Construction on Colorado’s newest mountain-town tourist attraction hits milestones

The Mighty Argo Cable Car gondola, just north of Clear Creek in Idaho Springs, is one step closer to completion with the lower terminal nearly fully built and visible from Interstate 70.

At the top of the gondola at Miners Point, the multi-level Argo Outpost also reached a milestone, as construction of it continues including new elements like the Idahoe Steps Amphitheater, Trestle overlook and kids’ play area called Jackson’s Diggings.

“Today (Sept. 26) is a big day for us, we had our first concrete pour down on the level one deck (of the Argo Outpost),” McFarland said on Friday while giving a tour of the property. “Today’s also the day we wrap up steel, we’ve got a topping out ceremony later this afternoon, as our last beam will be set. A lot of good progress, with this building going up in about six or seven weeks.”

MACC visionary Mary Jane Loevlie and MACC General Partner Bryan McFarland talked about what’s been erected and nearing completion at the town’s newest destination attraction in the Front Range foothills west of Denver.

The Argo Outpost will be both an enclosed and partially-enclosed shelter building with scenic overlooks of Clear Creek Canyon, Mount Blue Sky and Idaho Springs while offering food & beverages, shade and a hang out spot for mountain bike riders accessing the Trek Trails at Virginia Canyon Mountain Park when completed.

The 250-person amphitheater also received its first steel for the stage on Friday, McFarland said. When opened, the amphitheater will allow guests to listen and watch live music throughout the warmer months during a future concert series at the top of the Mighty Argo Cable Car.

McFarland and several other construction teams, including workers from chairlift maker Doppelmayr, have been erecting several elements for the Mighty Argo Cable Car and buildings at Miners Point throughout 2025.

“We’ll start loading (gondola) cabins in February and the system will start spinning at that point,” McFarland said. “We’ll get it commissioned in March and we’ll be opening here in April.”

Six facts about the Mighty Argo Cable Car:

• The Mighty Argo Cable Car’s length is 1.2 miles long from point-to-point.

• The gondola rises 1,300 vertical feet in elevation.

• The gondola’s cables weigh 87,000 pounds.

• The two base terminal towers go into the ground 35 feet and stand 35 feet tall above the ground.

• The gondola will have 22, 10-person golden cabins, four glass-bottom VIP cabins and five dedicated 8-bike carrier cabins for cyclists to access the trails of Virginia Canyon Mountain Park (VCMP).
• The ride time of the gondola will be 10 minutes, slower than most gondolas covering that length span, because the builders want to allow riders to enjoy the views during their ascent and descent.

Because Colorado’s weather can be unpredictable but more or less nice on any given day, McFarland thinks the MACC will operate most days of the year with between 30-45 days of down time for weather stoppages and routine maintenance.

The operational hours will vary with the time of year too, with the MACC open during summer time hours approximately between 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and winter time hours between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

McFarland said the Colorado Mountain Bike Association is continuing to expand the mountain bike trail system at VCMP and within the next two years, the Park will have approximately 30 miles of trails.

“There will be a portal ride (on the east side of the gondola landing) for where the mountain bikers enter into the platform and there will be four different chutes that guide you to the various trails,” McFarland said. “This side of the mountain is the double-black, red pro-ride trails. These are extremely steep terrain and with some crazy jumps.”

McFarland said he thinks the mountain bikers will be able to enter the trails via a 10-foot jump to drop into one of the trails from the gondola platform.

“We’ll have a plaza with picnic tables right next to the gondola where people can have a beer or soda and watch the mountain bikers jump off into this trail,” he said.