Springtime in the Rockies, gondola-style
with the cable car.
When the cable
car is open,
it’s going
to be 100
percent
visible
In addi-
tion, we’re
going to have
press events and
VIP parties. So far,
–
ciaries of a lot of good media
support. People are aware of
our project. The least of our
concerns is how we market it.
not a huge concern of ours
right now.”
July, the Mighty Argo
Continued from page 1
developers hired
Army-style Black
hope to have a soft open-
ing ahead of Memorial Day
Weekend. That will give us an
opportunity to work out any
kinks and get our staff up to
speed before we’re slammed
during the summer season.
Hawk helicop-
ters to airlift
and related
parts for the
project across
Russell Gulch
to the Upper and
Lower Terminals.
* * *
Once the project is com-
plete, visitors will be trans-
lower Argo Station terminal
to Miner’s Point at the Upper
Terminal. The new facility at
the top will include a 300-per-
son concert and event venue,
food truck areas, a bar, rest-
rooms, and observation decks
with views of the mountains
west of Idaho Springs.
When the Mighty Argo Ca-
ble Car is set to open, McFar-
land said he doesn’t believe
there will be any problems
getting the word out that it’s
open for business.
As an example, he said
groups like the Colorado
Mountain Bike Association
(COMBA) attracted thousands
of cyclists to Idaho Springs
when the Trek Trail system at
Virginia Canyon Park opened
near the Upper Terminal last
fall. “They announced on a
Wednesday in late September
that the park was going to
open. That Friday, 100 riders
showed up in town. Those rid-
ers went home and posted [on
their social-media accounts].
had 1,000 riders downtown.
There were another 1,000 rid-
has gone viral. I believe the
same thing is going to happen
* * *
Central City and Gilpin
County played roles in the
Mighty Argo project in 2025.
The project received permis-
sion from both governments
to store some of its gondola
cars and related equipment
on a lot along the Central City
Parkway last spring. The stor-
age lot is in unincorporated
Gilpin County, but the project
developer needed to use the
parkway to haul equipment to
and from the site.
Visitors will also see gold-
colored gondola cars built
to pay tribute to the region’s
historic mining era. Some
passenger cars will have glass
bottoms, allowing people to
look down to the treetops
during the journey to the top.
Other cars will be equipped to
transport mountain bikes and
their riders from the Argo Sta-
tion to the Upper Terminal.
Construction on the Argo Station “Lower Terminal” is continuing
through the winter.
Photos courtesy of the Mighty Argo project
The Upper Terminal will also
provide access to more than 16
miles of trails developed by the
Colorado Mountain Bike As-
sociation (COMBA), known as
Treks Trails at Virginia Canyon
Mountain Park.
“Ultimately, we think it
will grow to attract between
500,000 and 700,000 visitors
a year, though it will be much
lower in the first few years,”
McFarland previously esti-
mated.
During the second week of
