Wallowa Lake Tramway

Aerial tramway in Oregon, United States
45°15′49″N 117°10′51″W / 45.26355°N 117.1809°W / 45.26355; -117.1809TerminiMount HowardElevationlowest:  4,450 feet (1,360 m)
highest: 8,150 feet (2,480 m)No. of stations2Construction begin1968; 56 years ago (1968)Open1970; 54 years ago (1970)Websitewallowalaketramway.comOperationCarrier capacity4Operating timesmid-May until early OctoberTrip duration15 minutesTechnical featuresAerial lift typeMono-cable gondola detachableLine length19,300 feet (5,900 m)No. of support towers25Installed power150 h.p.

The Wallowa Lake Tramway is an aerial cable gondola lift near Joseph, Oregon, in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest of the United States, named for Wallowa Lake. The tram runs from the floor of the Wallowa Valley to the top of Mount Howard.[1] It travels to an elevation of 8,000 feet (2,400 m) above sea level and allows for views of the Eagle Cap Wilderness area and the rest of the Wallowa Mountains.[2]

History

The tramway was built in 1968,[3] and opened for service in 1970.[4] In June 1992, a malfunction caused the evacuation of the lift's passengers who were then flown by helicopter down the mountain, with no injuries reported.[5] This was the first safety incident for the tram.[4] Later that year, the tramway was used to haul fire fighters fighting a forest fire to the top of the mountain.[6] In 1999, tram owners explored expanding the tramway to include a winter resort.[7]

Operations

Twenty-five towers are used along the route to support the cables of tramway.[3] The Wallowa Lake Tramway rises 3,700 feet (1,100 m) vertically,[8] starting at the 4,200-foot (1,300 m) level of the lake.[9] At the top of the gondola ride, an elevation of 8,150 feet (2,480 m), is Oregon's highest restaurant, the Alpine Grill.[10] The Tramway runs May through October.[11] It formerly ran on the weekends in winter for skiing and snowshoeing.[12] The four-person gondolas take fifteen minutes to make a one-way trip.[8][12]

The tram is the steepest four-person gondola in North America, ending at the 8,256-foot (2,516 m) peak of Mount Howard.[13] The tram is operated on 115 acres (0.47 km2) of land leased from the Forest Service through a special national forest permit.[7] At the summit one can view wildlife,[1] and wildflowers in an alpine meadow. Parts of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho are visible from the summit. Two miles (3 km) of hiking trails are available.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b Oppenheimer, Laura. Beyond Bend. The Oregonian, August 19, 2007.
  2. ^ Producer offers glimpse of adventures in Oregon. Albany Democrat-Herald, April 10, 2007.
  3. ^ a b Oregon's Eagle Cap opens to skiers. Spokesman Review, December 31, 1997.
  4. ^ a b c Richards, Suzanne. Little Switzerland destination Northwest. The Oregonian, January 6, 1991.
  5. ^ Malfunction forces removal of 7 from aerial tramway car. The Oregonian, June 2, 1992.
  6. ^ Meehan, Brian T. 100 firefighters battling blaze in remote Mount Hood forest. The Oregonian, August 22, 1992.
  7. ^ a b Barker, Eric. Owners of Wallowa Lake Tramway want to expand; Owners of tramway ask the U.S. Forest Service for permission to expand into a full-scale ski area. Lewiston Morning Tribune, October 16, 1999.
  8. ^ a b Lorton, Steven R. Wonderful Wallowas; Wallowa Mountains, Oregon. Sunset, August 1, 2000, No. 2, Vol. 205; Pg. 34 ; ISSN 0039-5404.
  9. ^ Miller, Walt. Water and wildlife add zest to best campgrounds. The San Diego Union-Tribune, March 15, 1992.
  10. ^ Summit Grill & Alpine Patio. Wallowa Lake Tramway. Retrieved on February 26, 2008.
  11. ^ OPERATING CALENDAR. Wallowa Lake Tramway. Retrieved on September 1, 2017.
  12. ^ a b Richard, Terry. The Wallowas in winter. The Oregonian, December 17, 2000.
  13. ^ Wood, Terry. Get Out - Eastern Oregon: Serious hikes, spectacular scenery put the WOW in Wallowa. The Seattle Times. September 13, 2007.
  • Wallowa Lake Tramway (official website)