Wyler Aerial Tramway
Experience stunning views while hanging from a single steel thread
Wyler aerial tramway fulfills the dream of philanthropist Karl O. Wyler, who strongly believed that the lofty views from atop Ranger Peak, just north of downtown El Paso, should be available to the pub-lic. He included this wish in his final will. The story begins, how-ever, in 1959 when NBC affiliate KTSM Radio built the tramway to aid the construction of a transmitter antenna and service platform. A real workhorse in its early days, the tiny tram hauled concrete, water, heavy equipment, workers – even sections of the antenna itself — to the mountain summit. Wyler directed this ambitious construction project and, in the process, fell in love with Ranger Peak and its top-of-the-world view.
Privately owned and operated first as El Paso Aerial Tramway, the facility allowed public access from 1960 to 1986. Although it continued to provide access for maintenance of telecommunications equipment, high liability insurance costs caused the tramway to close to the public. Wyler would later buy the tramway, then willed it to Texas Parks and Wildlife upon his death in 1997. Texas Parks and Wildlife reopened the tramway to the public in 2001 following extensive renovation.
The tramway operates on a 2,400-foot-long single-span cable system, meaning there are no support towers along its nearly half-mile length. From bottom to top, visitors are lifted some 940 vertical feet as they glide high above the rugged terrain below. Swiss-made gondolas carry tramway passengers. A haul rope pulls each gondola on a track rope along its lofty route. These “ropes” are actually the same type of super strong cables used in the construction of suspension bridges. To maintain tension, the track cable is anchored at the top of the mountain and tied to a massive 29-ton counterweight at the base station.
VIEW FROM THE SUMMIT From Ranger Peak, visitors can see three states and two countries on a clear day. The trip takes about four minutes and lifts riders up 940 vertical feet above the boarding area.
The Tramway climbs to offer a breathtaking view of the Rio Grande Valley. From the top of Ranger Peak, a bird’s-eye view of humanity butting up against rugged desert mountains unfolds at your feet. Two countries and three states can be seen from this vantage point.
If you prefer to hike up (and/or down), it’s a two-mile round-trip trek along a rocky ridge.
Each four-minute ride to the top is guided by a park employee, who points out landmarks. From 5,632 feet above sea level, the visitor has a 360-degree view of 7,000 square miles on a clear day.
Without the aid of a telescope, the town Sierra Blanca, 88 miles to the east, and the Samalayuca Sand Dunes to the south in Mexico come into view. From up here, as the evening darkens the El Paso/Juarez basin, the lights of the city twinkle like stars reflected off the desert.
Ranger Peak is a hidden hubbub of activ-ity. Located in the southern part of the Franklin Mountains Range, it features the only public-accessible aerial tram in Texas, a B-36 crash site, two massive telecommunications towers, a visitor center and a hiking trail — all just minutes from downtown El Paso.
