Previously, we took a look at Seven Seas Lagoon, the man-made body of water adjacent to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. This time, our focus is the large lake the lagoon is connected to, Bay Lake.

An egret standing atop a rope of Wilderness Lodge's boat dock at Bay Lake.

When Walt Disney and his staff were searching for land in Florida, the site they selected included a large lake with an island in the middle of it. The lake was Bay Lake, and they felt that the natural lake was an attractive feature of the property. But because of the poor water quality, the lake was drained and the muck at the bottom was cleaned out. Underneath, they found lots of white sand, which was used to create the beaches at the different hotels which were under construction. The lake was then refilled.

Looking out at Bay Lake from the Wilderness Lodge beach.

Bay Lake has an interesting and unique feature that connects it to the Seven Seas Lagoon. A "water bridge" was constructed between the two bodies of water. Instead of cars traveling over a bridge above the water, the "bridge" is a canal through which the various watercraft travel between the lake and the lagoon. Cars travel on a road that runs underneath the bridge. The construction of the bridge was quite an undertaking. The bridge had to be wide enough to allow passage of all the different watercraft, from the small guest-driven boats to the large ferry boats. But the final look is much better than a vehicle bridge over the waterway. At the time, this water bridge was a unique feature. Now however, there is a similar bridge between Epcot and the Epcot Resort Area.

The Wilderness Lodge's boat dock at Bay Lake in the early evening.

The Fort Wilderness Campground was built on the shores of Bay Lake, providing guests with convenient water travel to the Magic Kingdom. Campers also have a great beach for recreational activities such as sunbathing and volleyball. Or for a relaxing time, guests can spend some time in one of the hammocks along the beach. The beach provides an excellent location to view the Magic Kingdom fireworks.

A view of Bay Lake and the beach at the Contemporary Resort.

In 1976, River Country opened, becoming Walt Disney World's first water park. River Country was located adjacent to Fort Wilderness on the shores of Bay Lake. The design made the water in the swimming area appear to be part of the lake, although they are actually separate so that the swimming area water can be filtered. River Country eventually closed as its popularity declined after the opening of Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, although the facility is still there and even still shows up on some of the directional signs around the resort.

An overview of Bay Lake from the Contemporary Resort.

When the Wilderness Lodge was built, a new beach on Bay Lake was created for that resort. The Lodge also has a boat dock, which like Fort Wilderness allows guests to take a boat directly to the Magic Kingdom. A stream begins inside the Wilderness Lodge hotel lobby, flows through the pool area, around the geyser, and eventually out into Bay Lake.

Continue to Part 2

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