The Wyler Aerial Tramway State Park in El Paso 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.
The Swiss-made gondolas climb on a 2,600-foot-long cable to deposit their passengers on a deck near the top of the mountain. Two countries and three states can be seen from this vantage point. The actual peak is a two-mile-round-trip hike along a rocky ridge.
It was announced in July that the state’s tallest aerial tramway would remain open. During the last legislative session, there was talk of closing the park if it couldn’t be transferred to some other government entity. The El Paso Times reported that the ride into the sky would stay open, but that eight local employees would lose their jobs. The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department also operates Franklin Mountains (the largest urban park in the nation) and Hueco Tanks state parks in the area.
Like other state agencies, TPWD suffered a drastic reduction in its budget for the next two years. Wyler Aerial Tramway was among seven parks suggested for closure or transfer to city or county governments that also included Blanco, Big Spring, Daingerfield, Lockhart, Lake Casa Blanca near Laredo, and the Sebastopol House State Historic Site in Seguin. Only the city of Seguin has expressed a willingness to take over operation of its historic site.
The El Paso tourist attraction was built in 1959 to aid the construction and maintenance of radio and television towers on the mountain. From 1960 to 1986, it was privately operated and open to the public until high liability insurance costs forced its closure. In 1997, the tramway was donated to TPWD, and it began carrying passengers again in 2001.
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.
Wyler Aerial Tramway State Park will remain open for at least another two years. The hours of operation have been reduced to Friday and Saturday from noon to 8pm and Sunday from 10am to 6pm, except in the case of inclement weather. Admission is $7 for adults and $4 for children. The awesome view of El Paso from the parking lot of the lower tramway station is free and often accessible even when the tramway in not operating. For information, call 915/566-6622 or go to www.tpwd.state.tx.us.
1,049th in a series. Collect them all. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of “Day Trips,” is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, P.O. Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.
This article appears in August 19 • 2011.
