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All over the United States and across the world resorts and even cities are opting to use Aerial Gondolas for both recreational and mass transit, especially in areas where road construction is not a practical option.
Skiers, riders, and sightseers alike will love the panoramic 10 minute ride that climbs 2,000 vertical feet and soars above a snowy mountainscape of granite rock and the iconic Tram Face. And that's just the beginning. Once you reach your destination at High Camp, located at 8,200', breathe in the fresh mountain air and immerse yourself in the High Sierra.
Even if you aren't skiing or riding, you can still experience one of the greatest views of Lake Tahoe with a Scenic Gondola Ride. Get on the Gondola in the Heavenly Village and have your camera ready - the 2.4 mile ride will leave you breathless. Stop at the Observation Deck for panoramic views of Lake Tahoe and the surrounding Sierra Nevada mountains. Warm up with a hot coco and grab a snack at Cafe Blue. When you've soaked in all of the scenic beauty you can handle, get back on the Gondola to complete your ride to the top. At the top you'll reach Tamarack Lodge - headquarters for all winter fun. Meet up with other skiers or riders in your group for lunch or stay for happy hour - every day from 3:30 - 5:30PM with live music Monday - Thursday and the world-famous Unbuckle Apres Party on Friday & Saturday.
The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway—the world’s largest rotating tram car—travels over two-and-one-half miles along the breathtaking cliffs of Chino Canyon, transporting riders to the pristine wilderness of the Mt. San Jacinto State Park. During your approximately ten-minute journey, tram cars rotate slowly, offering picturesque and spectacular vistas of the valley floor below. Once you reach the Mountain Station—elevation 8,516 feet—enjoy two restaurants, observation decks, natural history museum, two documentary theaters, gift shop and over 50 miles of hiking trails.
One of the most appealing and exciting features of the entire Trees of Mystery experience is the nearly 1/3 mile journey through the forest tree tops via the unique SkyTrail gondola ride. Surely nowhere else are you going to have the chance to get an up-close downward perspective from the tops of redwood trees that measure 100s of feet in height. A total of 8 Gondola Cars continuously make the approximately 8-10 minute, 1570 foot trip up the mountain each day - giving riders not only spectacular views of magnificent redwoods, but a fine mountaintop ocean vista at the observation deck at the summit as well.
Take an airborne shortcut over the treetops to the other end of the Zoo and enjoy spectacular views of the Zoo, its animal and plant collection, and surrounding Balboa Park (jogging, oversized and double strollers cannot be accommodated; children younger than 8 years old must be accompanied by an adult).
Telluride's gondola system provides free transportation between the town of Mountain Village and the town of Telluride. It's the first and only free public transportation of its kind in the United States. From the town of Telluride at 8,750 feet, the gondola climbs 1,790 vertical feet before reaching Station St. Sophia at 10,540 feet. It’s a quiet 13-minute ride from town to town with breathtaking scenery and 360 degree panoramic views. From the town of Telluride, the gondola climbs over the front side of the ski resort. In the summer, these trails are abundant with wildlife including deer, elk, marmot, porcupine, bear and more. As you gain elevation, the San Sophia Ridge comes into view above the town. 13,000 foot peaks Mears Peak, Dallas Peak, Gilpin Peak, Mt. Emma and Chicago Peak gain prominence. Near Station St. Sophia, you’ll see nearly the entire town and the surrounding mountains in a single view. From Station St. Sophia at 10,540 feet above sea level, the Gondola continues towards the Mountain Village Core. In the distance, Wilson Peak, Mount Wilson and Lizard Head appear to the west. On a clear day looking west you can also see the La Sal mountain range in central Utah near Moab. Continuing down, the gondola places you just a short walk to the Mountain Village Core where shopping and dining await.
The Metro Cable public transport system is a government funded and internationally recognized urban regeneration initiative. They were originally designed to allow the local residents to easily travel up and down the steep hills of Medellin – enabling easier access to jobs, medical care and generally making life a lot easier. Although designed specifically for locals, the cable cars are now Medellin’s no.1 tourist attraction, giving visitors a view of barrio populares (favelas) from an interesting and up-close perspective.
As a top candidate of Hong Kong top tourist spots, Ngong Ping 360 is where you can enjoy 360-degree views on a world’s top 10 amazing cable car ride. It also comprises of a culturally themed landscaped garden called Ngong Ping Village. Preserving the natural ecological environment and features of the Ngong Ping area, Ngong Ping 360 is sure to refresh your body and enlighten your mind, as soon as you step on the famous cable car.
Ngong Ping Cable Car is a visually spectacular 5.7km cable car journey, travelling between Tung Chung Town Centre and Ngong Ping on Lantau Island. Visitors will be greeted by stunning panoramic views of the Tian Tan Buddha Statue, South China Sea and beyond from a standard, crystal or private cabin.
The wait is finally over. After more than 2.5 years, the world’s longest 3S passenger ropeway was inaugurated on February 4. Invitees attended kick off festivities with a slew of giveaways, recognitions, and announcements. Passengers hopped onboard the 7.9km Hon Thom Cable Car and soared from Phu Quoc over the Gulf of Thailand’s crystal blue waters on a 15 minute ride before arriving on Hon Thom Island (i.e. Pineapple Island).
The ropeway system, designed with seventy 30-passenger cabins and a capacity of 3,500 pphpd, can operate at maximum speeds of 8.5m/s (30.6km/h). This incredible speed helps the cable car tie a record, initially set by the 30-TGD Psekhako ropeway in Sochi, Russia, for the fastest 3S gondola ever built.
While other resorts covet the vast, fast lift infrastructure at Vail and Beaver Creek, locals imagine a chairway to heaven: an aerial public transit network linking both villages and backcountry terrain from East Vail to Eagle-Vail.
Juneau, Alaska is a city perched between ocean waters and sharply sloped mountain peaks. Due to this position, it is situated in one of the most scenic locations possible for a cable lift. The Mt. Roberts Tramway runs from the city’s waterfront to Mt. Roberts above. Although the tram was built purely for tourists, it still offers some lessons for urban gondolas. The tram is a 60 passenger Poma system with a capacity of 1,050 people per hour and a total length of 3,087 feet (~1km). It is only about a five minute ride but it quickly ascends 1,800 feet in those five minutes – compared to the 3,300 foot length and 500 foot vertical rise of another Northwest ropeway, the Portland Tram.
In many urban cable car projects, there is no clear location to put a station because of its size or geographical constrictions – and in these situations, a station could be built with the same methods that were pioneered at the top station of the Mt. Roberts Tramway. The possibilities in the urban context are endless but perhaps one could imagine a cable car anchored between two skyscrapers, soaring above a park/open space or cantilevering off the side of a valley.
Once visitors are at the top, there are a host of activities including hiking the nearby trails, grabbing a bite and/or visiting the nature center. The bottom station is less of an engineering feat but still offers lessons to urban gondolas. The bottom terminal is noticeably low profile and it blends in seamlessly to downtown Juneau and the cruise ship docks. The tram is one of the first things that people see when they get off of the cruise ship and those visitors provide big business to the tram. The tram’s hours are actually built to correspond to cruise ship arrival and departure times.
Future urban gondolas would be well served by looking at the integration of the Mt. Roberts Tramway into the waterfront district and applying these best practices to commercial or cruise ship ports. The tram is steeped in Native American heritage, as the two cabins are named for the native Tlingit words for Eagle and Raven and the cable car honors the traditions of Native Americans in the Juneau area.
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