Frontierland at Magic Kingdom is becoming a very different place — and Disney just confirmed yet another adjustment to go along with everything else already underway.

Some of the changes happening in this corner of the park are enormous. Entire attractions and landscapes have disappeared, major construction is in progress, and Disney is preparing to introduce completely new experiences into an area that stayed largely familiar for decades. Other changes are much smaller. But when you step back and look at the full picture, it's hard to call what's happening at Frontierland anything other than an overhaul.

McKim's Mile House Hours Have Changed Again

The latest confirmed adjustment involves McKim's Mile House, the Disney Vacation Club Member Lounge that only opened in March 2025. Disney Vacation Club has updated the daily operating schedule for the Frontierland lounge. It will now be open from 10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. each day. Previously, the lounge operated from 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.

That means eligible DVC members can now get inside one hour earlier in the morning, though they'll lose that final hour of evening access. It's worth noting this is already the second operating-hours change since McKim's Mile House opened — Disney had extended the lounge's hours back in January 2026 before making this latest shift.

For DVC members, the lounge offers a welcome retreat from the Florida heat and Magic Kingdom crowds. Inside, guests can find comfortable seating, complimentary soft drinks, Wi-Fi, charging cords upon request, and Member Services Advisors. Access is first-come, first-served for eligible DVC members and their guests, and a valid Membership Card along with a matching photo ID is required to enter.

McKim's Mile House sits near Country Bear Musical Jamboree, placing it right in the heart of a Frontierland that has already seen several substantial changes. The lounge itself is inspired by the historic mile houses of the American West, and its name pays tribute to Disney Legend Sam McKim, a concept artist who worked on the original Frontierland at Disneyland.

On its own, a DVC lounge hours adjustment wouldn't normally be a major Frontierland headline. But the timing makes it more interesting — because this small change is happening alongside some very big ones.

Frontierland Is Already Deep Into Its Transformation

To understand the bigger picture, you have to look at everything that has already changed in Frontierland over the past few years.

Country Bear Jamboree was one of the first major pieces to shift. The original Magic Kingdom show closed in January 2024 and was replaced later that year by Country Bear Musical Jamboree, a new production that kept the familiar bear characters but introduced an entirely different show built around Nashville-style versions of Disney songs.

Then came Tiana's Bayou Adventure. Splash Mountain permanently closed in 2023, ending one of Frontierland's most recognizable experiences. Disney transformed the attraction into Tiana's Bayou Adventure, bringing Princess Tiana, Louis, and other characters into the former Splash Mountain space. The attraction opened in 2024, pushing this section of Frontierland toward a Louisiana-inspired setting.

McKim's Mile House followed in 2025. And Disney wasn't finished.

Big Thunder Mountain Just Received a Massive Refurbishment

One of Frontierland's biggest recent projects involved an attraction Disney decided to keep. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad closed in January 2025 for an extensive refurbishment that lasted well into 2026. This wasn't a quick cosmetic refresh — the project included new track and refreshed passenger trains, giving Disney the opportunity to renew one of Magic Kingdom's signature attractions for years to come. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad reopened on May 3, 2026.

Disney also added new story elements to the attraction, expanding the mythology surrounding Big Thunder and the mysterious forces lurking inside the mountain. That refurbishment matters a great deal when looking at Frontierland's future, because Disney is essentially rebuilding the area around Big Thunder Mountain while keeping the coaster as one of its anchors. And directly beside it, an even larger transformation has begun.

Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island Are Gone

This is where the Frontierland overhaul becomes impossible to miss.

Disney permanently closed the Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and the Liberty Square Riverboat in July 2025. For decades, that enormous body of water helped define the western side of Magic Kingdom. Guests could take the riverboat around Tom Sawyer Island, explore the island itself, or simply gaze across the water from Frontierland and Liberty Square.

That entire landscape is now being transformed. Disney has confirmed the area will become Piston Peak National Park, a new section inspired by Pixar's Cars (2006). Rather than recreating Radiator Springs from Disney California Adventure, Walt Disney Imagineering is building an original setting designed specifically for Magic Kingdom.

Disney has said Piston Peak will continue the geographic storytelling that moves guests westward from Liberty Square through Frontierland. The new landscape will include rugged mountains, waterways, trees, and other natural elements intended to connect the new area with its surroundings. This isn't a small addition squeezed behind existing attractions — it's a fundamental reconstruction of a huge portion of Magic Kingdom.

Two New Cars Attractions Are Coming

Piston Peak National Park will bring two new attractions to Frontierland.

The centerpiece will be a major off-road rally attraction. Disney has described the experience as a race through rugged terrain where vehicles will climb mountain trails, navigate the wilderness, and dodge geysers. Disney's original announcement positioned it as an entirely new Cars adventure rather than a duplicate of Radiator Springs Racers.

A second attraction will target families and younger guests, giving the transformed area something Frontierland didn't previously have in this location: two attractions replacing the former river, island, and riverboat experience.

Concept art has shown a dramatically altered western edge of Magic Kingdom, with mountains and natural scenery replacing much of the wide-open river view that defined the area for generations. Disney has also explained that trees will help create a natural barrier between the rally attraction and neighboring portions of Frontierland and Liberty Square. When Piston Peak eventually opens, walking through Frontierland will be a considerably different experience.

Villains Land Is Rising Beyond Frontierland

And even that isn't the end of Magic Kingdom's western expansion.

Beyond Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Disney is preparing another massive project: Villains Land. While Disney treats the Villains project as its own new land rather than simply another Frontierland attraction, its location beyond Big Thunder makes it an important part of the transformation happening on this side of the park.

Disney has confirmed that Villains Land will feature two major attractions along with dining and shopping. That means Frontierland will eventually become a pathway toward an entirely new destination. Instead of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad sitting near the outer edge of Magic Kingdom, the coaster will effectively become part of the transition toward another massive expansion beyond it. Combined with Piston Peak, that's a remarkable amount of development concentrated around one portion of the park.

This Is Much Bigger Than One Frontierland Change

The latest adjustment at McKim's Mile House is admittedly minor compared with everything happening around it. DVC members will simply have a different window for accessing the lounge — doors open at 10:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m. But the location itself is part of a much larger story.

Over the span of only a few years, Disney has replaced Splash Mountain with Tiana's Bayou Adventure, reimagined Country Bear Jamboree, opened McKim's Mile House, completed a major Big Thunder Mountain Railroad refurbishment, and permanently removed the Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and Liberty Square Riverboat. Now, Piston Peak National Park is coming with two Cars attractions. And beyond Big Thunder Mountain, Villains Land will eventually add two more major attractions alongside new dining and shopping.

There are pieces of classic Frontierland that remain, but the overall experience is changing dramatically. Disney isn't simply adding one attraction or refreshing a few aging buildings — the company is changing attractions, replacing major pieces of the landscape, introducing new stories, and developing an enormous expansion around the land.

McKim's Mile House changing its hours is just the latest adjustment. The real Frontierland story is much bigger. By the time Disney finishes everything currently planned around this portion of Magic Kingdom, guests could walk into a Frontierland surrounded by experiences that either didn't exist or looked completely different only a few years earlier.

Magic Kingdom's frontier is moving forward — and some of its biggest changes are still ahead.