Wallowa Lake Tramway

The Wallowa Lake Tramway is an aerial cable gondola lift near Joseph, Oregon in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest of the United States. The tram runs from the floor of the Wallowa Valley to the top of Mount Howard.Oppenheimer, Laura. Beyond Bend. "The Oregonian", August 19 2007.] It travels to an elevation of convert|8000|ft|m above sea level and allows for views of the Eagle Cap Wilderness area and the rest of the Wallowa Mountains. [ [http://www.democratherald.com/articles/2007/04/12/news/local/6loc07_aglunch.txt Producer offers glimpse of adventures in Oregon.] "Albany Democrat-Herald", April 10 2007.]

History

The tramway was built in 1968,Oregon's Eagle Cap opens to skiers. "Spokesman Review", December 31 1997.] and then opened for service in 1970.Richards, Suzanne. Little Switzerland destination Northwest. "The Oregonian", January 6 1991.] In June 1992, a malfunction caused the evacuation of the lifts passengers who were then flown by helicopter down the mountain, with no injuries reported. [Malfunction forces removal of 7 from aerial tramway car. "The Oregonian", June 2 1992.] This was the first safety incident for the tram. Later that year, the tramway was used to haul fire fighters fighting a forest fire to the top of the mountain. [Meehan, Brian T. 100 firefighters battling blaze in remote Mount Hood forest. "The Oregonian", August 22 1992.] In 1999, tram owners explored expanding the tramway to include a winter resort.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.]

Operations

Twenty-five towers are used along the route to support the cables of tramway. The Wallowa Lake Tramway rises 3700 vertical feet,Lorton, Steven R. Wonderful Wallowas; Wallowa Mountains, Oregon. "Sunset", August 1 2000, No. 2, Vol. 205; Pg. 34 ; ISSN: 0039-5404.] starting at the convert|4200|ft|m|sing=on level of the lake. [Miller, Walt. Water and wildlife add zest to best campgrounds. "The San Diego Union-Tribune", March 15 1992.] At the top of the gondola ride, an elevation of convert|8150|ft|m, sits Oregon’s highest restaurant, the Alpine Grill. [ [http://www.wallowalaketramway.com/summitgrill.htm Summit Grill & Alpine Patio.] Wallowa Lake Tramway. Retrieved on February 26 2008.] The Tramway runs May through September in summer [ [http://www.wallowalaketramway.com/OPERTIONCalendarfor2007.pdf 2007 Schedule.] Wallowa Lake Tramway. Retrieved on February 26 2008.] and on the weekends in winter for skiing and snowshoeing.Richard, Terry. The Wallowas in winter. "The Oregonian", December 17 2000.] The four-person gondolas take fifteen minutes to make a one-way trip. The tram is the steepest four-person gondola in North America, ending at the convert|8256|ft|m|sing=on peak of Mount Howard. [Wood, Terry. Get Out - Eastern Oregon: Serious hikes, spectacular scenery put the WOW in Wallowa. "The Seattle Times". September 13 2007.] The tram is operated on convert|115|acre|km2 of land leased from the Forest Service through a special permit since it is on national forest lands. At the top of the mountain are wildlife and wildflowers in an alpine meadow with views of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho along with two-miles (3 km) of hiking trails.

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