Palm Springs Aerial Tram Worth the Visit

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.