To gain a bird's-eye perspective over some amazing scenery, take the 14-minute ascent on the Palm Springs Ariel Tramway, where passengers start in the desert and end up in an alpine forest. Electrical engineer Francis Crocker first proposed the Aerial Tramway in the mid-1930s, although work on actually building it didn't start until 1960. The only way up was via helicopter, and these undertook more than 20,000 missions to take materials and workers up the mountain during construction.
The journey takes passengers to the upper slopes of Mount San Jacinto, and as you make the 805-metre ascent, the tram car completes two revolutions, providing amazing 360-degree panoramic views. Look east to see Palm Springs and the Joshua Tree National Park, while to the north are San Bernardino National Park and the San Gorgonio Mountain. The air can be as much as 22°C cooler at the top than in the desert, so come prepared with warmer clothing.
When you arrive at the San Jacinto Mountain Station, and if you've been lucky with the weather, you might be able to see the Salton Sea to the southeast, and as far as Las Vegas and Mount Charleston to the north from the viewing platform.
At the summit, there's a fine-dining restaurant called Peaks Restaurant, which offers produce sourced from the Coachella Valley, or for something more casual, grab a coffee and snack in the adjoining cafe. Once you've eaten, you can walk it off along one of the many nature trails, take a ride on a burro – a small donkey – or play in the snow during the winter season.
Drive 6.5 kilometres west of central Palm Springs to reach the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. The attraction is open every day with trams leaving every 30 minutes. In summer, it's a good idea to buy tickets for the tramway in advance from the website.
