ABANDONED - Catastrophe Canyon at Walt Disney World 

And if you still want to ride through it, visit Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris where it still exists! Although, it will be closed for a period early 2016 for a big refurbishment!

I remember that attraction, you could feel the heat from the train.

Adam, it is always a joy to see these videos. Thank you so much for visiting and preserving the memory of these near-forgotten attractions.

Bruh, your videos are just pure happiness man. Abandoned stuff, theme parks, it's all feel good stuff bruh.

Memories...The best part of life....For all of you that have seen Catastrophe Canyon, you now have your memories of your time there. Mine are the many times being there with my children as they were growing up ...now all grown to adults and my Mom and Dad being there as well, now both passed away BUT I thank God and Disney for the chance to have been there and form all the memories I have now. Also thanks Adam for bringing back those memories to me again.

That ride was one of the highlights of my Disney World vacations with my family when I was younger... even when I was an adult, too. I'm going back to Disney World for the first time in 8 years this Christmas and I'll miss that ride, but it's nice to know I can catch a glimpse of the memories while I'm there.

I loved going to MGM Studios and going on the back lot tour, I can't count how many times I have risen that tram in the past. Great video Adam!

YES!!! AdamTheWoo with another amazing Walt Disney World video! Can't believe they closed and I can't believe it's still there. I always loved the Backlot Tour, especially the prop warehouse that you got to walk through. Really gonna miss it when it's gone for good

Adam - Thanks for the Memories! I got to experience Catastrophe Canyon about a dozen times over the years. It was as good in 2012, last time I experienced CC, as it was in 1993, on my first visit. Part of my excitement was to also see how the rest of the Backlot and Special Effects Tours changed from visit to visit. Unfortunately, with the Incredible Shrinking Tour it was only a matter of time before this beloved attraction faded into the Studios history.

A DC-3? Boy, that goes back. You continue to amaze me with facets of Disney World thatg I didn't know existed. I have to wonder how many hundreds of acres are devoted to old attractions like this, just abandoned as no longer relevant.

When I visited Disney Land in 1988, MGM was being built, so I never got to see the place. However I do remember the adverts for it, and that attraction was often shown and it looked very good. Thanks for sharing this piece of nostalga............... your videos of abandoned places are always fun to watch, and I love the extra bits you add about the history of them when you can... its even better to hear that you visited this place all those years ago and are excited to see it again. Awesome to see Walt's plane there too, and apt, as I watched the Runway video you did only last night............. all the best Adam.

Adam! I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am to see you paying tribute to Catastrophe Canyon! I too felt such excitement about Disney's MGM Studios, now Hollywood Studios when I first saw it in the Summer of 1990. Dick Tracy mania was just taking off as the studio was doing everything they could to promote it! The Backlot Tour was a huge thrill for me as a 6 year old kid because it was the very first time that I got to see Herbie, the Love Bug in person! Yes! The old residential street which once had facades from TV shows like The Golden Girls and Empty Nest once also had the facade for 'Vern's House' in Ernest Saves Christmas and for a while an actual original Herbie, the Love Bug parade car from the Magic Kingdom sat parked in the driveway! The pure excitement over seeing Herbie OFF the screen was just absolutely incredible. Catastrophe Canyon was a staple of this experience and I am very glad to see it still standing. One of my biggest disappointments is knowing that so many of these classic pieces of nostalgia are just going to be removed and destroyed due to Disney's logic that nobody remembers them anymore. One of the things I have heard coming to that entire backlot area is going to be a Pixar-Themed amusement park area. This really saddens me to see just how Disney can be when it comes to classic items. Like with Herbie, they just don't care anymore about him, really they don't care about anything that doesn't make them money anymore. Take Frozen for example, it took in over 400 BILLION dollars at the box office in 2013. The Love Bug however was the HIGHEST GROSSING FILM OF 1969 and the Disney Studios' biggest blockbuster film since Mary Poppins....but do kids of today really care? Sadly they don't, and because of that, Disney will be doing all that they can to remove relics of the past that are no longer relevant in today's world. My fiancee and I are going to Disney World next year for our honeymoon but after seeing how much has gone and changed at The Hollywood Studios, I doubt we'll be going there, it's just changed so much and I am grateful that my all time favorite ride, The Great Movie Ride is still there, I feel like even that at some point will be taken out because a lot of people have said that it's a ride for "older people" and not kids. Glad to hear that you like me found MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida to be the ultimate dream world when it came to the magic behind the movies. Never forget. Always remember!

