Trail’s End at Fort Wilderness is Closed.
Walt Disney World announced that Trail’s End at Fort Wilderness Campground will close in Spring 2023 for refurbishment and reimagining. In this post, we share details plus commentary about our disappointment and the delicate balance between nostalgia and casual guest feedback. (Updated April 22, 2023.)
Trail’s End is now officially closed, with the following appearing on its DisneyWorld.com page: “Trail’s End Restaurant is closed for refurbishment and will reopen in summer 2023. During this time, P&J’s Southern Takeout mobile ordering and The Chuck Wagon food truck are available.”
This closure was not announced in advance by Walt Disney World to the public. There was a statement put out to the media, which was identical to that released to Cast Members at Fort Wilderness. Even that didn’t indicate an official closing date; one was surmised by the (lack of) posted hours and (lack of) ADR availability for Trail’s End. What follows is the original news and our commentary about the closure of Trail’s End…
April 22, 2023 Update: Only a few days after closing, Walt Disney World announced New DVC Cabins Coming to Fort Wilderness Campground. The proposed plans call for more than 350 new cabins to replace the existing cabins at the resort, which will soon be ready for a refresh. The new cabins would be built with an eye toward the environment, utilizing the footprint of the existing cabins and taking advantage of more energy-efficient features.
Additionally, there are a collection of improvement projects already underway at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground that are designed to enhance the guest experience. Examples include proposed pool and walking trail enhancements as well as new expanded dining experiences at Trail’s End Restaurant and Crockett’s Tavern, with more exciting news to come.
It’s now obvious that the closure of Trail’s End is one such “collection of improvement projects” at Fort Wilderness. As will be made clear in this post, we have a tremendous amount of nostalgia and memories for the Trail’s End buffet. However, we also recognize that Fort Wilderness is in serious need of more practical dining options and amenities for serve guest needs and preferences, and this could be a step in that direction.
Our sincere hope is that Imagineering undertakes these updates with care, and in keeping with the character and charm that makes Fort Wilderness such a special place. The campground is beloved by its many fans for its quirkiness. It does need a modernized food court; it does not need one with generic, bland, and uninspired design. Keep Fort Wilderness Weird, Disney.
Walt Disney World has lost something special. We once described Trail’s End as the kind of joint where Chuck Norris and Sarah Connor arm wrestle as the “World’s Most Interesting Man” lies on the floor passed out from moonshine (his drink of choice now that he realized Dos Equis sucks) while Cool Hand Luke and Conan the Barbarian snap selfies with that glorious restroom mural. Trail’s End doesn’t need a ‘secret’ S.E.A. room because The League of Extraordinary Badasses who patronize Trail’s End are egalitarians who dine among the people.
It’s not just fictional film characters who seek sanctuary and shenanigans at Trail’s End. We once saw Baby Sinclair bopping Big Al over the head with a frying pan while he and Sam Eagle were debating the most patriotic dessert. (Bacon-topped doughnut sundae with maple syrup.) None of that is hyperbole–all of that stuff actually happens on a daily basis at Trail’s End, one of Walt Disney World’s hidden gem table service restaurants. Or should I say, happened at Trail’s End.
Up until closing in March 2020, those type of hijinks occurred on the regular at Trail’s End. It was an unpretentious all-you-can-eat buffet consisting of a formidable lineup of comfort food favorites, running the culinary spectrum from ‘potato’ to ‘fried’ to ‘pork’ to ‘dessert.’ Trail’s End was a fever dream of decadence and deliciousness and old timey atmosphere, the quintessential eatery of the original Vacation Kingdom of the World.
I could ramble on and on, and have done exactly that in our three different reviews of Trail’s End (here, here and here). The problems with that are two-fold. One, words cannot do it justice. Trail’s End is one of those if you know, you know type of things. It was lightning in a bottle, the whole being so much more than the sum of its parts. Reading a review today might prompt a “that’s it?” reaction, but I can assure you…that most definitely was not it.
The more prominent problem is that this is all past-tense. When it finally reopened, Trail’s End returned as a family-style restaurant with a perplexing menu that swapped out fan favorites for uninspired options that were similar to other modified menus of the phased reopening era. We and other Trail’s End fans railed against this, but sadly, our voices were not as loud as ‘Ohana noodle aficionados.
