New trams take shape at Hawks Nest, Pipestem; start dates still up in the air

In past years, the Hawks Nest tramway carried an estimated 28,000 visitors a year between the state park’s lodge complex on the rim of the canyon and the park’s boat dock, shoreline fishing area, New River Jet Boats concession, and the lower trailhead for the Hawks Nest Rail Trail, connecting the park with the town of Ansted.

About 18,000 passengers a year rode the Pipestem tramway, which connects the main park complex at the rim of Bluestone Canyon with Mountain Creek Lodge and restaurant along the Bluestone River, and provides access to the Bluestone National Scenic River and Bluestone Turnpike Trail.

Randolph County crew doing the installation

Both tramways were built by companies that are out of business, making spare parts scarce or unavailable, often requiring special fabrication in machine shops.

The Hawks Nest tramway opened in 1970, soon after the park’s lodge building was completed. It was one of only two reversible tramways built by the Hall Ski-Lift Co. of Watertown, N.Y., which ceased operations in 1985. The Hawks Nest tram closed on June 6, 2021, when a critical component of tramway broke and could no longer be repaired, replaced or manufactured.

Pipestem’s tram began operations in 1972 and was the last of four similar North American tramways installed by the Gerhard Mueller Co. of Zurich, Switzerland still operating immediately prior to its closure at the end of the 2023 season.

Soon after the Hawks Nest tram was closed, state officials decided to replace both aging tramways with larger, more comfortable, state-of-the art, ADA-accessible equipment. Funding was secured to replace both trams and a contract was awarded to Doppelmayr USA, a company that builds tramways and ski lift worldwide. Doppelmayr’s eastern regional headquarters is in Harman, Randolph County, and a crew from that location is handling the installation of the new trams at both parks.

Work got underway on the Pipestem tram in late 2023. In 2024, helicopters were used to remove and replace that tramway’s support towers and attach new cables. While that tramway was originally projected for opening late last year, weather issues intervened, delaying completion.

The tramway closure at Pipestem last year prompted the temporary closure of the park’s 30-room Mountain Creek Lodge and restaurant, fronting the Bluestone River, and accessible only by the tram.

When will they be finished?

The Pipestem tram “is now in the final phases of construction and estimated to be finished in June,� said Matt Yeager, the Division of Natural Resources’ chief of planning, engineering and maintenance. “Barring any unforeseen circumstances, we believe the Mountain Creek Lodge will be open in late June or July.�

New tramway construction at Hawks Nest began in late 2024, with the removal of old support towers and the installation of new towers. Last week, a six-man Doppelmayr crew at Hawks Nest attached and spliced cable for the new system, and the crew plans to return to Pipestem soon to add finishing touches to that tramway.

While the Hawks Nest tramway itself is on track to be completed by late summer or early fall, work on that system’s passenger terminals has yet to begin. However, a bid to build out those terminals was recently awarded “and we are excited to see this stage of the project begin,� Yeager said.

“Once the terminals are constructed, the final stage of energizing and programming the tram will finalize the project,� Yeager said. The new Hawks Nest tramway is now expected to open late this year or early 2026.

Bigger gondola cars, easier to operate

The original tramways at both state parks carried a maximum of four people per tram car and required members of the park staff to stop each tram car and position it for loading or unloading passengers. The new trams will make use of six-person gondola cars operating on a “pulse� system, in which cars automatically slow down for loading or unloading passengers at the upper and lower terminals at the same time.

The new Pipestem tramway will have seven gondola passenger cars, while the Hawks Nest tram will have three. Both new systems will be able to operate in colder, windier conditions than the tramways they replace, making extension of the operating season a possibility.

Both new tramways will also include a freight car designed to carry kayaks, bicycles and other recreational gear. Both state parks will also feature new ADA accessible parking, building access and corridors to tramway boarding areas, and barrier-free Omega gondola cars.

In the years since the Hawks Nest tramway closed, the state park has operated a shuttle van to take guests — via a gravel road from Ansted — to Hawks Nest Lake at the lower end of the tram, where the park operates a boat rental facility and snack bar, and guests can board New River Jet Boat rides.

Completion of the tram will make access to Hawks Nest Lake faster and more convenient. But for many passengers, the experience of riding a gondola car with wrap-around windows off the face of a cliff and descending 700 feet across Mill Creek to a landing at a shaded, grassy area at the base of the canyon will be the main attraction.

“This is the perfect setting for a tramway,� Hawks Nest Superintendent Joe Baugham said. “It’s always been quite a draw here. I can’t wait to see the new one running.