It was a site, and sound, to see a Blackhawk helicopter transporting gondola towers onto the mountainside at Virginia Canyon Mountain Park (VCMP) above Idaho Springs on Thursday.

Crews with the Mighty Argo Cable Car company were piecing together parts of the gondola towers at VCMP, completing another step toward opening the gondola system. Crews were able to install 10 more gondola support towers Thursday. 

Once completed, the years-long construction of the gondola will offer several unique mountain experiences including food and beverage tastings, concerts at a mountain-top amphitheater, scenic viewing of the Mount Blue Sky Wilderness and surrounding peaks, and access to downhill mountain-bike riding on the VCMP trail system.

A converted Blackhawk helicopter flew 10 tower sections and gondola pieces onto the mountain side Thursday in between rain storms, helping to further complete this phase of work at the park.

Mighty Argo Cable Car general construction partner Bryan MacFarland spoke about Thursday’s gondola tower installation from the landing terminal atop Miner’s Point.

“Today’s a big milestone for us. We’re flying the towers today,” MacFarland said. “There are 16 towers, and we’re flying towers 4-14. We got about half way done today because the lightning shut us down, and the helicopter is parked up on the mountain right now, waiting for the storm to clear out of here.”

MacFarland added that $45 million of the $71 million total budget is being spent on construction costs alone.

Once complete, the gondola will rise 1.2 miles from the lower landing loading area to the mountaintop plaza, rising 1,300 vertical feet and carry up to eight people at a time in each cabin during the 10 minute ride, according to MacFarland,. The gondola system will have 22 cabins with glass-bottomed floors plus five specialized mountain bike cabins which can transport eight mountain bikes each.

The Colorado Mountain Bike Association has been working with the Mighty Argo Cable Car company during the construction in managing the trail development, with the city of Idaho Springs owning the land the mountain bike park is on and gondola system sits upon.

MacFarland said there is 16 miles of trails open currently, with more coming as work continues on the mountain park.

When asked about adding a modern-day gondola system to a mountain side in a historical mining town, MacFarland said “we are 100% focused on being referential of the great mining history and legacy of the Colorado gold rush, in Idaho Springs in particular, so you see the architecture is going to be referential to the Argo Mill and Tunnel and other mine structures around.”

Interpretive panels at Miner’s Point will also tell more stories about mining and the history of Idaho Springs upon completion, MacFarland said.

“It’s exciting when you start seeing things come out of the ground, particularly in the gondola system,” MacFarland said. “The gondola could not have been built without a bunch of other great contractors; the excavation, the foundations, all that work.”

One other very Colorado experience offered at Miner’s Point will be craft beer.

“We’re working with several local craft breweries, it’s going to be all Colorado breweries, and we’ll have a great selection of food up here, and testing the waters on different F&B concepts as we roll out the opening,” he said.

MacFarland said the Mighty Argo Cable Car gondola will open in March 2026.

PHOTOS: Mighty Argo Cable Car gondola towers installation in Idaho Springs