This is an entry about the term “second gate” in our Disneyland 101 Glossary: Disneyland Resort definitions in under 101 words, from Mouse Brief. Keep reading after the entry for more on entering the second gate at Disneyland Resort.
The term “second gate” is a way of referring to the second theme park opened at a Disney resort. Each park has its own distinct entrance area, or “gate,” within the same resort. In the case of Disneyland Resort, the second gate is Disney California Adventure Park, because Disneyland Park opened in 1955, and Disney California Adventure Park opened second in 2001. Other examples include Tokyo DisneySea (Japan), Walt Disney Studios Park (France), and EPCOT at Walt Disney World ( where a third and fourth gate would follow).
Thanks for reading this Disneyland 101 Glossary entry on second gates. Keep reading for more information on the second gate (which itself has two entrances) at Disneyland Resort. We are expanding this entry with tips on entering the parks.
Disneyland California Adventure Park: The Second Gate with Two Gates
With our extra space here, we are going to share some more insight on getting to Disney California Adventure Park at Disneyland Resort as well as Disneyland Park.
Let’s start by explaining that, while Disney California Adventure Park is the “second gate” at Disneyland Resort, it actually has more than one entrance! First, Disney California Adventure Park has a main entrance off of the Disneyland Resort esplanade. This main entrance is just across the esplanade from the main—and only—guest entrance to Disneyland Park.
Incidentally, this easy jaunt from the “first gate” (Disneyland Park) to the main entrance for the “second gate” (Disney California Adventure Park) is one of the reasons we adore Disneyland Resort. This is also why we think Park Hoppers are often a good value at Disneyland Resort. But let’s get back to the second gate of the second gate…
Disney California Adventure Park has a second entrance in the lobby of Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa that leads into the Grizzly Peak land of the park. This entrance is for the use of guests staying at one of the Disneyland Resort Hotels. In some places, we have seen Disney advertise this entrance as for the use of just Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa and Pixar Place Hotel guests, but presumably that is because Disneyland Hotel guests would not find the entrance to be very convenient and not because they would not be allowed to use it.
A Closed Third Entrance
When Pixar Place Hotel re-opened with its Pixar theme in 2024, it boasted a special entrance to Disney California Adventure Park. This one let you into the Paradise Gardens Park area of the park, and you reached it from a fenced walkway on the south side of Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa. (You did need to cross Disneyland Drive to reach the entrance from Pixar Place Hotel.)
I am writing this post in early January, and this entrance closed earlier this week. This particualr entrance has closed and reopened before, so we can hope to see it open again in the future. But for now, the two gates to Disneyland Resort’s second gate are the main entrance on the esplanade and the second entrance for hotel guests inside Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa.
Keep in mind that lots of changes are planned for Disneyland Resort in the near future. So, we may see lots of things in flux, even entrance. Furthermore, Disney has stated that the whole entry “experience” on the east side of the resort is about to change. We will need to keep our eyes open for that!
Getting to the Second Gate at Disneyland Resort
The lobby for Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa is kind of a winding maze. It is a beautiful maze, and we enjoy our walk through there, but with steps (or ramps) up and down and corridors that wander past restaurants and gathering rooms, it can get a little confusing in there. All you have to do is look at the map of Disneyland Resort in the Disneyland app to see that this is a sprawling hotel!
When you are making your way to the Disney California Adventure Park entrance, look for signs and ask cast members for help! The entrance is roughly on the east side of the hotel complex and near the hotel’s restaurants. This hotel is seriously so extensive and, well, grand that you may be surprised at the walk, so let the cast members do what they do best and help you out!
As, for finding this entrance from Disney California Adventure Park, you will want to start be finding your way to the Grizzly Peak land. Look up and spot the craggy “mountain” that resembles a bear head. This tops Grizzly Peak at Grizzly River Run. Now head to the west side of Grizzly River Run; that’s the direction away from the center of the park. You will find the entrance to the hotel (aka the exit from the park) near the entrance for Grizzly River Run. It’s across the walkway from the attraction entrance and north just a little way in the direction of Soarin’ and away from Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.
The gate is pretty well blended into the environment of the Grizzly Peak, but it is there! Look for a discrete sign near stone posts topped by a wooden arbor. Continue under this arbor and onto the hotel building.
Who Can Use the Second Gate’s Second Gate?
While this Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa entrance is reserved for the use of Disneyland Resort Hotels guests, our experience is that any park guests may use it as an exit. You may wish to do this if you are taking a lunch break in the Downtown Disney District or at one of the Disneyland Resort Hotels. After that lunch break, you may or may not be able to re-enter Disney California Adventure Park through the same hotel entrance. In the past, this entrance has sometimes opened to all by mid-morning and at other times it has remained exclusive to hotel guests.
Currently, the wording on the Disneyland website is that:
To use the hotel’s theme park entrance, a Guest (aged 3+) must be staying at one of the Disneyland Resort hotels and have valid theme park admission and a park reservation for the same park on the same date. Link theme park tickets or passes, theme park reservations and hotel reservations to the Disneyland app to show verification of these requirements. To view Tickets and Passes in the app, select “My Tickets & Passes” in the menu (≡). To view hotel dates of stay, select “Hotel Reservations.”
Who Should Use the Hotel Entrance to Disney California Adventure Park
We think it is really cool that a Disneyland Resort Hotel has a special entrance into a Disney park! However, we think this entrance is not always the best choice, even if you are staying at Disney California Adventure Park.
First, keep in mind that this is smaller entrance, so when it gets crowded, it can really get back-up. Second, if you are trying to “rope drop” attractions in Avengers Campus or Cars Land, you may be better off entering Disney California Adventure Park from the main entrance. Anecdotally, sometimes special entrances can have slightly different hours than the park’s main entrance, and this may affect your strategy if you are trying to get into Disney California Adventure Park before it opens. We don’t have hard statistics on that, but it is just something to keep in mind.
We think the best use of the special entrance is for taking lunch or nap breaks at the Disneyland Resort Hotels during the day and for exiting the park if you are headed somewhere west. Keep in mind that you will need to go through the security checkpoint at this entrance even if you have been in the park previously.
Thank you for reading this post on the second gate at Disneyland Resort.
For practical and straightforward advice for your Disneyland Resort visit, see our free guide Step-by-Step Disneyland Prep. Thanks again for reading!