pictures, unfortunately) is a small water park themed along
the lines of Tom Sawyer's Mississippi River era. For guests that
are staying at sites near the Settlement and Tri-Circle D, River Country
provides a great place to swim during the day.
Campsites |
Settlement |
Meadow | Wilderness
and Cabins | Tri-Circle D Ranch
Click here to return to the Fort Wilderness
Campground "Fast Facts" Page or Fort
Wilderness Cabins "Fast Facts" Page.
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