This is really cool! I definitely miss the Backlot Tour and Catastrophe Canyon! I didn't know you could see it from the Lights, Motors, Action Bleachers. Thanks for sharing.

i was a cast member during my Disney College Program and Lights, Motors, Action was my location. i was actually there just before Backlot Tour finally shut down (RIP). I'm gonna miss it! Thanks for sharing your memories, man!

fond memories from 1994 1995..thank you for capturing it before its gone

I've always been fascinated in how places like Disney and Universal Studios operate. Extremely interesting stuff! Thanks Adam!

I did not remember this until you did this video. this is so awesome. My girlfriends and I went there in 91 on senior girls trip. I remember the heat you felt from the fire on the semi and I remember we all screamed when the water came down. thanks for the memories. I totally forgot about it!

You do these videos so well, and give proper credit to other content creators like the one who provided the vintage video. Good job!

great vid Adam..I'm with you..catastrophe canyon was so exciting back in 88 when I went with my family. that tram tour, the flight of the navigator ship, the hart castle and McCormick coyote..the snow speeder...the golden girls house...remember it like yesterday..gotta go dig out my picture with Roger Rabbit now

That was awesome. Thank you Adam. I went on this ride in august 1989 when I was almost 9 years old. I still remember the heat from the fire, and how scared I was when the truck started to move. I also remember how interested I was to see the back statge, all the pipes.

Aw I didn't know the whole backlot tour closed. That tour was really neat, especially the Catastrophe Canyon part.

Very entertaining. Nice mixing of old footage and current views. Creative and no laws needed to be broken to accomplish this video. Well done, Adam.

Jesus Christ, I can't stop crying as I watch this-my childhood's about to be demolished. Whatever happened to creativity like that? Disney really likes to destroy the good/interesting things they made, huh? Waste of time, effort and money, why build it at all if you plan to destroy it later?

I was there earlier this week and sadly, this has all been leveled... :( The only thing left are foundations and part of the huge water pump that sent the water over the top of the rocks.

I remember riding that ride countless times because when I was little there was nothing else to do. I still remember feeling the heat from the fire and the coolness from the water, I cant believe its gone! Thanks adam for the great video bringing back memories!

The Back Stage tour was always a must for me. So sad they are drifting away from the making of movies to the bombardment of commercialism. Also loved the Animation Department and Robin Williams movie there. Thank you so much for getting this on video before they disassemble it. You are quite clever.

Brilliant video, thanks for posting!

Whoa! I went to WDW for the first time in February, and as I was in the Grandstand, i looked at (I didn't know its name at the time) Catastrophe Canyon, and was so confused because I couldn't find a way to get to it. Lights Motors Action was awesome but I couldn't stop thinking about what that abandoned part was! Super cool. Thanks for sharing this :)

Wonderful wonderful video! I share the same sentiment as you in regard to Disney MGM Studios being my favorite park for years; and for Catastrophe Canyon being partly responsible. It was one of those attractions I would go home and tell--surely in boring detail--to everyone I could. The "movie magic" stuff has always fascinated me. Watching this video brought a proverbial tear to my eye--knowing what the studios used to be; knowing that C.C. is still there, but not in use; and knowing that in the not-too-distant future, it will be gone. :'( Thanks for the memories, Adam!

Hello from England. I have many happy memories of visiting Catastrophe Canyon in 1989. I still have the original guidebook and many photos I took on the backlot tour.

The Back Lot Tour was an excellent attraction. I rode the tram at least 10 times over the years. I still have photos of the attraction. There are other things now gone: Malstrom in Norway at Epcot, The sky buckets at the Magic Kingdom, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and others.

