Tag: Hawks Nest State Park

New Aerial Tramway Coming To Fayette County Park Next Year

Construction is currently underway for a new aerial tram in Fayette County’s Hawk’s Nest State Park following the closure of its decades-old tram system in 2022.

Visitors to Hawks Nest State Park in Fayette County will soon get to visit the New River in a familiar mode of transportation: the aerial tramway.

Construction is currently underway for a new aerial tram in the park, following the closure of its decades-old tram system in 2022.

The original tramway, created in 1970, was suffering from serious infrastructure issues and had to be taken down, according to parks officials.

Now, West Virginia State Parks is providing a new $8 million investment to Hawks Nest to restore a historic tourist attraction. They plan to complete the project in the late spring of 2025.

During a press briefing at the park Wednesday, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Director Brett McMillion said the new tramway will feature modern technology, as well as accessibility features for park-goers with disabilities.

“This project is one of the many that exemplifies what our state parks are all about,” McMillion said. “Creating opportunities for people to make lifelong memories and enjoy new experiences in the mountains of West Virginia.”

Gov. Jim Justice said during the event that the new tram project will play an important role in boosting tourism in the Mountain State.

“Now the world is awakening to us,” he said. “Imagine, just imagine, a worldwide travel guide saying West Virginia is the place to come to.”

State Park Aerial Tram Replacement Nearing Completion

Scheduled for replacement after more than 50 years in service, a new state of the art aerial tram at Pipestem State Park is ready to re-open this fall.

Replacing the aerial trams at one of two West Virginia State parks moved a little closer to the finish line with an announcement on Monday.   

Scheduled for replacement after more than 50 years in service, a new state of the art aerial tram at Pipestem State Park is ready to re-open this fall. The $12.4 million tram replacement will transport Pipestem guests down the same, iconic 3,400-foot path into the Bluestone Gorge.  

At a Pipestem press conference, Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby said the tram’s new pulse gondola system will allow for more efficiency and greater capacity within each cabin.

“It is going to be able to haul more people,”’” Ruby said. “There’s going to be equipment cars so you can take your fishing gear, your kayaks, your bicycles, everything down.”

The new tram cabins are also fully handicapped accessible. 

The original Pipestem aerial tram opened in April 1971, nearly a year after Pipestem State Park’s official opening on Memorial Day of 1970. The old tram served the park and many visitors for over a half century.

The old tram operated 12 cabins with a capacity of four persons per cabin. The previous system would not operate if winds rose above 24 mph. The new tram, with several safety applications built into the system, permits safe operation through winds reaching up to 54 mph.

Ruby said next on the replacement list is a new tram at Hawksnest State Park.

Outfitters Test Rafting Below Hawks Nest Dam

A section of the New River between Hawks Nest Dam and Gauley Bridge is being studied for potential whitewater rafting.

The study of the 6-mile section known as the New River Dries is part of the process for the hydroelectric dam’s re-licensing by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
 
Volunteer outfitters paddled the Dries last week in rafts and kayaks at several water release levels from the dam. They then filled out rating questionnaires.
 
West Virginia Professional River Outfitters director Bobby Bower tells the Charleston Gazette a release of 2,000 cubic feet per second provided what he called a “good, splashy ride.”
 
During the summer, water releases are typically 100 cubic feet per second. That’s the minimum flow needed to maintain stream quality and aquatic life downstream.
 

Senators Bring Local Issues to Senate Floor

Two senators rose to speak on the floor Wednesday about local issues they feel could have larger state impacts.

Senator Bill Laird brought to the chambers attention the possible closure of the Hawk’s Nest Golf Course in Fayette County.

Sixty-two percent of the course’s budget is absorbed by the state because of a lack of participation from the community, but Laird said the point of state parks is not to make a profit. The point is to provide recreational opportunities to the people of West Virginia while protecting its wildlife.
 

“Mr. President, I rage today on behalf of the people who live in a region that once contributed greatly to the economy of this great state. Mr. President, I rage today on behalf of the communities who are struggling to rebuild themselves in the wake of declining populations and shrinking economic opportunities. Mr. President I rage today on behalf of families who want their children to learn to hit a golf ball rather than a crack pipe. Mr. President and ladies and gentlemen of the Senate, thank you for allowing me to rage.”  

Senator Mike Hall of Putnam County stood to address the struggles the city of Hurricane is facing in trying to build a water impoundment to use as a secondary, emergency water source.

The city currently has a pond that can provide a 25 day supply, but Hall said since 2010, they’ve been trying to build a second that could provide and additional 17 days worth of water.

The plan is being blocked because the Department of Environmental Protection says it impacts a small stream and three tenths of an acre of wetlands.
 

“I understand wetlands and streams need to be mitigated, but the frustration that I personally feel for the city and the citizens is that this is a water project and I can tell you that since what’s happened recently with the Elk and so forth, people came to Hurricane for water during the crisis. If you look, there aren’t any above ground tanks there. There isn’t anything to interfere with this and because our county does well and our per capita income is what it is, we apparently can’t get some relief that some of your counties might get.”  

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