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- Winter holidays, and especially snow, can bring large crowds to Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.
- The rotating cable car ascends 2.5 miles from desert to snow-covered alpine forest in 10 minutes, offering hiking, snowshoeing, skiing and dining at the summit.
Since 1963, people have taken the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway on a 10-minute, 2.5-mile ride from its Valley Station, about 2,650 feet elevation, to its Mountain Station, at just over 8,500 feet elevation where passengers can continue their adventure in Mt. San Jacinto State Park.
My friends and I have experienced the kind of contradictory adventure this route allows: playing in the snow in the same weekend we visited an oasis shaded by hulking palm trees.
That’s always been the goal. As a 1937 Times story about the plan to build the tram explained, “the desert dwellers then would be able to whisk from one-piece bathing suit swimming under the ultraviolet ray sun at the Desert Inn pool to woolen undies and snowshoe land in an hour.” (Although the Desert Inn has since closed, you can find plenty of other Palm Springs hotels.)
The only hitch for anyone wanting to visit now is that the winter holidays mark one of the busier seasons for the tram, especially since it snowed at Mt. San Jacinto around Thanksgiving. Spots fill up quickly online and in-person lines can be long. Here’s what you need to know about snagging a ticket and planning a trip.
How do I get tickets for the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway?
A limited number of each day’s tickets are available to prepurchase on the tramway’s website. Most tickets are sold in person, said Rachel Anderson, public relations manager at the tramway.
To avoid long lines on the weekends, Anderson said guests should arrive at 7 a.m., an hour before the first tram goes up at 8 a.m. The ticket booth opens at 7:30 a.m. “Otherwise, wait times can be several hours long during the holiday season,” she said.
Away from Palm Springs’ tourist areas, you’ll find trails scattered across the valley that locals like me love. They’re breathtaking, convenient, challenging and don’t cost a penny.
Wait times are especially long closer to Christmas, when children are out of school and out-of-town guests are visiting Southern California.
The line’s length does ebb and flow throughout the day, she said, reaching its longest on the days around Christmas and New Year’s, and on weekends when children are out of school for their winter breaks. Weekdays are less busy, but can still see lines, she said.
The tram’s winter hours, which run from Sept. 2 to May 21, are: Monday through Friday with the first tram up at 10 a.m., last tram up at 8 p.m. and the last tram down at 9:30 p.m. On weekends and holidays, the last tram up is 8 p.m. and the last tram down is 9:30 p.m.
Tickets are $20.95 for children ages 3 to 10, $36.95 for older kids and adults, and $33.95 for adults 65 and older.
What can I do once at the top?
Yodel, dance, eat snacks — the possibilities are endless!
OK, in all seriousness, you have a snack or enjoy fine dining on dishes like vegetarian lasagna or filet mignon, hike any part of the 50-plus miles of trails, snowshoe, cross-country ski or just vibe out among the Jeffrey pines.
The tram offers hikers who don’t feel like taking the strenuous Cactus to Clouds route: From the tram’s Mountain Station, you can hike 10 miles out and back, which shaves off about 10 arduous miles.
Palm Springs’ historic Plaza Theatre, which first opened in late 1936 with the world premiere of a Greta Garbo film, returns to the spotlight with help from Cynthia Erivo.
Can I bring my sled and dog?
Many visitors take the tram to go sledding. Anderson said small plastic sleds are allowed while inflatable rafts or sleds, and those sleds with metal, aren’t. (Rolling down hills on your own accord is just fine, though!)
Unfortunately, unless Fido is a registered service dog, you’ll need to leave your pup at home. Dogs are not allowed on the tram and generally are prohibited from trails in the park.
Other banned items include drones and outside alcohol (but can buy booze on site).
What’s the parking situation?
Parking is $15 for most vehicles, and lots open at 9 a.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. on weekends and holidays. A free shuttle bus takes visitors to the Valley Station, where they can buy tram tickets.
New hotels like the Thompson Palm Springs and major improvements at properties like La Quinta Resort & Club are injecting fresh interest into the Greater Palm Springs hospitality scene.
What else do I need to know?
I am personally a sucker for California trivia, so allow me to tell you more about the tram’s history and why it remains a unique opportunity to this day.
I wanted to understand how rare of an experience it is to ride the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, so I spoke to Peter Landsman, editor for LiftBlog, where he’s been compiling data on trams and ski lifts for about 10 years.
Landsman said the Palm Springs tram is special for multiple reasons, but in particular because the car rotates as it travels up and down the mountain, an experience found only on a few tramways across the globe.
Overall, there are only about a dozen tramways of similar builds in the U.S. — and not many are being constructed today. The recently completed tram in Big Sky, Mont., was the first new tram built at a North American ski area since 2008, according to Landsman’s blog.
The tram’s original construction cost, per a Times article on its opening day in 1963, was $7.7 million. That’s about $81.5 million in today’s money, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation calculator.
“I would say $7.7 million wouldn’t get you much these days,” Landsman, who works in the ski industry, said. “That’s pretty remarkable.”
