I pride myself in knowing a lot about Disney and theme parks in general. I would be a great lifeline on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” if the question you’re stuck on revolves around Disney or theme parks. I have worked at both Disney and Universal. I’ve had an Annual Pass to Walt Disney World for longer than 20 years. I’m an east coast girl who currently lives about 40 minutes from Walt Disney World, so Disneyland was definitely the lesser visited than the two Disneys in America.
However, I recently went on my sixth ever visit to the Disneyland Resort, and this was the first time I ever heard of the Goat Trick.
My daughter and I were getting in the Lightning Lane for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and my very gregarious daughter started a conversation with a cast member. My daughter told her that she loved Big Thunder and how it was her favorite ride. The cast member played along nicely engaging her in a small conversation, but then she asked if we knew about the Goat Trick. I knew there were goats on the attraction, but I’d never heard of this Goat Trick. Before she could try tell us about this mystery, our lane was moving.
I studied the goats as much as I could when I was on the attraction, but I didn’t notice anything different. So, being stuck on what this goat trick was, I did my research.
Reddit user thatcaveman describes it as (and I’m paraphrasing here):
The goat trick is when you see the goat with the TNT on the second chain life hill, and you follow him until you can’t anymore. Never take your eyes off this goat. It changes the g-forces when you do this, and definitely feels more intense on the back of the train.
A lot of the commenters chimed in saying that they love this trick, and that they do it every time. I wish that I had researched this trick whilst in the park and rode it the second time to partake in the goat trick. I guess the next time I go to Disneyland, I’ll try this fun hack of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Apparently, according to a lot of Reddit users, I missed out.
Here’s a ride through of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad with a mention of the goat trick courtesy of the DizzyBears on YouTube:
Have you ever attempted the goat trick on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland? Let us know in the comments below!
Pirates & Princesses (PNP) is an independent, opinionated fan-powered news blog that covers Disney and Universal Theme Parks, Themed Entertainment and related Pop Culture from a consumer's point of view. Opinions expressed by our contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of PNP, its editors, affiliates, sponsors or advertisers. PNP is an unofficial news source and has no connection to The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal or any other company that we may cover.