We’ve visited the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway several times, and each experience is amazing, especially when the mountains are covered in snow. We typically take out-of-town guests, but one time my daughter had a field trip there, and I accompanied her class as a chaperone.
In this guide, I’m sharing tips for visiting and riding the world’s largest rotating tramcar, along with information on how to take advantage of the Palm Springs Tram Discount to save on admission tickets. See the details below.
PALM SPRINGS TRAM DISCOUNT TICKETS 2025:
Palm Springs Tram Discount Tickets are available for only $29.95 for adult tickets and $18.95 per child ticket. They are available from AresTravel at no additional tax or fees. With this deal, you can save $5 per adult ticket and $2 savings per child ticket. Get your tickets HERE.
Discount Tickets to Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
Save $2 to $5 per ticket. No additional tax or fees.
- Adult Ticket –
$34.95$29.95 ($5 savings) - Child Ticket –
$20.95$18.95 ($2 savings)
Note: No Palm Springs Tram Coupon is needed to avail of the discount offer. Vouchers/E-Tickets must be purchased at least 24 hours prior to the visit. Same day sales will not be accepted. Present your voucher/e-ticket and valid photo ID at Ticket Counter upon arrival to be timed for the next available Tramcar. The ticket is valid only for the date selected.
PALM SPRINGS TRAM TICKETS 2025 (REGULAR PRICE)
To help you compare prices, this is what you will be paying for if you buy your tickets directly from the tramway, either online or on-site:
- Palm Springs Tram ticket prices are $34.95 for adults, $20.95 for kids ages 3 to 10, and $31.95 for seniors (65+). Price already includes the $2 processing fee.
- Kids 2 and under can ride the Palm Springs Tram for free.
- Palm Springs Tram Summer Passes are also available for $85 for adults & seniors (65+) and $45 for kids (ages 3-10).
- Annual Passes are also available.
To save, buy discount Palm Springs Tram tickets we’ve listed above.
PALM SPRINGS TRAM HOURS
Winter Hours
September 2, 2024 – May 15, 2025
Monday – Friday
First Tram up at 10:00 am
Last Tram up at 8:00 pm, Last Tram down at 9:30 pm
Saturday, Sunday and Holidays
First Tram up at 8:00 am
Last Tram up at 8:00 pm, