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Historic Tramway Lookout in American Samoa National Park

#10 of 10 sights in American Samoa

Sight · American Samoa National Park

Historic Tramway Lookout

Follow the old cableway story to a wide Pago Pago Harbor view.

Type
Sight
Nearest trail
1.9 mi
Audio stories
6 nearby
  • Parking
  • Scenic viewpoint
DirectionsMap

Hear the audio tour

A Harbor Inside a Volcano

Overview

About Historic Tramway Lookout

Why stop

  • The harbor panorama gives the old cable crossing a clear sense of place.

Heads up

  • Concrete steps climb to the lookout; step-free access is not confirmed.

Map

Where it is

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Full map
SightHistoric Tramway Lookout-14.27812, -170.68451
Keep this map with you offline in the Parkwolf app

Plan your stop

Before you go

2 active American Samoa alerts

  • ClosureMount Alava and Fatifati trails closedMentions Mount Alava, referenced in this guideThe Mount Alava Trail and the Fatifati Trail from Fagasa Pass to the summit are closed until further notice for trail improvement work.Official details
  • CautionSmall Craft and High Surf AdvisoriesSmall Craft and High Surf Advisories are active in American Samoa; boaters and people using the coast should change plans as needed and follow safety officials’ advice.Official details
American Samoa alerts
A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone
Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

American Samoa Tour Guide

Your drive to Historic Tramway Lookout, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for American Samoa National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

Recorded for this area

A Harbor Inside a Volcano
0:00 / 0:30
“Pago Pago Harbor sits inside the remains of a volcano. The water occupies a caldera, a broad hollow formed when the volcano's summit collapsed as magma drained from beneath it.”

Plays on the road 0.8 mi from Historic Tramway Lookout in the Parkwolf American Samoa Tour Guide.

More stories near here in the app

  • When a Village Pauses for Prayer
  • National Park Visitor Center in Pago Pago
  • A Century Along One Reef
  • Mount ʻAlava from Fagasā Pass
  • 15 audio storiesacross American Samoa’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
  • Wildlife heatmapsfor Noddy, Samoan Starling, Butterflyfish, and 4 more
  • Works offlinemaps, 10 trails, 15 places, and audio download before you lose signal
  • CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
★★★★★
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
JMJamesApp Store review
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4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Guide

More about Historic Tramway Lookout

What this stop isHistoric Tramway Lookout is the harbor-side lower terminal of the former aerial cableway from…

Historic Tramway Lookout is the harbor-side lower terminal of the former aerial cableway from Fagatogo to Mount Alava. It is a short road-accessed stop linked to the WWII Heritage Trail, with a broad Pago Pago Harbor view and the story of a once-busy crossing. The tram no longer runs, and this is separate from the hike to Mount Alava summit.

Look out over Pago PagoFrom the hilltop lookout pavilion, you see the harbor between steep green ridges and shore-side…

From the hilltop lookout pavilion, you see the harbor between steep green ridges and shore-side villages. Keep both the water and the opposite ridgeline in a photo; that gives the view more context than a tight crop. A parking area serves the site, then concrete steps climb to the lookout. Step-free access is not confirmed.

Built for the climbThe tramway opened in 1965, first moving television equipment and personnel across the harbor…

The tramway opened in 1965, first moving television equipment and personnel across the harbor and up to Mount Alava. It later carried visitors. The cable route stretched more than 5,000 feet, making this a good place to picture the climb the cable car once made.

A memorial at the cableway siteDuring Flag Day celebrations in 1980, a U.S.

During Flag Day celebrations in 1980, a U.S. Navy plane struck the cable and crashed near the harborfront Rainmaker Hotel, killing people on board and on the ground. A memorial at the site remembers the victims. The line continued after the crash, then damage from Hurricane Val ended service in 1992.

historyviewpointharbortramwaywwii

Wildlife

Wildlife in American Samoa

All American Samoa wildlife maps
Noddy19 sightingsNoddyMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSamoan Starling11 sightingsSamoan StarlingMost seen around 9 AMSighting mapButterflyfish17 sightingsButterflyfishMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapHermit Crab18 sightingsHermit CrabMost seen around 5 PMSighting mapMigratory Shorebird10 sightingsMigratory ShorebirdMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapCane Toad11 sightingsCane ToadMost seen around 7 PMSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across American Samoa. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Keep exploring

Near Historic Tramway Lookout

See it all on the map

Trails nearby

ChallengingOld Vatia Trail2 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.9 mi awayA steep rainforest climb from Vatia to the ʻAlava ridge.ChallengingMount ʻAlava Trail7 mi · 4 hr · 2 mi awayRainforest ridge hiking leads to a wide view of Pago Pago Harbor.ChallengingUpper Sauma Ridge Trail2.2 mi · 3.5 hr · 2.5 mi awayA steep rainforest climb to views of Vatia and Pola.ModerateLower Sauma Ridge Trail0.4 mi · 38 min · 2.6 mi awayA half-hour walk to Samoan archaeology and Pola Island views.ChallengingMount ʻAlava Adventure Trail5.6 mi · 5 hr · 2.6 mi awayA hard ridge loop with 56 ladders, 783 steps, and a summit.EasyPola Island Trail0.1 mi · 20 min · 2.7 mi awayA short rocky-shore walk with views of Pola Island.

More stops nearby

Visitor center · 0.2 mi awayTauese P.F. Sunia Ocean CenterA six-foot globe connects reef science with Samoan culture.Sight · 0.2 mi awayJean P. Haydon MuseumA museum cannon and Apollo artifacts open onto Samoa’s wider history.Sight · 0.7 mi awayBlunts Point BatteryTwo guns still overlook the harbor from a short, steep ridge walk.Visitor center · 0.9 mi awayNational Park of American Samoa Visitor CenterBilingual displays and ranger advice make this a useful first stop.Sight · 0.9 mi awayMount Alava SummitA hard rainforest climb earns a wide view over Pago Pago Harbor.Scenic pullout · 2.1 mi awayAfono Pass OverlookA quick harbor view between Tutuila's green ridges.Sight · 2.6 mi awayLower Sauma Ridge OverlookA roadside view across Vaiʻava Strait to Pola Island’s sea cliffs.Beach · 2.7 mi awayPola Island BeachA brief walk faces Pola's steep, seabird-nesting cliffs.

Parkwolf’s American Samoa ranking

Top sights in American Samoa

All 15 places
  1. 1Ofu BeachBeach
  2. 2Pola Island BeachBeach
  3. 3Mount Alava SummitSight
  4. 4Lower Sauma Ridge OverlookSight
  5. 5Saua VillageSight
  6. 6Afono Pass OverlookScenic pullout

Take Parkwolf to American Samoa.

The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.

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