Trail’s End Restaurant at Disney’s Fort Wilderness (What You Can Expect + Photos)
Trail’s End Restaurant is the primary quick-service restaurant at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground. It serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and shares a location with Crockett’s Tavern, the resort’s lounge. Both venues are located at The Settlement near the resort’s boat dock. The Settlement is also home to Hoop Dee Doo Revue, the Settlement Trading Post, an arcade, and a playground area. Tri-Circle D Ranch is also nearby if you would like to tour the barn and see some of the horses used in the parks and resorts.
As you may know, Trail’s End was once a popular table service restaurant with a buffet that often received rave reviews. It was a restaurant worthy of its name–a place where you could start the day with a hearty meal or load up after a long day in the parks. These days, it’s basically a Disney version of Kentucky Fried Chicken, which is okay but still leaves a lot to be desired. Below, we’ll look at what you can expect and a few photos of the restaurant.
Here’s the quick reference rundown:
| Trail’s End Restaurant | Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort |
|---|---|
Location: | The Settlement |
Hours: | 7:30. a.m. to 9:45 p.m. |
Menu: | View Trail’s End Breakfast Menu |
Menus: | View Lunch and Dinner Menu |
Disney Dining Plan: | Quick Service and Snack Credit Options |
I lucked up on a nearly empty Trail’s End during this visit. I was on my way to the stables and stopped for a soda. Finding anything empty at the Fort is rare, so I took advantage of the opportunity and moseyed around a bit. Here’s a look at the interior of the quick service area.
I was surprised they had several kinds of pizza available by the slice.
Slices included cheese, pepperoni, vegetable, and smokehouse. I have not seen the vegetable or smokehouse pizza anywhere else on the property. It looked pretty decent.
Next to the pizza, I saw a few selections of hand-scooped ice cream.
A refrigerated case on the back wall had a variety of drinks.
They also had a number of grab-and-go items, such as fruit cups, cupcakes, salads, sandwiches, and leftover cold items. Salad selections included:
- Fort Wilderness Garden Salad (with or without chicken): Romaine and Iceberg Lettuce with Chicken, Radish, Green Peppers, Cucumbers, and Tomato served with a choice of Dressing on the side
- Pioneer Berry Salad with Chicken (with or without chicken): Grilled Chicken, Spring Greens, Fresh Berries, Blue Cheese, Candied Pecans, and Raspberry Vinaigrette on the side
Those leftover cold items, I assume, were once shelved in the warming areas. So, here’s the scoop. These days, instead of a buffet, you can grab a variety of meals from the warming trays. You can take them with you or eat them there in the restaurant. (These are not the only options, but this is kind of the premise of the restaurant now.)
Here are some selections, including pecan-smoked brisket, 10-hour smoked pulled pork, a whole rack of ribs, a pecan-smoked chicken, and fried chicken (eight pieces).
Sides included mashed potatoes, cowboy beans, chili, green beans, and macaroni and cheese.
The ribs came with a sauce.
These mini cornbread muffins looked yummy.
The family meal serves two, per the signage. But I’m a little unsure how often two people sit down and eat an entire box of fried chicken or a full slab of ribs, so you might want to look everything over before you decide. I felt like at least three to four people could share a family meal if you didn’t go too heavy on the sides.
If you want dessert, there was a pastry case with options. A few desserts on the menu include strawberry shortcake and banana pudding. If you haven’t figured it out yet, this is the same fried chicken and strawberry shortcake that’s served next door at the Hoop Dee Doo Revue.
These items in the warming drawer were not the only options. Menu boards for breakfast, lunch, and dinner were available at the register. Therefore, you could order something, and they would bring it to you. A few breakfast items included the Bounty Platter, a Harvest Platter (plant-based), Mickey-shaped waffles, several biscuit and croissant sandwiches, biscuits and gravy, and French Toast sticks. A Little Cowpoke meal is available for children.
Lunch and dinner items included a cheeseburger, a Fort Wilderness vegetable burger, a barbecued pulled pork sandwich, chicken breast nuggets, and the other pizza and meals we already discussed. Although, it’s notable that you can order an entire stone-fired pizza instead of by the slice. I feel like I’m going to have to return and try a slice of pizza one day. These are not the same pizzas you get everywhere else!
They also had a fried chicken 2-piece meal and a barbecued ribs half-slab meal if you wanted something smaller than the family style option. Sides include cornbread, coleslaw, and mashed potatoes with gravy.
Kids’ meals included a turkey sandwich or a PB&J Uncrustable. They are served with two sides, like grapes, baked chips, or French Fries, and come with a drink. Drink choices include a choice of small lowfat milk, a small Dasani bottled water, a juice box, or a fountain beverage.
S’mores kits were also available. During your stay, you might enjoy visiting the Chip and Dale Campfire Sing-Along at the Meadow one evening. It’s a classic!
A soda refill machine with Coca-Cola products is available. If you buy a fountain beverage, you can refill it up to three times for about two hours after you activate it. Since I hop between the resorts a good bit, I’ve got to where I take my cup with me and refill it. The chip in the cups works well and will let you know how much time and how many refills you have left.
A microwave, toaster oven, and condiments are available in Trail’s End.
Here is a look at the charming dining room. The light fixtures are canoes turned upside down and strung from the ceiling.
Trail’s End Restaurant accepts mobile orders. You can order something, and they’ll leave it on one of the shelves pictured below for you to pick up.
Here’s another look at a portion of the dining room.
Davy Crockett’s Wilderness Arcade sits in the back corner of Trail’s End Restaurant.
Make sure to look at the details. You might find a hidden Mickey.
Fort Wilderness is an original Walt Disney World Resort, and the Cabins at Fort Wilderness are part of the Disney Vacation Club. The resort sits along Bay Lake near Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. For more information about Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, you might enjoy one of the following:
- Disney’s Fort Wilderness Transportation Options
- A Visit to Tri Circle D Ranch at Fort Wilderness
- The Pools at Disney’s Fort Wilderness
- How to Get to Hoop Dee Doo Revue During Your Disney Vacation
In the Comments
Have you ever been to Trail’s End? What did you think of the former buffet? Do you like the quick service option or prefer the old version? Share your thoughts below in the comments.
