Spectacular Views, Easy Route Provided By State’s Tramways

rsteelhammer@wvgazette.com

ANSTED – The tramways at West Virginia’s two cable car-equipped state parks are up and running on a full summer schedule, giving visitors not only an abundance of spectacular canyon views, but easy access to a variety of outdoor adventures.

At Hawks Nest State Park, the tram whisks passengers from the rim of the New River Gorge across Mill Creek to a landing along a mirrorlike flat-water section of the New formed by nearby Hawks Nest Dam.

There, the New River Jetboats vessel "Miss M Rocks" is tethered to a dock, awaiting passengers for 30-minute roundtrips to the New River Gorge Bridge. Skipper Rick Lawson’s irreverent tour commentary is as much a highlight of the trip as the scenery, and if river conditions are right, the trip can include running a small set of rapids in the shadow of the giant span.

"It’s a good alternative trip for people who don’t feel up to a whitewater raft trip on the New River," said Hawks Nest Superintendent Thomas Shriver.

Cost of the six-mile trip is $16 for adults, $14 for seniors, $6 for children 5-16, and free for kids 4 and younger. Buy tickets at the tramway office.

The lower trailhead of the recently opened Hawks Nest Rail Trail, a two-mile hiking and biking path between downtown Ansted and the New River shore at Hawks Nest, can be found a short distance from the lower tram station.

"People have really taken to it, in the short time that it’s been open," said Shriver.

The rhododendron-draped trail follows the path of Mill Creek into the Gorge, giving hikers and bikers countless views of waterfalls, plunge pools, and rugged mountain scenery.

"You would expect to find scenery this wild and rugged somewhere in the eastern highlands – not less than an hour’s drive from Charleston," said Shriver.

The tramway gives gravity-challenged hikers and bikers an option to hoofing or pedaling their way back to the top of the canyon.

"A lot of people are hiking and biking down the trail, and riding the tram back to the lodge," said Shriver. "It only costs an extra buck to put your bike in a tram car, and you can be back on the rim in a matter of minutes."

Picnicking is available at a shady day-use area near the lower tram station, along with a snack-equipped gift shop and a nature center with several live specimens of New River reptiles and amphibians, plus hands-on exhibits of wildlife tracks. Bass and catfish can be found in the Hawks Nest pool, and trout anglers have found the waters of Mill Creek worth sampling.

Fares for the Hawks Nest tramway are $3 for adults and $2 for children. The rides are available 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. The tramway is closed for maintenance on Mondays, except on holidays.

It’s a longer and steeper tramway ride into the Bluestone Gorge at Pipestem Resort State Park near Hinton, where comfortable lodging and gourmet dining, as well as outdoor activities, await travelers making the 1,100-foot descent via 3,410 feet of cable.

The tramway provides the sole means of access for guests at Pipestem’s remote Mountain Creek Lodge, where all 30 rooms have private balconies overlooking the Bluestone River. The lodge has a breezy, open-air lobby, and lies adjacent to the Mountain Creek Restaurant, open nightly to both lodge guests and tramway commuters, featuring gourmet fare not usually seen on state park menus. The restaurant also serves a continental breakfast and a soup and sandwich lunch buffet.

The stretch of the Bluestone between Pipestem and Bluestone state parks is part of the National Scenic River system, administered by the National Park Service. The Bluestone Turnpike Trail, which follows the route of a 19th-century wagon route, connects the two parks, giving hikers, bikers and anglers access to a long, roadless stretch of the river.

"The tram gives you easy access to what’s almost a wilderness down there," said Pipestem Superintendent Steve Bolar. "You can follow the trail for 12 miles to Bluestone State Park and see nothing but rugged country, few people, no traffic and a lot of wildlife. We’re seeing bear down there now, along with a lot of turkey and deer, and animals like coyotes and river otters."

The Bluestone is considered a prime smallmouth bass stream.

"Mountain bikers can take our four-mile trail down to the river, then ride the tram back up," said Bolar.

Every Saturday at 10 a.m., a National Park Service ranger leads a two-mile hike along the Bluestone Turnpike Trail, and discusses the canyon’s flora, fauna and history. From time to time, Bluestone’s in- house naturalist gives similar presentations.

Pipestem’s tram is taken out of service every Tuesday and Thursday from 1 to 4 p.m. for routine maintenance.

It costs $4 for adults and $3 for children to ride the tram, which operates from 7 a.m. to midnight daily, except for the Tuesday and Thursday maintenance sessions.

To contact staff writer Rick Steelhammer, use e-mail or call 348- 5169.