The World’s 100 Best Cable Cars & Mountain Railways · 2026
The Best Cable Cars & Mountain Railways in the United States
7 of the 100 lines in The World’s 100 Best Cable Cars & Mountain Railways 2026 are in the United States. The highest placed is Telluride Gondola in Telluride, at number 41 in the world. Pikes Peak Cog Railway in Manitou Springs (number 42) and Mount Washington Cog Railway in Bretton Woods (number 45) follow.
Rockies and the West
Pikes Peak Cog Railway climbs from Manitou Springs to the summit. Telluride’s free gondola links the town with Mountain Village. Jackson Hole Aerial Tram takes about 12 minutes to the top of Rendezvous Mountain, Palm Springs Aerial Tramway rises from the desert floor into the San Jacinto Mountains, and San Francisco’s cable cars run between Union Square and Fisherman’s Wharf.
East
The Mount Washington Cog Railway takes about 45 minutes each way to the summit. The Lookout Mountain Incline Railway is a funicular above Chattanooga.
Lines
-
N° 41
Telluride Gondola
Telluride
Gondola
-
N° 42
Pikes Peak Cog Railway
Manitou Springs
Rack railway -
N° 45
Mount Washington Cog Railway
Bretton Woods
Rack railway -
N° 65
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
Palm Springs
Cable car -
N° 68
San Francisco Cable Cars
San Francisco
Street cable car -
N° 85
Jackson Hole Aerial Tram
Teton Village
Cable car -
N° 92
Lookout Mountain Incline Railway
Chattanooga
Funicular
Best by region
- The NordicsFlåm RailwayFlåm, NorwayN° 1
- EuropeFlåm RailwayFlåm, NorwayN° 1
- AsiaFansipan Legend Cable CarSa Pa, VietnamN° 9
- The Middle EastTéléphérique de JouniehJounieh, LebanonN° 20
- North AmericaPeak 2 Peak GondolaWhistler, CanadaN° 36
- Latin AmericaTeleférico de MéridaMérida, VenezuelaN° 4
- AfricaTable Mountain Aerial CablewayCape Town, South AfricaN° 17
- OceaniaScenic WorldKatoomba, AustraliaN° 27