When you get to Disneyland California, do you know which rides are the best to prioritize? We’ll help walk through what we enjoy the most.

Short Table Summarizing The List

Our Methodology

Unfortunately, with picking out our list of the best rides at Disneyland, there’s no definitive methodology. We as a family also don’t fully agree with the individual rankings. That’s because best or favorite is purely subjective. However, with that in mind, we can have a few guidelines as to what ranks as best.

• The more smiles, the better. In our family, if we step off the ride with a smile, that means it’s generally time well spent. A simple measure, but effective for figuring out what to ride again next time.
• Ride waits are irrelevant. What we want are the best rides, not the best rides given the wait time. Factoring in wait lengths would drastically change this list as some of the best rides have the longest wait times. It’s a bonus if rides have short waits, but it’s not something we’re actively ranking on.
• Lightning Lane access isn’t necessary. Again, following the same theme as ride waits, we’re ignoring whether or not Lightning Lane access exists.
• Not everything has to be action-packed. This isn’t a list of the fastest-paced rides, it’s the ones we enjoy the most. Some of them can be slow speeds, as long as they still add plenty of value to our day.
• Being able to ride together isn’t a requirement. Some rides fit an oddball number or riders (I’m looking at you, Matterhorn Bobsleds). As long as we all eventually get on the ride, it’s fine by us. Enjoying with others is a plus, especially for that parent-child relationship, but rides can still be awesome on your own.

The Top Ten Best Disneyland Rides

What are our top ten rides at Disneyland California? We’re so glad you asked!

1. Space Mountain

Land: Tomorrowland
Rider height requirement: 40″ (102 cm) or taller
Seats per ride: 16 per launch, 2 per row
Why we love it: A fast indoor rollercoaster in the dark

Comments:

This indoor rollercoaster is the talk of the town at least in our household. It’s a fun way to beat the heat in the summer.

The fact that this is in complete darkness adds to the mystery of the ride. You won’t know what’s coming next and almost gives you that feeling you’re in outer space. Hmm, Space Mountain… they couldn’t have gotten their name from that?

The version in Southern California only has one path (Florida has two paths). But we swear it feels a little different each time. When you’re in the dark with stars twinkling above you, it’s easy to lose track of what’s coming up or how fast you’re going.

The problem with this ride is that many others love it too. That means waiting for the ride can easily top 60 minutes or more shortly after park opening. Using your Lightning Lane privileges here is highly recommended if you have it. Otherwise, consider heading here after rope drop.

Bonus points to this one if you come when it’s Hyperspace Mountain. On top of the same action you’d normally get, you also get (mostly) classic Star Wars action that makes you feel like you’re in a dogfight in space. Generally, this change occurs around May the Fourth.

2. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

Land: Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Rider height requirement: 40″ (102 cm) or taller
Seats per ride: 8 per vehicle, 4 per row
Why we love it: Excellent immersion, plenty of action

Comments:

Is this a safe space where I can talk about two things that can both be equally true?

1. I detest the new Star Wars films and never accepted them as canon.
2. I can respect that Rise of the Resistance is a good ride on its own.

Yes, my disdain for “new” Star Wars led me to not riding this one until very recently. But that was to my own detriment (and my family’s). Disney does a good job with trackless rides and building an environment within the ride that puts you in a different world.

Now if only the movie side of Disney could figure out how to do that too.

Perhaps one of the most immersive things about the ride is not actually realizing when the ride begins. You’re brought into a holding pen that makes you think this is just the opening movie… until you’re captured and brought into the prison cells. Disney employees here have the opportunity to be snarky and talk back to the customers, which honestly feels a bit more natural. And then you’re involved in a jailbreak that gets you out of prison.

It’s this level of immersion that adds so much value and repeatability to the ride. And, really, that’s why it’s so far up on our list.

3. Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye

Land: Adventureland
Rider height requirement: 46″ (117 cm) or taller
Seats per ride: 12 per car, 4 per row
Why we love it: Brings back the thrill of the movies

Comments:

This is a movie-based ride done right. You might think these only exist over in Universal Studios: Hollywood. Though there’s no official movie that covers the Temple of the Forbidden Eye, it seems awfully familiar.

While in line, you’ll walk through caves and temples with traps. Though the ceiling no longer falls down on you along the way, it’s still amazing to see how detailed the ride line itself is. On top of that, you’re greeted by Sallah, who will inform you on what to expect. Neat little call-back to the movies.

And when you get on the ride, you’ll be amazed at how every turn will keep you on your toes. I think the timing of the effects was a bit better when it first came out, but it still gets high marks from us. On top of that, it was nice in the original when it made it look like you went into a different door to start but now it’s fixed at a single entrance.

Little ones might want to sit this one out. On top of that, the Lightning Lane bypasses only about half the line, so it’s not that great of a use. Expect wait times to exceed 60 minutes shortly after opening.

4. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

Land: Mickey’s Toontown
Rider height requirement: Any height
Seats per ride: Can fit 8 per car, 4 per row
Why we love it: Does a great job of making you feel like you’re in a cartoon

Comments:

Nothing can stop us now!

Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway will make you feel like you’re a child again. The ride does an excellent job of making you feel like you’re in a cartoon right from the start, where you walk through the projector.

From there, you’re swept into the world of Mickey and Minnie where they encounter problem after problem. But they never give up hope and keep pressing forward.

