The Tram That Changes Everything
In ten minutes, Palm Springs takes you from desert floor to mountain wilderness. Most people never make it up. That's their loss.
In ten minutes, Palm Springs takes you from desert floor to mountain wilderness. Most people never make it up. That's their loss.
There is a trick Palm Springs plays on people who think they already know it.
They arrive for the pool. They stay for the mid-century architecture. They eat well, they shop Palm Canyon Drive, they watch the sunset turn the San Jacinto Mountains a shade of amber that has no name in English. And then they leave without ever going up.
This is a mistake.
The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway climbs 2.5 miles along the cliffs of Chino Canyon to Mount San Jacinto State Park in roughly ten minutes — rising to 8,516 feet, where temperatures run about 30 degrees cooler than the valley floor. The tram cars are among the largest rotating aerial tramcars in the world, which means the views don't just appear — they revolve around you, the desert spreading out below in every direction like something from a film you haven't seen yet.
At the top, the world is entirely different. Visitors can explore over 50 miles of hiking trails, scenic overlooks, and in winter, snow-covered paths — all of it sitting directly above a city famous for its heat. It is one of the more remarkable geographic contrasts in all of California, and somehow it remains underappreciated even by people who live twenty minutes away.
In June, the upper station is your escape hatch. When the valley floor climbs past 100 degrees, the mountain sits in the mid-60s, shaded by pines, threaded with trails, impossibly quiet. Pack a jacket. Bring lunch. Stay for the afternoon.
The tram runs year-round. In summer, the first car leaves at 10 a.m., and the last car down departs at 9:45 p.m. — meaning a sunset from 8,516 feet is entirely within reach.
Go up. Stay longer than you planned. Come back down a different person than you went.
Where: Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, 1 Tram Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262 Tickets: pstramway.com | Reservations recommended in summer Hours: First car up 10 a.m. | Last car down 9:45 p.m.