Expedition Everest, Steel roller coaster at Disney's Animal Kingdom in Bay Lake, United States
Expedition Everest is a steel roller coaster inside Disney's Animal Kingdom Park in Bay Lake, Florida. The track winds around an artificial mountain formation and through several cave sections with painted rock walls.
Construction started in spring 2003 and required extensive steel beams and concrete foundations for the mountain structure. The ride opened in April 2006 and has remained one of the park's main draws ever since.
The queue winds through a replica Himalayan village with carved wooden doors, prayer flags, and displays of mountaineering gear. Inside the rooms, visitors see ropes, ice axes, and maps that tell of earlier expeditions.
Riders must be at least 44 inches (112 centimeters) tall to board the nearly three-minute experience. The coaster reaches top speeds of around 50 miles per hour (80 kilometers per hour) and includes brief downward sections in darkness.
The track switches direction mid-ride, sending the train backward through dark mountain tunnels. This reversal happens after a simulated track break near the highest point of the route.
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