We didn’t mince words denouncing the modified menu, and refrained from doing the family-style meal at Trail’s End as a matter of principle. Nevertheless, we held out hope that the regular meal service would return alongside Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue. After all, the two share a kitchen and previously had partially overlapping menus. It only made sense to restore the former glory of Trail’s End when that dinner show returned last summer. Sadly, that never occurred.
We’ve continued to hold out hope since then, assuming that Trail’s End diehards were likewise rejecting this family-style meal service. With each new announcement of restaurants returning to normal buffet service, we figured Trail’s End wouldn’t be far behind. Now we know that won’t be the case.
Walt Disney World has announced that Trail’s End Restaurant is going to close for refurbishment sometime in Spring 2023. There are currently available Advance Dining Reservations for both breakfast and dinner through April 2023, so it doesn’t appear it’ll close before then.
Trail’s End does not have hours scheduled starting April 17, so it appears that the restaurant will close after the peak of spring break season, which ends on that Monday. Accordingly, the last day of operations for Trail’s End at Fort Wilderness appears to be April 16, 2023. This has yet to be officially confirmed by Walt Disney World and is subject to change.
In any case, the location that’s currently Trail’s End will reopen later in 2023 as a “marketplace concept with expanded quick service options” according to journalist and Disney insider Scott Gustin. Train’s End will no longer by a table service restaurant. (For those curious, the connected Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue will not be impacted.)
From what we understand, the decision to transform Trail’s End from a table service restaurant to a marketplace is in response to common feedback from guests who stay at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. That’s probably a long time coming, and should perhaps be unsurprising given the proliferation of food trucks at Fort Wilderness over the last several years.
For me, Trail’s End is a good representative example of the chasm between regular guests and diehard Walt Disney World fans. This is something we’ve touched upon from time to time when it comes to resort room reimaginings, but it’s worth discussing in greater depth here.
Normally, we’re skeptical of Disney using the lines “by popular guest demand” or “in response to feedback from our guests” as shields to justify unpopular decisions. It’s worth noting that this is not the case here–Walt Disney World has proffered no rationale for this change. Rather, it’s what we have heard–and isn’t a particularly new development.
There’s no reason to doubt that this is true. Again, Fort Wilderness has seen an increasing number of food trucks, and had tweaked its approach with the undersized P&J’s Southern Takeout (which we also love and have tried to draw more attention to over the last few years).
All of these were band aid solutions, attempting to address the issue but not fully resolving it. If you were to tell me that Fort Wilderness scores poorly for dining, and that the most common complaint from guests is the lack of convenient counter service options, I’d absolutely believe it.
This is at odds with the feedback from fans like us, who are absolutely devastated by this news. Trail’s End has been the source of many fond memories for me, from my parents taking me as a small child to us taking them in more recent years. It’s been a place we’ve frequented with friends after runDisney races, Destination D23 weekends, and fan events.
For us, Trail’s End was an integral part of Walt Disney World history; dining there felt like stepping back in time and visiting the Vacation Kingdom of the World. A rebuff to the notion that you can’t go home again. Similarly, it was a source of history; the setting of memories we made with family and friends. If laughter were the measure of a restaurant, Trail’s End would be the undisputed champ for us.
It’s not as this is unique to our family and friend circle. We know there are many others who have indelible memories from and of Trail’s End, and this news is sure to be met with an outpouring of grief and fond farewells from a small segment of the fan community. To be sure, it will very much be a vocal minority–Trail’s End doesn’t have the fanbase of ‘Ohana. Rather, it’s a restaurant that is very important to a very small number of fans.
Therein lies the rub. It’s undoubtedly exceedingly easy for Walt Disney World management to justify the decision to do away with Trail’s End in favor of a marketplace concept. Again, I don’t doubt that they have the guest feedback and satisfaction survey data to support the change.
Someone more cynical might contend that Disney purposefully undercut the popularity of Trail’s End with the family-style meal to make this change and have it be met with less outrage. After all, Trail’s End is a shadow of its former self; many of its long-time fans don’t have interest in the current family-style meal. (I don’t know if we’ll do one last “goodbye” meal or be satisfied with our memories of the real deal.)
While that ploy is possible, I’m skeptical that Walt Disney World would play the type of long game that involved losing out on profits or unrealized revenue to give cover to an unpopular decision. Disney is perfectly comfortable making changes that alienate and anger fans without undertaking such elaborate pretenses.
Rather, I think there’s probably a fundamental difference in how diehard Walt Disney World fans experience things and regular guests experience them. We would self-describe ourselves as huge Trail’s End enthusiasts who ate there often pre-closure.
What that means in practical terms is that we dined at Trail’s End about once or twice per year. Even when we did multi-night stays tent camping or staying in the Cabins at Fort Wilderness, we typically only did Trail’s End once for breakfast/brunch and once for dinner.
By contrast, a first-timer or infrequent guest staying at Fort Wilderness who is totally uninvested in Walt Disney World history or its culinary scene might eat at an on-site counter service restaurant a half-dozen or more times over the course of their vacation.
A marketplace is something they’d use with regularity, even if they leave with zero fond memories of the cuisine or setting. It would serve a practical purpose, and its absence would be a strike against the vacation and intent to return or recommend metrics.
This is something we also see with Walt Disney World resort refurbishment projects. Some of the most vocal detractors aren’t people who actually book stays at resorts with regularity (to be sure, some do). Rather, most like the idea of themed resorts and want things to remain as they remember them (fondly) from formative stays that first nurtured the nostalgia that now fuels their fandom.
(This conflict between casual and diehard guests is probably a topic worth exploring in greater detail, rather than buried in an announcement about a relatively low-key resort restaurant closure, so I’ll cut this short here.)
From that perspective, I can appreciate Disney’s dilemma and understand the justification for making this change. That doesn’t mean that I accept or excuse it. From my perspective, this feels like Disney taking the path of least resistance–a road taken all too often these days by a company that built a reputation on exceeding expectations.
There are a multitude of venues at Fort Wilderness that could become food courts or marketplaces. There’s also the opportunity to build something new in more centralized location to the campsites and cabins. Just because the campground is lacking in well-rounded counter service restaurants does not mean the only viable solution was replacing Trail’s End.
Likewise, if there’s an issue with the numbers Trail’s End has been doing, other solutions could’ve been proposed and attempted. For one, the buffet could’ve been restored months ago–when Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue reopened, at the latest. If that didn’t offer the necessary boost, Walt Disney World could’ve done something to weave Trail’s End into the 50th Anniversary celebration, especially since few restaurants “speak to” Disney history geeks as much as this one.
Ultimately, that’s really what grinds my gears with the decision to close and convert Trail’s End Restaurant. This is a location with a cult following, and Disney knows it. The company could’ve tried to figure out why it resonates so strongly and built upon that to reach a wider audience. With a location near Magic Kingdom, great food, and a quirky personality, Trail’s End could’ve become a (popular) hidden gem favorite among more than just a passionate subset of the fanbase. The foundation was there–Trail’s End had the beloved qualities you can’t fake or manufacture.
Instead, the company is taking the easy way out. I don’t doubt for a second that the end result will improve overall guest satisfaction metrics. But I also don’t believe for a second that the replacement will forge new fans or be a source of goodwill, or even memories that will last a lifetime. As an organization in the business of packaging and selling nostalgia, Walt Disney World needs to be better about realizing that they need that, too.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of this news of Trail’s End Restaurant closing for refurbishment and replacement by a quick service marketplace? Thoughts on Trail’s End as a hidden gem and source of fan nostalgia and memories? Disappointed by this change, or do you not care about Trail’s End? (It’s okay, not everyone is a fan.) Agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I first stayed at ft wilderness tent camping on the 80s with my Girl Scout troop paid for with our cookie money . We went to magic kingdom and river country ! Most recently my family and I stayed in the cabins during the height of the pandemic for spring break , we went t horseback riding , swimming , archery lessons, canoeing , gem mining, golf carting , visited blizzard beach and got take out from p& is and ate by the playground more times than I can count . It was an outdoor haven much appreciated in a year of lockdowns and isolation . I love Ft wilderness , but that being said never got to eat at trials end buffet, though always wanted to . I am so sad i won’t get the chance . Seemed so homey and classic Disney to me even back in the day . RIP
We have many fond memories of Trail’s End – especially in its heyday. The last time in January 2022 was not all that great. It never ceases to amaze me that Disney leadership has been making decisions these last few years aimed at the lowest common denominator. Mediocrity would be a step up based on our last park visit. They will milk the cash cow until nothing remains of Walt’s vision. It’s a shame. We have no plans to return and have become so put off by the changes, that the distance is growing farther in favor of never returning. We visited an average of 2-3 times per year since 2008 to 2022, excluding the COVID time.
