The Palm Springs Aerial Tram, top, and the view from 8,516 feet.
Story &
Photos By Stan Wawer
Less than
three years after the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway opened Sept. 14, 1963, I
posed as a rookie left-handed pitcher for the Chicago Cubs with the intention
of getting to the front of the line. It worked.
I was a young
sportswriter covering an Angels-Cubs spring training game in Palm Springs. The
Cubs, then managed by Leo Durocher, trained in Long Beach. There is much more
to the story but I will save that for another day.
In May, 47
years later, I made my second trip up Mt. San Jacinto. I used my real name. I
wondered, as the world’s largest revolving tram ascended the two and a half
miles up Chino Canyon to a pristine wilderness, why it had taken me so long to
return. After all, it is only an hour drive from my East San Gabriel Valley
home.
The Palm
Springs Aerial Tramway will turn 50 in September. Its anniversary motto is, “50
Years of Wow!” That it is.
The tramcar is
the largest in the world and the only one of its kind in the Western
Hemisphere. Van Roll Tramways Ldt. Of Olten, Switzerland is the manufacturer.
The engineering marvel, a dream of electrical engineer Francis F. Crocker,
features five cable towers, the first tower the tallest at 227 feet. One lady
on our downward trip sang out a “whooooops” every time we passed over a tower
as the tram made a cool swinging motion.
You begin your
journey at the Valley Station and travel through five unique life zones to the
Mountain Station at an elevation of 8,516 feet. As the recording says, “It’s
like taking a trip from Mexico to Alaska in just minutes.”
The panoramic
views are impressive. From the observation areas you can look across Interstate
10 to the Little San Bernardinos, with Desert Hot Springs at their base. Joshua
Tree National Monument encompasses a portion of these mountains and the high
desert beyond. To your right is Mount San Gorgonio, the highest peak in
Southern California at 11,503 feet.
Mt. San
Jacinto peaks out at 10,804 feet, casting its shadow over Mount San Jacinto
State Park and State Wilderness with its 14,000 acres and 54 miles of hiking
trails, picnic areas, primitive campgrounds, ranger station and Adventure
Center. In the valley below, sediment laid down by wind and water forms some of
the richest farmland in the world.
The Adventure
Center is open from mid-November through mid-April for snowshoe and
cross-country ski rentals.
Summer
temperatures are generally in the 70s while the desert temperatures are
typically 30 and even 40 degrees higher. The day I was there the temperature
was in the high 60s, while Palm Springs was in the high 90s. Winter
temperatures may range from the 50s to below freezing.
The views
alone make the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway a worthwhile adventure.
If You Go
Adults $23.95; children
$16.95 (ages 3-12); seniors $21.95 (62+). Annual Pass: $150 adults &
seniors (62+) and $90 children (ages 3-13). Summer Pass: $50 adults &
seniors (62+) and $25 children (3-12).
Ride ‘n’ Dine Prices
(includes roundtrip tram fare and dining in Pines Café. Available after 4 p.m.:
Adults $36, children $23.50 and seniors $36.
Hours of Operation: Tramcars depart at least every half hour. The first
tram car up Monday through Friday is 10 a.m.; first tram car up Saturday,
Sunday and holidays is 8 a.m.; last tram car up is 8 p.m. and last one down is
9:45 p.m. Peaks Restaurant and Pines Café are open daily for lunch and dinner.
From the San Gabriel Valley
Foothills take the 210 Freeway east to the 15 south to the 10 east and exit at
North Palm Canyon Boulevard (Highway 111). Turn onto Tram Way to the Valley
Station. For more information go to pstramway.com.
All information is accurate at the time of publication
but prices, dates and other details are all subject to change. Confirm all
information before making any travel arrangements.