This was my clearest memory of my visit to Florida (must have been about 20 years ago now) the back lot tour was fascinating to me. I remember a tunnel type thing you went thru with all different props etc. This and earthquake were the ones that stuck in my memory. Thanks for refreshing everything!

Job well done Adam. Brings back memories. I was in my teens too and knew it was "fake" but well done and exciting, like the "Jaws" tram...knew it was fake and predictable, but really fun buddy! Where was the A-TEAM van you lifted at? And the "ChIPS" motorcycles that two kids were chosen to sit on at? Oh, and that desk you sat in and made it look like you were sitting on the wall! True wholesome memories, Wow. Top work!

I loved the Backlot Tour & Catastrophe Canyon. Thank you for documenting this before it leaves :)

I didn't know what you were talking about, until you showed it. That was a pretty cool ride/tour. I can see how burning a semi truck several times a day could get expensive...

Adam, you took me back to my tween years!!! Thanks! Well done !

Catastrophe Canyon was so cool. I will miss it. Thanks for documenting it's remains. Very neat to see it's still there. Nice video

Great video Adam. I've not been to Florida since the 90s but have many happy memories of MGM studios. Thank you for reminding me of some very happy times from my childhood

Excellent video and perfect timing. I'm going to the studios (I still call it MGM too) in 2 weeks and I will definitely go take a look at all this. I loved the backlot tour because seeing how movies were made was amazing to me back then and I was really bummed when they closed it. Thanks for the viewing tip.

Didn't even know that the back lot tour was gone :( loved it so much! Loved the video Adam. I also love the new style of videos you've been doing, not just exploring and seeing abandoned sites, but making them informative. It's great being able to learn something and not even realize I'm learning

I remember this ride when I went to Disney in 2013

oh wow, I totally remember that! I rode that in '90. I was six years old at the time. I can still remember the heat of that fire. Nice find!

Very cool. Thanks for sharing this with us Adam!

I'm from England and my family went on holiday to Florida in 2006 when i was 6 years old and that was my favourite ride and one of the only moments i can remember clearly as i was so young.

Omg! Thank you. For years I have been trying to figure out the name of this ride. I only remember as a child the ride, but never knew the name. I tried to figure it out for so long and now you helped me put a name to the ride.

Oh Adam, thank you for putting this video up. I loved the Backlot Tour (and Catastrophe Canyon) but I REALLY loved seeing that plane on the tour and had started to wonder about it once it closed. Here's hoping they put it in a safe and prominent place upon removal. I also hope it will still be there in May cause I want to see it and see Lights Motors Action too (just now with more incentive than before this video lol)

I was just there March 2014 and it was still active. So sad that they are taking it away. Thanks for this video lots of memories. One of my favorites Adam. You R the Best. Love all that you do!!!

I remember that ride from when I was 8 about 5 or 6 years ago. That was a fun ride.

R.I.P. Backlot Tour. I loved going to MGM and doing the backlot tour, the old star tours, and the great movie ride at Christmas time with the lights that will also be leaving soon.

I miss the backlot tour quite a bit. If you'd like to see a really fascinating view of Catastrophe Canyon, check out the video the Science of Disney Imagineering: Levers and Pulleys. I agree with absolutely being blown away by Catastrophe Canyon, and I am glad that my last visit was shortly before they closed the completely shrunk down Tram Tour so I was able to see that one last time. It was a highlight, even in it's extremely small way, in a park that felt like it needed to be redone from the ground up.

Remember it from two visits, 1996 and 2001. Being 10 on the first visit I genuinely believed the tour guide's story about it being a live shoot, and so yes, it was a little scary! It's a shame to see it abandoned and unloved, but then theme parks don't normally stay still for long.

Yes, I remembered the residential neighborhood in 2003 on the back lot tour and on my afternoon tour, they had some trouble with the workings of the canyon and we all had to leave the canyon while the minor issue was corrected. Then the tour guide told us that we can remain on board and took us out back to the canyon and this time they got it working for us to see even though I ended up staying for extra 15 minutes. Then in 2009, the neighborhood was gone but the canyon worked on schedule with no problems.