As a side note, Fort Wilderness is a wonderful choice for visiting WDW. Rent an RV and stay for a relatively low rate with good amenities, particularly during Halloween and Christmas. As a bonus, they have the cleanest restrooms/showers in the lower 48 states.
I check in for a weeklong trip on 4/16. I was looking at several options for dinner but now it’s settled. I scheduled an evening ADR for 4/16 after seeing the 4pm Cirque show in DS. Might was well have my first time at Trails End be my last on it’s final night of operation.
it Hurts but I see the long term satisfaction for more variety. I have such great memories of breakfast buffet and current family style as well but when we go to fort wilderness its usually 6-8 days if not longer and I personally know waiting extremely long lines for food or just tired of BBQ and fried chicken and the usuals get old really quick. especially when your there for multiple days on in.
Just had another fabulous Breakfast at Trails End – Sarah our server was as usual awesome! Also Said hello also to the legend Ken . It will be very said when Trails end finally closes…..
We also had a delicious breakfast there Sunday Feb 5th. Talked with Ken and got him to autograph our receipt. He said he has no plans to retire and is looking forward to whatever his new assignment will be. It was our first visit to Ft. Wilderness and we loved the slower pace and the setting. I was surprised to see construction screens still up for the cancelled DVC project there. Hope they are removed soon so guests can enjoy views of the lake.
Do you know if P&J’s Southern Takeout will also close? It is one of our favorites!
This lousy decision shows that Disney still follows the path of least resistance in solving any problem.
Couldn’t they have gotten together the finance people the architectural people physical planning people and an Imagineer and come up with something that would solve the problem but still be themed to Ft. Wilderness? Disney’s planning gets worse and worse. The spirit of Bob Chapek still drives Disney.
We’ve only been to WDW once, but Trail’s End was such a great memory. I wish I would have gotten the recipe for that warm bacon vinaigrette.
This news conjures mixed emotions. On the one hand, any restaurant that inspires a paragraph like the second in Tom’s original post deserves perpetual adoration. On the other hand, my family spent 10-days at the Fort this summer and, (lack of housekeeping aside), the only aspect we can’t rave about was the dining. Don’t read that wrong – we were giddy on the plane, anticipating that chicken and rib combo from P&J’s for our arrival meal, and we happily paid 5 times the price to eat exactly the same meal again at the Hoop Dee Doo Revue. We just couldn’t muster the enthusiasm to pay something in between for what would essentially have been a third go at the same meal for dinner at Trail’s End. As Tom rightly points out, there are SO many potential locations for dining at the Fort, and the lack of options borders on the criminally insane. There should be an outdoor lounge, a la Geyser Point, on the former site of Lakeside Lodge, about 30 more rocking chairs available near Crocket’s Tavern. The Meadows Snack Bar is desperate for a complete overhaul, and, for the love of God, someone needs to realize that fruits and vegetables are not at odds with the great-outdoors setting. Not every single meal served at the Fort needs to be centered around (admittedly top-notch) fried chicken. Fort Wilderness does deserve a moderate-level food court, at least on par with the other moderate category resorts, but its massive size could certainly accommodate this upgrade without taking away a beloved classic.
As someone without sentimental attachment to Trail’s End, but who has stayed at the Campground recently, it seems like a positive change for the people actually staying at the campground. I was stunned that there was no quick service when we were there in May 2022. The number of people waiting for takeout at Trail’s End far exceeded the number of people dining with the family-style menu. We waited over 30 minutes for our takeout dinner for 2.
