Hiker at Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

Tramarama!

Ride Palm Springs Aerial Tramway to Access Amazing Hiking

Why do hikers, boulderers, and outdoor enthusiasts love the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway? Because it quickly elevates them to the best terrain for alpine adventure! Get to the good stuff fast, with the world’s largest rotating tram swiftly whisking you to 8,516 feet and a wilderness world away in Mount San Jacinto State Park. At the top, have your pick of over 50 miles of trails, with plenty of boulders too. Summer temperatures are typically 30 degrees cooler than the desert floor, making for ideal hiking conditions.

Get Your Aerial Tramway Tickets!

Board the tram at the Valley Station (elevation 2,643 feet) and marvel at the dramatic Chino Canyon scenery en route to the heart of Mount San Jacinto State Park. It takes about 10 minutes, passing through five climate zones, and featuring stellar views of Palm Springs and beyond.

At the top, have your pick of over 50 miles of trails for all skill levels. Goodbye palm trees, hello soaring Jeffrey pines!

The Desert Valley Trail is a short 1.5-mile loop, but it packs in an incredible five viewpoints! If peak-bagging is more your form, head for San Jacinto Peak, the second highest point in Southern California. Colossal vistas stretch from the Salton Sea to Mt. San Gorgonio.

There’s hike-in camping here, too! Round Valley campground is just a 2-mile hike away, with 22 glorious camp sites waiting in a lush meadow.

But it’s not all roughing it! Fine dining is to be found here, too. You can literally whisk that special someone away with the Palm Springs Ariel Tramway. Enjoy fine dining at Peaks Restaurant, delicious drinks at the aptly named Lookout Lounge, and casual food at the Pines Café.

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Field of Light at Sensorio in Paso Robles

    Light This Way

    Hidden in the bucolic hills of Paso Robles lies one of the greatest light shows on earth. The lighted art exhibition, Sensorio, is as if the rainbow magic of the aurora borealis was plucked from the sky and planted in the fields.

    View
  2. Bikers and walkers on the Bay Area Ridge Trail with the Golden Gate Bridge behind them

    National Park City Walk

    See San Francisco the way locals do by hiking the Presidio, a national park right in the city! Wooded trails, secluded beaches, and epic views of the Golden Gate Bridge feature on this 5.5-mile out-and-back on the Bay Area Ridge Trail. It’s a lovely slice of the City by the Bay.

    View
  3. Bucks Up!

    Come on in, the water is beautiful. Whether you like swimming, kayaking, stand-up paddling, or heading out on a bigger boat, Bucks Lake is a high mountain haven that’s easy to access, blissfully uncrowded, and surrounded by sandy beaches, picnic areas, pines, and aspens.

    View
  4. Surfboards and tents for shade are set up on the beach at Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area in the Swim Lagoon Area

    Switchbacks and Swimming Holes

    Hike hard, play hard! This 7-mile out-and-back in Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area is a great workout with payoff vistas and a relaxing post-hike picnic and dip in the water.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Bear Hug

    This 5.5-mile loop through Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch County Park explores one of the newest segments of the acclaimed Bay Area Ridge Trail, one redolent with trees ranging from madrone and manzanita to buckeye and blue elderberry (with a bubbly post-hike bonus).

    View
  2. Two kayakers on Upper Klamath Basin on tour with Sky Lakes Wilderness Adventures

    Zen & the Art of Kayaking

    It’s the most meditative and relaxing experience you’ll ever have on a kayak. Yes, you read that right, a Zen experience on a kayak. It all happens in beautiful Klamath County when you head out on a guided tour with Sky Lakes Wilderness Adventures.

    View
  3. A Rose in the Pines

    A crackling fire, a bottle of wine, a bubbling Jacuzzi tub with a waterfall … now the big question: Marvin Gaye tunes or not? In the morning (ahem) it's breakfast in bed and a leis

    View
  4. Alex Villicana, Villicana Winery and Re:Find Distillery

    Locals' Feature: Alex Villicana

    Tech booms, AI revolutions, okay that’s all fine, but you wanna know what else is really cool? Being a pioneer in a world-famous industry that—in Paso Robles—remains solidly down to earth. When Alex Villicana established Villicana Winery in 1993, he clearly had grape expectations...

    View