The Backlot tour was so amazing before lights motor's action came along

I went on the tram tour first in Paris and then in Florida in 2006, Catastophe Canyon was one of the best parts. So many childhood memories :')

Thanks for the memories. I too, still call DHS, MGM Studios. My favorite bit of that park will always be the original walking tour through the working studios (The New Mickey Mouse Club!) and then the tram tour through the back lot. Was such an amazing park when it first opened and am so sad to see what it is becoming.

I remember catastrophe canyon back in the day, it's amazing the set is just sitting there, it's amazing how much property Disney lets to just sit and rot for decades.

I rode on the backlot tour before but I didn't know it was closed until I saw this video! That ride was EPIC! The first time I went into catastrophe canyon, I was really afraid of what was going to happen, but when it was over, I was like 😱 that was AWESOMENESS!!! I loved it! The queue of the ride was cool too, where they had all of the movie props from past movies. They took a behind the scenes tour to a whole new level of awesome! I really wish it was still there

Great nostalgic information Adam! I really enjoy watching all the past places & things you share about all of the Disney greatness! Thanks !

You had me worried a bit when it said you were showing a closed attraction, but this was great....you got to show it rather well and in a legal manner.....and give a nice talk about it as a personal fan of the ride. BTW.....seeing Walt's personal plane was a cool bonus.

That's so freakin' awesome dude!!! And it's great that you had some old footage of the attraction from when you were a kid! Just awesome brah!!!!

Thanks for sharing. I worked at Disney-MGM many years ago. Wasn't aware of the huge expansion that included Stunt Show...

WOW. Just finished this video and almost in tears that it will be torn down. I ride that thing every day for a year when I worked at Disney World back in 1989. I honestly didn't know that this is where Star Wars Land is going to be and that this ride is closed. This was an awesome ride.

Thanks Adam, I thought this was at Universal. I remember the truck! It was a great ride!

awesome video fella. I went to Disney last year and wondered why I hadn't seen this. shame I never got to go on it

My late Gramp really enjoyed going through catastrophe canyon.

I went on that in 1995, and enjoyed it - but was even more thrilled at seeing the Golden Girls house! Very sad knowing it's no longer there (and the Empty Nest house was across the street!)...

Wow I remember this from when i would go in the early 2000s. Makes me so sad that new generations and guests won't be able to experience that cool tour

I was on my honeymoon the week before this video was made at Orlando!!! When my wife and I visited we also noted what you saw, and also saw the spaceship from flight of the navigator through the gap in the buildings of the stunt show!!!! awesome video.

Catastrophe Canyon (and indeed the stunt show) are still at Disneyland Paris and look forward to going there in May. Went to Hollywood Studios last year for the first time since the MGM days and really missed this.

Going to miss the back lot tour, but looking forward to the new stuff!

I remember riding the Backlot Tour the first time I ever went to Walt Disney World (2006) I think. Absolutely loved it. Cant believe its gone!

Last time I was there... Maybe 10 years ago, I was able to be part of that little show before the tram part of the attraction... That's something I'll never forget, I only wish I could have gone back before it was all taken away

...I cannot believe I forgot about the Studio Backlot Tour and Catastrophe Canyon. I have been privileged enough to have gone to Disney World five times and I think I did the Backlot Tour with my dad during our second trip or our third. I would have either been seven or ten. Watching this brought back some memories. My last visit to Disney was July 2016, and when I was there it took a bit for my dad and I to figure out why Hollywood Studios felt so much smaller (He wanted to go see the Stunt Show, and said it was around the New York area. I thought he was thinking of Universal), and once we came across the blocked off Streets Of America we knew. I didn't mind that Disney was turning the section into Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land, but after viewing this video I am actually a little bit sad that we lost some great attractions.

OMG I still remember that from the first and only time I went to the US. Thanks for sharing, that brought back so many great memories!

adam this makes me wanna watch my home videos of the back lot tour and other old walt Disney world videos from the early 90's.

Disneyland Paris still has this ride in working order on their studio tram tour. It's basically the highlight of the tour. So Adam if you're willing to travel this far, you can bring your childhood memories back to life!

