By Rick Steelhammer, Charleston Gazette-Mail
PIPESTEM, W.Va. — Work is underway on replacing the 52-year-old aerial tramway at Pipestem Resort State Park that carries travelers from park amenities and activities at the rim of Bluestone Gorge to the Bluestone River and Mountain Creek Lodge, 1,100 feet below.
Meanwhile, work on replacing the 1970-vintage tramway at Hawks Nest State Park is expected to begin in October and be completed sometime in the summer of 2025.
Last week, a helicopter-assisted project involving the removal and replacement of the tramway’s steel support towers was completed, and workers began fastening cable support hardware to the tops of the new towers.
Tramway project details
The work is being done by Doppelmayr USA, a ski lift and aerial tramway company that does similar work at sites across the nation and around the world and maintains a regional base of operations in Tucker County.
The new aerial tramway makes use of six-passenger gondolas — an improvement over the four-passenger cars used in the old system — all of them fully accessible and in compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
In addition to the larger passenger gondolas, the new tram system includes a freight car large enough to carry kayaks, bicycles and other gear for paddling on or fishing in the Bluestone River or pedaling on the Bluestone Turnpike Trail and other canyon-base pathways.
