One of the first things we encountered were what looked like cages as well as what I assume were veterinary facilities and storage areas. The island had certainly not been maintained in any way since closing, we had quite a bit of trouble navigating it and figuring out exactly where the paths were. It was really quite a surreal experience. ![]() With every branch we stepped on that made a snap, a group of birds would be startled and take off all at once, making even more noise. We could hear them cawing and cooing in all directions, some sounded almost like people speaking. We were literally surrounded by what sounded like thousands of birds. We could hear all sorts of noises in the trees surrounding us. Almost immediately, we realized we were not alone on this island. We knew we wouldn't be able to use any bright lights while on the island, so with some small red colored lights, we made our way through overgrown paths. Now, while the island docks may be lit, the interior paths on the island are far from it. We quickly made our way out of sight into the trees and stashed our wet gear under some bushes. ![]() Landing on the shore I couldn't help but feel like a navy seal sneaking up on an enemy target under the cover of darkness. We swam as quickly and quietly as we could, using our waterproof bags as flotation devices. We put our clothes into the waterproof bags and waded into the still lake water. We'd arrived late enough that the ferries had stopped running and the only thing to worry about would be occasional lake patrols by Disney security. We would head for a beacon of light on the shore of the island. We finally made it to the shore and could see our target. Disney seems to like keeping all the lights on even in their abandoned properties in order to give the impression that they are still functional. We loaded up some waterproof bags with equipment and headed out to the park.Īfter making our way past some old water slides, we followed a path around the shore. This time, we ditched the boat plan, it was too cumbersome, obvious, and slow. It would be nearly a year before I returned. We left defeated and I vowed to return and conquer the island some day. It would make paddling across virtually impossible. To our dismay, we discovered that the island was in fact at least 300 feet away and that passenger ferries crossed between the island and shore every 5-10 minutes. After an ordeal smuggling the suspicious supplies into the Fort Wilderness campground via the Disney Shuttle buses, we finally made our way through the abandoned Water Park and got to the shore. We arrived with a plan involving an inflatable boat, 150 feet of clothesline(to pull the boat back across for other people), a large hand pump, and a few oars. They hadn't visited it themselves but told us that it was about 100 feet off the shore of the also abandoned River Country water park and that boat traffic was infrequent on the lake. They told us that there were rumors that there were bunches of animals still left running wild on the island. I'd heard about the island from some Orlando locals. Even more alarming, I've also heard that the main reason Disney closed the adjacent water park is because of the presence of Naegleria Fowleri bacteria in the water which can infect human nervous systems and nearly always results in death. I've heard from more than a few people that there are actually alligators that live in the lake, something I hadn't even thought of, assuming this was just some other Disney attraction. In the time since, I've learned a few disturbing facts about the lake and as such would not recommend that anyone attempt to re-trace our footsteps. ![]() This is the story of my trip there quite a few years ago when I lived in FL. It is a former wildlife attraction/sanctuary that was closed in 1999 and has been left to run wild since. In the middle of Bay Lake, deep within the heart of the Walt Disney World property, lies Discovery Island.
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