Thanks for doing these videos Adam. I have a lot of Disney footage my Dad has taken from 91/94/98 and some of the early footage includes parts of the tram ride, with the "water gushing" part from the catastrophe canyon section. I'm actually going back to Disney in October and cant wait!

Hey Adam, if you go to Disney Paris catastrophe canyon is still running. I only went on it yesterday. Keep up the great videos.

I remember visiting MGM Studios in 1989 or 1990 and seeing all of the back lot tour and the highlight for me was seeing Herbie the Love Bug in the driveway of Vern's house. Herbie was only there for a short time before he was removed. Seems kind of fitting with the Lights, Motors, Action! show formerly having Herbie play a role in the show with it being built on the former residential street.

I used to ride the Back Lot Tour every time I went to MGM! I loved that attraction so much.

I loved Catastrophe Canyon too - went to Disney World in 92,94,98,02 and 10 - I know things can't stay the same - I just hope they keep the Movie Ride forever

Anything Disney related that is abandoned, is automatically creepy. I'd love to be security there as you have access to almost everywhere, including all the weird creepy stuff.

I been on the tour several times through the years. At the beginning we went though the making of "Honey I Shrunk the Kids", where the choose some kids from the tour and had them sit on the fly and the fans blowing and the watched the playback and put them in the movie. Years later it was completely cut out of the tour with nothing replacing it. I also was picked two different times as stunt double for the boat in the hurricane scene which is the first thing you see at the tour.

I remember going on the back lot tour in 89/90 and seeing the golden girls house and the herbie car. Good times!

I didn't even know it wasn't operating anymore. Great memories thanks for the awesome video. Keep up the amazing work

Osborne Family Christmas lights.......Walking down the set homes all decorated was a real treat. Sorry when ti was torn down.

I remember when I went on this as a kid back in 2007 (why they stopped it is beyond me)

About 5 years ago I went to Disney World for 7 days and I remember going on that ride and I remember the whole show! Subscribed

I remember when I was 5 I went on it the first time......that was the last time, I mean really it was freaking scary. In the VHS recording you could hear me and my brother who was 8 at the time, crying to get off the ride. AHH memories. I never knew it was still there right behind my favorite show !!! Thanks for the video Adam !

Adam, Walt's plane was kept at Page Avjet at the south hangar in the early 90's when I worked there. Also the plane with it's wings removed is a Lockheed Ventura, a WWII medium bomber. Some were converted to luxury private planes. Kevin T

I'm glad that I got to ride this one last time during my last visit to WDW in early 2014. This park was my favorite the first time I went to WDW 25 years ago.

Wow! Impressed this video is making me want to take a peak of it. Theirs also the queue that can be easily seen from the public. This is so much better then backstaging videos right? I'm so gonna miss this old ride.

They also stored a Snow Speeder from The Empire Strikes Back and the WW1 tank from Indiana Jones Crusade amongst all that back lot stuff too, couldn't believe they were just lying around !

It seems like the last time I went to Disney MGM Catastrophe Canyon was still there but they cut out the part where you would go past the houses at the end. You would just go immediately back to where you got on the tram. I haven't been there for a few years, mostly go to Busch Gardens in Tampa and ride roller coasters :D Plus quite often you can get 2 days for the price of one if you buy tickets online there which makes it a better deal than $100 a day at Disney.

This attraction was always crowded. It may have needed an update but not this. One of the best attractions.

I don't want to crush your dreams, but at D23, they announced the plans for the backlot tour, which is supposed to be an extension for toy story, and some land will be used for a Star Wars land as well... As much as i like toy story and Star Wars, I really wanted them to keep Backlot open. At least the canyon...

Another great video. Always love your videos Adam. Keep up the great work.

That ride sounds exactly like "Earthquake" at Universal Studios back in the day.

When it first opened, the area around Catastrophe canyon hadn't been developed, so it was an open field in which the open door model of the ship from Flight of the Navigator sat at the entrance to the canyon.

I loved catastrophe canyon and backlot tour. Good memories on that ride with my parents. Seemed very dangerous at time. Only celebrity I ever say on backlot was Suzanne Sommers, but it was fun.