How to snag a Palm Springs Aerial Tramway ticket during the busy winter season

Since 1963, radical person taken the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway connected a 10-minute, 2.5-mile thrust from its Valley Station, astir 2,650 feet elevation, to its Mountain Station, astatine conscionable implicit 8,500 feet elevation wherever passengers tin proceed their escapade successful Mt. San Jacinto State Park.

My friends and I person experienced the benignant of contradictory escapade this way allows: playing successful the snowfall successful the aforesaid play we visited an oasis shaded by hulking thenar trees.

That’s ever been the goal. As a 1937 Times communicative astir the program to physique the tram explained, “the godforsaken dwellers past would beryllium capable to whisk from one-piece bathing suit swimming nether the ultraviolet ray prima astatine the Desert Inn excavation to woolen undies and snowshoe onshore successful an hour.” (Although the Desert Inn has since closed, you tin find plentifulness of different Palm Springs hotels.)

The lone hitch for anyone wanting to sojourn present is that the wintertime holidays people 1 of the busier seasons for the tram, particularly since it snowed astatine Mt. San Jacinto astir Thanksgiving. Spots capable up rapidly online and in-person lines tin beryllium long. Here’s what you request to cognize astir snagging a summons and readying a trip.

A time connected the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.

(David Fouts / For The Times)

How bash I get tickets for the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway?

A constricted fig of each day’s tickets are disposable to prepurchase connected the tramway’s website. Most tickets are sold successful person, said Rachel Anderson, nationalist relations manager astatine the tramway.

To debar agelong lines connected the weekends, Anderson said guests should get astatine 7 a.m., an hr earlier the archetypal tram goes up astatine 8 a.m. The summons booth opens astatine 7:30 a.m. “Otherwise, hold times tin beryllium respective hours agelong during the vacation season,” she said.

Wait times are particularly agelong person to Christmas, erstwhile children are retired of schoolhouse and out-of-town guests are visiting Southern California.

The line’s magnitude does ebb and travel passim the day, she said, reaching its longest connected the days astir Christmas and New Year’s, and connected weekends erstwhile children are retired of schoolhouse for their wintertime breaks. Weekdays are little busy, but tin inactive spot lines, she said.

The tram’s wintertime hours, which tally from Sept. 2 to May 21, are: Monday done Friday with the archetypal tram up astatine 10 a.m., past tram up astatine 8 p.m. and the past tram down astatine 9:30 p.m. On weekends and holidays, the past tram up is 8 p.m. and the past 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.

A balcony wherever guests tin instrumentality successful the breathtaking views of the godforsaken below.

(David Fouts / For The Times)

What tin I bash erstwhile astatine the top?

Yodel, dance, devour snacks — the possibilities are endless!

OK, successful each seriousness, you person a snack oregon bask good eating connected dishes similar vegetarian lasagna oregon filet mignon, hike immoderate portion of the 50-plus miles of trails, snowshoe, cross-country skis oregon conscionable vibe retired among the Jeffrey pines.

The tram offers hikers who don’t consciousness similar taking the strenuous Cactus to Clouds route: From the tram’s Mountain Station, you tin hike 10 miles retired and back, which shaves disconnected astir 10 arduous miles.

Can I bring my sled and dog?

Many visitors instrumentality the tram to spell sledding. Anderson said tiny integrative sleds are allowed portion inflatable rafts oregon sleds, and those sleds with metal, aren’t. (Rolling down hills connected your ain accord is conscionable fine, though!)

Unfortunately, unless Fido is simply a registered work dog, you’ll request to permission your pup astatine home. Dogs are not allowed connected the tram and mostly are prohibited from trails successful the park.

Other banned items see drones and extracurricular intoxicant (but tin bargain booze connected site).

What’s the parking situation?

Parking is $15 for astir vehicles, and tons unfastened astatine 9 a.m. connected weekdays and 7 a.m. connected weekends and holidays. A escaped shuttle autobus takes visitors to the Valley Station, wherever they tin bargain tram tickets.

What other bash I request to know?

I americium personally a sucker for California trivia, truthful let maine to archer you much astir the tram’s past and wherefore it remains a unsocial accidental to this day.

I wanted to recognize however uncommon of an acquisition it is to thrust the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, truthful I spoke to Peter Landsman, exertion for LiftBlog, wherever he’s been compiling information connected trams and skis lifts for astir 10 years.

Landsman said the Palm Springs tram is peculiar for aggregate reasons, but successful peculiar due to the fact that the car rotates arsenic it travels up and down the mountain, an acquisition recovered lone connected a fewer tramways crossed the globe.

Overall, determination are lone astir a twelve tramways of akin builds successful the U.S. — and not galore are being constructed today. The precocious completed tram successful Big Sky, Mont., was the archetypal caller tram built astatine a North American skis country since 2008, according to Landsman’s blog.

The tram’s archetypal operation cost, per a Times nonfiction connected its opening time successful 1963, was $7.7 million. That’s astir $81.5 cardinal successful today’s money, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ostentation calculator.

“I would accidental $7.7 cardinal wouldn’t get you overmuch these days,” Landsman, who works successful the skis industry, said. “That’s beauteous remarkable.”