The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
by usc_ty
The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway in Palm Springs, California, is the largest rotating aerial tramway in the world.
It was opened in September 1963 as a way of getting from the floor of the Coachella Valley to the top of San Jacinto Peak, or at least near it. It was constructed in the rugged Chino Canyon.
Before its construction, the only way to the top of the mountain was to hike hours from Idyllwild. In 2000, the original tram cars were replaced by new cars that rotate slowly, offering riders a 360° panoramic view of Chino Canyon and the desert valley floor.
The twelve-and-a-half minute ride begins at the Valley Station at 2,643 ft and passes up a sheer mountain face through five biomes on its way to the Mountain Station at 8,516 ft above sea level. Travelers start in the Sonoran desert and arrive at an Alpine forest.
The air can be as much as 40°F cooler at the top than in the desert. The view at the top can stretch northward for more than 200 miles on a clear day, all the way to Mount Charleston north of Las Vegas, Nevada. Views to the east and west can stretch as far as 75 miles. California's Salton Sea is plainly visible to the southeast.
