Riding the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway: Rotating Floor, 2,596m Mountain Station & Alpine Trails

Opened in 1963 and upgraded in 2000 with two Swiss-built circular 80-passenger cabins, the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway (1 Tram Way, 10 minutes north of Downtown off Highway 111) is the largest rotating aerial tramway in the world. During the 10-minute, 4-kilometre ascent up the vertical granite cliffs of Chino Canyon, the cabin floor completes two full 360-degree revolutions, giving every passenger panoramic views of the craggy canyon walls and the Coachella Valley floor.

1. How to Book Tickets & What to Expect

• Book Timed Tickets Online in Advance (pstramway.com): check current fares and valley car park fees on the official website. Advance tickets secure your departure slot (trams run roughly every 30 minutes from morning through evening), whereas walk-up tickets can sell out or require a long wait on busy winter and holiday weekends.
• Five Ecological Life Zones in 10 Minutes: you board at the Valley Station (805m) in the Sonoran desert and step off at the Mountain Station (2,596m / 8,516 ft), where temperatures are 17°C to 22°C colder. On a 40°C July day in Downtown Palm Springs, the summit is a pine-scented 21°C; from December to March, the top is blanketed in snow for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Pack layers as outlined in our packing guide.

2. What to Do at the 2,596-Metre Summit

1. Cantilevered Observation Decks: look straight down 2.4 vertical kilometres onto Palm Springs, the Salton Sea to the south, and on clear winter days, 300 kilometres north toward Mount Charleston near Las Vegas.
2. Two Easy Loop Trails in 'Long Valley' (No Permit Needed): walk down the concrete ramp behind the station into a forest of Jeffrey and Ponderosa Pines for the flat Desert View Trail (2.4 km, visiting 5 cliffside valley viewpoints) and the Long Valley Discovery Trail (1.2 km).
3. The 3,302m 'San Jacinto Peak Trail' (17.7 km / 11 Miles Round-Trip): experienced hikers can pick up a free self-issue wilderness permit at the Long Valley Ranger Station to climb Southern California's second-highest peak.