Abandoned Mt. Alava Aerial Tramway

At the top of a steep hill, across the street of the Port of Pago Pago, lies the abandoned remnants of a once-popular cable car. Completed in January of 1965, the Aerial Tramway spanned over 5,000 feet across the Pago Pago harbor, from this hill to the top of Mount Alava. The tramway came of necessity, providing a vital method of transporting TV equipment and personnel across the water and up the steep mountain. However, soon after opening, it also became a popular tourist destination, with a visitor ticket providing spectacular views of the island.

Said to be the brainchild of Governor H. Rex Lee, the tramway was used to facilitate a welcoming “shower of flowers” over cruise ships as they arrived into port, with islanders dumping bundles of blossoms from the cable car onto the ships as they passed beneath. In its heyday, the tower had a 100 HP electric motor to drive the cables, with an 85 HP gasoline engine as a backup, spanning the world record length across the harbor (for a single-span aerial tramway).

On April 17th, 1980, the cable system was involved in a horrific crash, when a U.S. Navy P-3 Orion anti-sub aircraft flew into the cables while on a run to drop paratroopers in celebration of Flag Day. Seven people were killed as a result.

The cable remained in operation following the disaster, but damage from Hurricane Val in 1992 required repairs that were deemed too costly.

Today, pieces of the tramway remain—a rusty winch and engine tower, frayed cables, and abandoned cable car—sit in decay, fighting against creeping vegetation. It still draws hikers, history enthusiasts, and photographers to the tramway’s base station near the harbor, offering spectacular views of the bay, Pago, and other parts of Tutuila.