Palm Springs: Riding High on Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

Dramatic scenery as we took the tram up to Mt San Jacinto

One of the top attractions in Palm Springs is waaaay up in the mountains and part of the fun is getting up there too! It's the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway which boasts the world's largest rotating tram car that turns 360 degrees twice in the 10-minute ride up over 8,500 ft (2,956 metres).

But first a few complaints about the ticketing. The maximum number of tickets I can buy is four. We have five in our group so I bought the four first and then luckily we arrived a few minutes early. I raced to the ticket booth to get one more ticket for myself for 11am but the staffer said I could get the 11.20am. I had to explain to him I'd already bought the four tickets and needed to be with my group. Problem solved, but it was a bit of a hassle.

Looking back down at the scenery below

Driving is pretty much the only option to get there, so the tram company charges every car US$12 for parking! Luckily it wasn't busy when we went, so we were allowed to park in lot A... interestingly we saw a car with British Columbia license plates!

The ride up was fun and the operator was nice, warning people ahead of time we were coming up to another tower which could cause the tram to swing a bit and to hold on. Meanwhile the floor beneath us kept moving at a steady pace, like a revolving restaurant but a bit faster! It was more egalitarian that way -- everyone had a chance to see the front, back and sides. Everyone was busy taking pictures and admiring the view.

Once we got up there, we were told the tram went down every 20 minutes, though there would not be a tram departing at 12noon, but at 12.20pm.

So we took our time wandering around. It was cold and windy, and the non-pedestrian areas were covered in ice! Some of the people who went up were hiking as there are many trails up there. But as we watched a video, you are expected to be well equipped with items like a flashlight, food, water, a first-aid kit, matches, a candle and a whistle. Oh and please don't feed the animals...

We can see Palm Springs in the distance

We didn't go off on the trails of the national park, called Mt San Jacinto State Park, just staying at the tram station and taking pictures outside. We wondered how the people in shorts and flip flops were doing in the cold...

In the distance down below to the left we could see a wind farm, and to the right Palm Springs, a sprawling area looks very flat. On the way up and down it was interesting to see trees and bushes perched on giant boulders and flourishing quite nicely. Probably thanks to animals and birds dropping these seeds and somehow having enough dirt, water and sunshine to grow.

The tram company is quite enterprising, with two restaurants, one cafeteria style, the other sit-down dining, and there's even a cocktail lounge and a function room people can rent out for weddings or other events as the last tram goes down at 9.30pm.

They even have special menus for Thanksgiving and Christmas! And a giant string of lights in the shape of a Christmas tree is put up, making it probably the tallest one in Palm Springs.

Wispy clouds against the deep blue sky

While some people go up there to hike and camp, in the winter months there's also snowshoeing and cross country skiing. Hardy campers can also camp in the winter too!

The tram ride down had no commentary, just music -- Sweet Caroline, YMCA and the Jackson 5's ABC!

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

1 Tram Way Palm Springs

(888) 515 8726