![A [Piston] Peek at Magic Kingdom’s Cars Land Construction](https://www.wdwinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/piston-peak-construction-magic-kingdom-chloe-2-1024x768.jpg)
During a recent visit to Magic Kingdom, we spotted a quick peek through The Haunted Mansion‘s graveyard queue. Here, a few scattered headstones seem to fit the theme of countless dirt piles making up the construction on what will become Piston Peak, the park’s next major land.
The work is happening on the footprint of the former Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island. Aerial photos from Bioreconstruct show how dramatically the area has already changed, with the old waterways and island outlines still faintly visible as crews continue grading and reshaping the site.
What is Piston Peak?
The new land pulls from the Cars universe, but not the Radiator Springs side of it as you see in Disney California Adventure at Disneyland Resort.
Piston Peak National Park was originally featured in Planes: Fire & Rescue,
The Walt Disney World “Cars Land” will be influenced by the Rocky Mountains, with rugged mountain scenery, forests, and winding park roads rather than desert highways, which fits the frontier section of the park more naturally than a neon-lit Route 66 town would.
Disney has confirmed two attractions for the land. The main ride puts guests in an off-road rally race through mountainous wilderness, and a second, lighter attraction aimed at families and younger kids.
More details on land offerings, including dining and character appearances, are expected soon. An opening timeframe has not yet been released, but could be anywhere from late 2027 – 2029.
Watching the Progress
For now, the transformation is still in its early stages.
This is a big change for longtime park visitors. The Rivers of America ran through this section of Magic Kingdom for decades, with the Liberty Square Riverboat circling wooded banks and Tom Sawyer Island. Losing both in favor of a Cars land is the kind of trade that tends to divide Disney fans, and it’s worth acknowledging that (whatever Piston Peak turns out to be) something genuinely well-liked was removed to make room for it.
And for those walking through the Haunted Mansion’s graveyard queue, there’s currently a rare chance to see the early beginnings of a brand-new Magic Kingdom land taking shape:
