How many miles in Disneyland you will walk is dependent on several factors. But on average you should plan for 6-10 miles per day. What!

When booking those tickets to the most magical place on Earth, you were probably not thinking “well, now it is time to start my marathon training.” But in truth, you may walk a marathon’s distance over your vacation. Read on for more details not only on the size of the parks, but also tips to save yourself some steps.

How Many Miles Will I Walk At Disneyland?

Disneyland Resort is measured in acres not miles. The entire park, which includes both Disneyland Park and California Adventure, totals 500 acres. 

But the size of just over 500 acres is deceiving because the majority of those acres are found in the space between the two parks. 

In fact, the acreage also includes Downtown Disney, the parking areas, as well as on-property Disneyland hotels. 

As for the parks themselves, Disneyland Park is currently roughly 85 acres. And California Adventure is 72 acres. 

Okay, we know what you are thinking. We don’t measure distance in acres, except for ranches and fields, so let’s use a bit more familiar kind of field for comparison.

An American football field is 1.32 acres. So walking the distance of Disneyland is like walking roughly 65 football fields, end to end. California Adventure is 54.

Now, let’s think in miles so you can get those pedometers geared up for all those steps. 

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Disneyland Walking Distances

To walk the entire Disneyland loop from the main entrance gate through Tomorrowland, past Fantasyland, to the outpost of Galaxy’s Edge then around Critter Country and Adventureland, is about 1.5 miles.

And if you are planning to walk straight to Rise of Resistance – the attraction furthest away from the main gate – at rope drop, you will already be clocking in .5 miles. And that is before you have even gotten on a ride. Head back to the gate, you have already walked a mile.

California Adventure Walking 

California Adventure does not have as clear a loop as Disneyland. However, if you start your loop by turning right at Grizzly Peak, then go around Paradise Pier, onto Carsland, through the Avengers campus, and back to the entrance gate, you will walk about 1.2 miles. 

At its farthest point, if you walk from the gate to the Incredicoaster on Pixar Pier, you will walk 0.4 miles–one way!

So it is easy to see why a day at Disneyland Resort is like walking a half marathon. Let’s talk averages.

How Far You Will Walk At Disneyland

An average day at Disneyland Resort means you are walking between 6-10 miles.  However, we have certainly had days where we have clocked in 12-13 miles. 

But of course, the amount of time you are in the park, and whether or not you have a park hopper ticket will impact the total distance you have to walk each day.

If you only walk one park in a day, you are more likely to walk 6-7 miles. 

We have also found that we tend to walk about a mile an hour while at Disneyland since we are not walking constantly but also standing in lines, riding rides, and occasionally sitting down for food or something cold to drink. So, if we are in the park for 10 hours, we typically walk about 10 miles. 

Ideas for How To Walk Less At Disneyland

Plan Your Routes Using the My Disney Experience App

The more thoughtful you are about planning your day, the less you will have to walk. 

One of the ways to do this planning is using the My Disney Experience app. The My Disney Experience app lets you view and update your plans, make dining reservations, search maps of both theme parks, and get real-time attraction wait times.

And it is using the real-time attraction wait times that can save you some steps. By checking wait times, you can decide what parts of the parks are least busy and plan your best route.

Using the app is just one tip on our mega list of Disneyland tips for first timers.

Use Disney Transport

Disney has several unique ways to see the park that give your feet a rest.

At Disneyland Park, two great ways to save yourself a few steps are the Main Street vehicles and the Disneyland Railroad.

While walking the length of Main Street U.S.A. isn’t that many steps, you can save yourself a few by traveling in style. 

Main Street vehicles include a horse-drawn carriage, a two-story open-air Omnibus, a replica of an early Fire Engine, and a Jitney, an early automobile without a roof.

Main Street vehicles take you from one end of Main Street U.S.A to the other. You board the vehicles at Town Square near City Hall. Or, to return to the gate, at Central Plaza in front of Sleeping Beauty’s castle. 

Again, the Main Street vehicles will not save you too many steps. But hey, your feet get a little break and you can arrive at Sleeping Beauty’s castle in style.

California Adventure also has its own vintage style. The Red Car Trolley runs down Buena Vista Street and through Hollywood Land.

There are four stops on the Trolley’s route. It begins at the start of Buena Vista Street near the main station and runs down to Hyperion Theater on Sunset Boulevard. 

There are also Red Trolley stops at Carthay Circle and right in front of Disney’s Art of Animation building.

The Disneyland Railroad

This 18-minute ride rings around the edge of the park. A great way to take in the sites and give those feet a good rest. 

You can use it as a ride to see the entire park. Or as transport to get from one side of the park to the other. 

When our son was young, we used the train as a great place to have our picnic lunch. It was difficult to persuade him to stop riding long enough to eat. So the train was our go-to to slow down enough to get him to have a sandwich.

Use Anaheim Regional Transit (ART) to Get From Your Hotel

With all that walking, you definitely do not want to add any steps getting to and from the park. 

One solution is to stay on-property, but if you are planning a trip to Disneyland on a budget, those properties are likely out of reach.

One great solution is to use Anaheim Regional Transit. ART is Anaheim’s regional public transit system and has numerous lines that drop off at both “Good Neighbor” and independent hotels. 

And ART picks up and drops off at the Disneyland Transit center, the entryway plaza right before Disneyland security so it will definitely save you some steps.

Our post on planning a trip to Disneyland on a budget includes details on using ART, as well as other cost-saving ideas.

However, it is also smart to stay no further than a mile from the park. Our list of the best 2-bedroom suites near Disneyland gives you both location and space if you are traveling to Disneyland with your family.

What To Wear For All That Disneyland Walking

In truth, any shoe that you can run a half-marathon in will be a great shoe for Disneyland.

If you are like us and prefer a little more style than your typical running shoe. We think Sketchers are pretty great for every member of the family.

Women’s

Men’s

Kid’s

And for those warmer days, we are 100% a Chaco wearing family. Chacos are especially good if you decide to brave Grizzly Run at California Adventure.

Where yes, you are definitely going to get soaked!

Women’s

Men’s

Kid’s

How Much Bigger is Disney World than Disneyland?

Disney World is a gigantic 43 miles. And here we are talking miles, not the 500 acres that is Disneyland.

Disney World is so large that you can actually fit 51 Disneylands into Disney World.

So while Disneyland Resort will definitely give you some aching feet, we promise they will feel much more magical after a day at Disneyland then they will at Disney World.

But even though Disney World is much larger, a day at Disneyland is sure to meet your daily step count. But you’ll be having so much fun, you won’t even notice.

Until you get back to your hotel and take off your shoes. And the aching begins. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

If you are thinking about the miles you will walk in Disneyland, then you must be planning a trip. Let us help.

We can have ideas for how to plan a trip to Disneyland on a budget, including the cheapest way to travel from LAX to Disneyland.

Traveling with Teens to Disneyland. We have some ideas for the best park for teenagers, including what Disneyland specific tips.