Another thing that really made it irritating is that even out of the way restaurants are booked solid for one reason or another (limited seating due to staffing? revenge travel? idk) so we couldn’t get a reservation for dinner at Trail’s End during our stay. It’s not like you can easily just go somewhere else if you get back to the campground in the evening and haven’t had dinner yet. Having guests from all over the “World” dining at the only “normal” restaurant at the Campground was an issue, in my opinion.
Short of building an entirely new restaurant somewhere in the campground, a renovation to quick service seems like the best option to increase satisfaction of campground guests. Given Disney’s slow building process (looking at you, Roundup Rodeo BBQ), this is also the fastest way to do it by far.
In one fell swoop, the heart of Fort Wilderness has been shuttered.
This is truly upsetting news. I first ate at Trail’s End buffet in 1977 as little girl and ever since then, it has been a “must do” every time I go to Disney World. The breakfast buffet was the best!!! My husband still talks about the breakfast pizza! It was great seeing Josephine and Ken every time we went over the years. The servers were warm and welcoming and fit the theme of the restaurant. Trail’s End is a one of a kind place and it seems that all the die hard fans are losing more and more nostalgia and that Disney “magic” everyday.
I just can’t justify this change when they have 2 trading posts that sell some grab and go foods and groceries. Please, Disney rethink this decision!
Long time reader first time commenting. This takes the cake. So disappointed for a number of reasons front the memories of the old train running through Fort Wilderness to the closing of River Country it’s astonishing how many poor decisions have been made over the years at this special and unique location. I completely understand and appreciate the cost of progress but I’m also absolutely certain the charm and ambiance of the campground is eroding to nothing more than a corporate makeover. We will be left with something that has little imagination, which is odd from the company that years ago really did make things no one else could. I fear the beast has grown too big and doesn’t really know who its customer is when it comes to the campgrounds. Glad I have memories of yesteryear’s because even my kids long for those times when they see the pictures that captured it. Sad to see another casualty of short-sightedness. 🙁
Why does the world keep killing all the real things and replacing them with imitation everything.
Nailed it!
This is extremely sad. We loved eating there when the buffet was in place. Loved the fact that it felt like ‘old school’ Disney, something that is so sadly becoming extinct. The buffet was always delicious with a plethora of options, and the price couldn’t be beat. We have never stayed at Fort Wilderness (although we’ve come close to booking a cabin, something that will eventually happen) and would love taking the boat from MK to enjoy a meal here, which made it a whole adventurous outing. I’ll very much miss that.
Honestly, while many of the changes of the past few years has angered me, none have made me sad. This new makes me tremendously sad. Trail’s End will always hold a special place in our hearts and we would dine there at least once on every trip. The Campgrounds were our 1st family trip to Disney when my kids were very little, and part of our decision to buy DVC at BLT was being a short boat ride away.
I am very upset about this news for 2 reasons. 1. As you stated in this wonderful article, my entire family and I have the greatest memories eating here for breakfast for as long as I can remember. It has long been our tradition for whom ever visits most recently to verify that “Ken” is still a server here. I can remember having Ken as our waiter from when I was a child, (not sure exact time frame, I’m guessing at least 25 years). 2. Having recently visited the restaurant in December of 2022 for breakfast, I too was appalled at what they were presenting as breakfast. Nearly 1/4 of the previous menu when the buffet was still around. The food was not very diversified and did not taste as great as it use to be. The food took a while to come out and was not very hot by the time you received it. To top things off, my Mickey Waffles which are legendary in my mind were disgusting.
Overall we had hoped that the original buffet would soon return and now this news is disheartening. I am glad I was able to take my daughter here prior to the closure, yet I am saddened that she was far too young to have a fond memory of this place.
Thank you for the wonderful memories and I hope to see Ken around in a new location at the Fort.
Trail’s End is the best hidden gem ever. I try to go on each visit (and I visit 4+ times a year). I dream of that breakfast. It is better than Ohana and very similar items on the menu. Pioneer juice *chef’s kiss*
I am so sad, but I’m going in a few weeks and I’ll be there again in March so I’m hoping to get there for at least one of those visits.
I wholeheartedly agree with your views shared in this article. Trails End was a real favorite of ours. We did dinner on our arrival night at the Fort and breakfast one morning during our stay. The family style menu was acceptable but we really missed the buffet and had such hopes of it returning. This closure and refurbishment plan is disappointing.