Staying Afloat
The Disneyland canoes opened as the Indian War Canoes on July 4, 1956. As seen above, Walt Disney himself experienced the canoes, which makes the canoes attraction that much more meaningful and on a short list of attractions in which Walt himself rode on and that still exist today.
The canoes attraction has the distinct honor of being in three different lands at Disneyland without ever moving its location. It began in Frontierland's Indian Village in 1956, then it was Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes in 1971 that was a part of Bear Country. To this day, it resides in Critter Country and is still called the Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes.
This past weekend, Marzz and I decided to conquer the canoes. It had been years since either of us paddled our way around the Rivers of America. Most of the time, when we think about doing it, we talk ourselves out of it because you do indeed have to physically paddle your way around, so it always seems too tiring to take part in. However, on this day, we sought it out.
Unlike the picture above with Walt, every guest on board the canoe has an oar/paddle to row with and each row generally has two people in it unless the canoe is under capacity then the cast members, on in the front and one in the rear, will attempt to balance the weight evenly to keep it from capsizing. The canoes are not on a track of any kind and have no motor either, so it is entirely up to the guests and two cast members on board to propel the canoe around the Rivers of America and get it back to the dock again.
I think the most difficult thing about the canoes is working together with the other guests on board to row in unison. In my opinion, most people under estimate the strength needed to paddle and that when you put the paddle into the water, the current will immediately push your oar back and it will provide zero propelling power if you just place it in the water; and many people mistakenly do this. Instead, when you put the oar into the water, you must put some muscle into it and pull back as if you were digging into the water and then pull it back out of the water and do it all again without missing a beat and repeating that all the way around the river.
Our recent experience was a good one and despite a few hiccups of being out-of-sync while rowing with the other guests, we made it around in good time and took in the sights and sounds that only the canoes can offer.
Being right on the water and so close to elements on the river such as the keel boat on the north side of Tom Sawyer's Island, or seeing the new bridge complete with beaver chewing on one of the posts. Another cool aspect of rowing on the canoes is being able to touch the water with your oar (touching with your hand is not permitted). As you paddle around next to the stage for Fantasmic, you get close to some of the markers, disguised as barrels floating in the water, and know you are cruising along the same route that the floats during the show take; it is quite special.
The Rivers of America has been present in Disneyland since 1955 and the canoes came along a year later and the fact that you can still ride that today and take part in an original Disneyland attraction is priceless. I highly recommend to anyone who is physically able to paddle, to go do so and be a part of a historic attraction. In addition to being a historic Disney attraction, I believe just the act of paddling in a canoe is something everyone should experience if you have not done so in your lifetime. Exploring the outdoors, being physically active and trying new activities is something we all should partake in when we can.
Lastly, I am happy to say that riding the Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes marked our completion of attempting to ride every single attraction in Disneyland during our first year as annual pass holders! (more on this to come in a later blog)
The canoes generally operate from 11:00AM to 5:00PM daily but make sure you check on the Disneyland website or app to ensure the canoes operation schedule.