The trackless ride offers some good repeatability, giving each train car a different experience. This is a ride that our kids want to ride over and over, but the lengthy lines say otherwise.

It generally takes a lot of time for families to make it back here in the morning given how far away Mickey’s Toontown is from the entrance, so consider stopping by here soon after park opening. It’s also pretty empty after the fireworks show takes place.

5. Pirates of the Caribbean

Land: New Orleans Square
Rider height requirement: Any height
Seats per ride: About 20 per boat, 2-4 per row
Why we love it: The singing and the nostalgia

Comments:

Yo, ho, ho, ho, a pirate’s life for me!

This ride has long left a positive impression on me since I was a child myself. Some of the nostalgia was tainted by Disney’s incessant need to update rides based on the movie they made (sadly that continues to plague Disney rides like Star Tours). Still, much of the original charm can be felt throughout this one.

There are a couple of drops on the ride that transport you to another world. In reality, these drops are out of necessity as most of the ride is underground and you might not know it walking around New Orleans Square.

It might feel like a simple ride, but it’s a good one to ride on a hot Southern California day. Plus, who doesn’t want to live out their pirate fantasies?

6. Haunted Mansion

Land: New Orleans Square
Rider height requirement: Any height
Seats per ride: Can fit 2-3 people per Doom Buggy
Why we love it: Nostalgia, the song, and the voice of Paul Frees

Comments:

Your cadaverous pallor betrays an aura of foreboding, almost as if you sense a disquieting metamorphosis.

This was one of my favorite rides as a kid and has remained one of the best into adulthood. Yeah, it’s a haunted mansion full of ghosts—999 of them we’ve heard—and there’s room for 1,000. But even so, there’s no gore to be found inside these fabled halls.

What makes it so good is the incredible mix of spookiness and charisma that’s honestly quite hard to replicate. If we’re so bold, we would suggest Paul Frees’ work as the ‘Ghost Host’ is his best performance. It symbolizes the overall vibe of the mansion far better than anyone else could do.

While our children were at one point afraid of the vibes, they’ve come to enjoy it. Their favorite is the song Grim Grinning Ghosts and the hitchhiking ghosts at the end of the ride. The old school tricks and illusions add to the charm.

Hurry back, hurry back. Be sure to bring your death certificate.

7. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Land: Frontierland
Rider height requirement: 40″ (102 cm) or taller
Seats per ride: Can fit up to 45 per train, 2 or 3 per row
Why we love it: A fun rollercoaster that’s inviting for children

Comments:

What do you dislike about some rollercoasters? For me, it’s the suspenseful waiting at the start as the rollercoaster has to show you how high it gets. While this one doesn’t launch you right at the start, it does hide how tall it is. That actually makes it much easier to bring children onboard.

The railroad feels like it’s carved right into a mountain and is divided up into three sections, giving folks a chance to breathe in the middle of the ride. The mountainous turns add variety, including moments where it feels like you’re riding in the dark and unable to see.

It’s a fast ride and a good introduction to rollercoasters for kids, but parents will love this one too.

8. Matterhorn Bobsleds

Land: Fantasyland
Rider height requirement: 42″ (107 cm) or taller
Seats per ride: Can fit 3 per bobsled
Why we love it: Fast action, but watch out for the Abominable Snowman

Comments:

Speaking of rollercoasters, how about some fast-paced action through the Swiss Alps? Rather than riding in cars, you’ll be in bobsleds, which have been updated to allow for just 3 riders per bobsled. An odd number, for sure, and it can be tough fitting a family of four together. Riders will have to be brave enough to ride without sitting in someone else’s lap.

The Matterhorn Bobsleds has two different tracks and some swear that the left side is faster than the right. But either way you take, be on the lookout for the Abominable Snowman who calls the Matterhorn home.

This is one of the better rides to use a Lightning Lane Multi Pass on. You’ll be able to bypass most of the line on this one with the add-on.

9. Astro Orbiter

Land: Tomorrowland
Rider height requirement: Any height
Seats per ride: Fits 2 per orbiter
Why we love it: Dumbo with a shorter wait

Comments:

Want to ride Dumbo but tired of the wait? Well, you’re slightly in luck because waits at the Astro Orbiter tend to be slightly less lengthy in comparison. It’s not often you’ll find two identical rides at the same amusement park–just reskinned with a different theme–but here we are. Instead of a flying elephant, you get a flying spaceship to fit the futuristic theme of Tomorrowland.

Admittedly, this is a bit of a toss-up with this one and Dumbo, but our daughter Char has preferred this one more. Ride this one when the parades pass by and you might get a better view if only for a short period while in flight.

10. Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride

Land: Fantasyland
Rider height requirement: Any height
Seats per ride: Can fit 2-3 per car
Why we love it: Pure nostalgia

Comments:

If you ask me which of the rides around Sleeping Beauty’s castle is the ride for me, I will respond with Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. Out of all the rides around the castle, this is the most unique, not starring a character from a major, successful motion picture.

And, frankly, it’s also one of the crazier sequences. What other ride can you start out in a library, then get sentenced to jail, run over by a train, and end up burning in the afterlife? And remember, this is a kid’s ride without any narration. This lives up to its name and is indeed a wild ride.

If you’re here during a cold day, the visit to the afterlife will definitely warm you up. And lines tend to not be as lengthy on this one, especially in comparison to nearby Peter Pan. That’s all fine by us as this 1955 Original Ride still entertains today, 70+ years later.

What are your favorite rides at Disneyland?

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