 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(November 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Disneyland | |
| Area | Frontierland (1956–1972) Bear Country (1972–1988) Critter Country (1988–2024) Bayou Country (2024–present) |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | July 4, 1956 |
| Magic Kingdom | |
| Area | Frontierland |
| Status | Closed |
| Opening date | October 1, 1971 |
| Closing date | 1994 |
| Tokyo Disneyland | |
| Name | Beaver Brothers Explorer Canoes |
| Area | Critter Country |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | April 15, 1983 |
| Disneyland Park (Paris) | |
| Area | Frontierland |
| Status | Closed |
| Opening date | April 12, 1992 |
| Closing date | 1994 |
| Shanghai Disneyland | |
| Name | Explorer Canoes[1] 探险家独木舟 |
| Area | Treasure Cove |
| Status | Operating |
| Soft opening date | May 7, 2016 |
| Opening date | June 16, 2016 |
| Ride statistics | |
| Attraction type | Free-floating canoe |
| Vehicle type | Canoe |
 Must transfer from wheelchair | |
Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes is a free-floatingcanoe experience at severalDisney theme parks. The oldest of the rides is located at theDisneyland park inAnaheim, California. Boarding from the park'sBayou Country section, up to twenty visitors paddle a canoe around theRivers of America, accompanied by two guides. This is the only Disneyland attraction that is powered by park visitors.
The attraction originally opened asIndian War Canoes on July 4, 1956 as part ofFrontierland’s Indian Village expansion. It also operates under the name ofBeaver Brother's Explorer Canoes atTokyo Disneyland and operated at theMagic Kingdom inWalt Disney World and atDisneyland Park inDisneyland Paris. AtShanghai Disneyland, the ride is simply namedExplorer Canoes.
At the original Disneyland version of the attraction, riders embark and disembark from a small boat dock next to the Hungry Bear restaurant in the Bayou Country section of the park. Each 35-foot-long (11 m) fiberglass canoe holds twenty guests, two per row. Each canoe has two guides dressed as frontierspeople at the bow and stern. These guides are referred to as the helmsman, bowman, and sternman.
Riders/rowers are given a short lesson on how to paddle the canoe to power the boat properly after leaving the dock. Small children are required to wear life jackets. Life jackets are also available for adults who cannot swim in the event the boat ever capsizes. As the canoe travels 2,400 feet (730 m) aroundTom Sawyer Island, located in the center of the man-made river, the guides point out the sights along the way, such as a settler's cabin and the Indian chief on horseback. The ride's length depends upon how fast the paddlers are and how much other traffic is on the river.
Lacking tracks or a predetermined path to follow, they typically travel much faster than the large boats, like theMark Twain Riverboat and theSailing Ship Columbia which ride along submerged tracks and return by the last bend ofTiana's Bayou Adventure. The attraction operates year-round on weekends and includes weekdays during the park's peak seasons. The canoes generally close at dusk as to prepare theRivers of America for any night water shows such asFantasmic!.
It is one of only two attractions in Disneyland to be in four different lands without ever being moved.[citation needed] Originally calledIndian War Canoes, the attraction opened on July 4, 1956, as part of Frontierland's Indian Village expansion, with real American Indian guides aboard every canoe. Guests used a "D ticket" to ride the attraction. TheIndian War Canoes closed with Indian Village in 1971 but reopened on May 19 asDavy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes, inspired by theDavy Crockett miniseries, with the guides now wearingcoonskin caps.
In 1972 it became a part of Bear Country, home ofCountry Bear Jamboree (1972–2001). The area was later renamed Critter Country in 1988.
In addition to the Explorer Canoes, Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom'sLiberty Square operated theMike Fink Keel Boats until 1997. This attraction was based on the miniseries episode "Davy Crockett's Keelboat Race".
On January 11, 2016, the Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes, along with the other attractions and shows along the Rivers of America, temporarily closed for the construction ofStar Wars: Galaxy's Edge.[2] The attraction reopened on July 29, 2017.[3][4]
In November 2024, Critter Country was renamedBayou Country.[5]
Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes debuted in Frontierland on opening day at Walt Disney World. A C ticket was required for guests to board the 35-foot (11 m) long canoes from a dock located to the north of the Tom Sawyer Island raft launch and travel along the same path as other watercraft on the Rivers of America. The attraction closed in 1994.
A canoe attraction opened in Tokyo Disneyland under the name ofDavey Crockett Explorer Canoes along the Rivers of America in the theme park's Westernland. It was renamedBeaver Brothers Explorer Canoes in 1992 with the opening of Critter Country.
AnIndian Canoes canoe ride opened withEuro Disneyland on April 12, 1992. It also closed in 1994.
This attraction is known as Bilge Rat Bill's Explorer Canoes. Departing from Dead Man's Landing, the canoes travel through Treasure Cove's lagoon and Adventure Isle's Q'olari River.
