With 2.7 miles in horizontal length, the Sandia Peak Tramway is officially the world’s longest passenger tramway. Launching from the Lower Terminal at 6,559 feet and rising to the Upper Terminal at 10,378 feet, the tramway rises a total of 3,819 feet with the support of just two towers. This means that in addition to being the world’s longest passenger tramway, Sandia Peak also has one of the longest clear spans: the distance between Tower 2 and the Upper Terminal is 1.5 miles. This impressive engineering feat is rightfully one of the most visited attractions in Albuquerque, and the tramway attracts more than 250,000 passengers each year.
Located in the Cibola National Forest, the Sandia Peak Tramway was constructed from 1964 to1966 for a total cost of $2 million. This included 5,000 helicopter trips needed to construct Tower 2 (the higher tower) and install the cabling. To ensure your safety, the hefty tramway track ropes weigh 52 tons and are about 1.5 inches in diameter. To keep things moving at a normal speed of 13.6 miles per hour, this double reversible passenger aerial tramway is driven by a 600-horsepower electric motor.
While the terminals and towers are still original, new tram cars were added for the 20th anniversary in 1986. And yes, that means the Sandia Peak Tramway is now more than 50 years old. These new tram cars each have a capacity of 10,000 pounds or 50 passengers. They’ll take you each length of your trip in 14 minutes, and you have the option to spend as much time as you’d like at the top, whether you’d like to do a quick round-trip visit or stay up high and enjoy multiple hiking trails from the Upper Terminal.
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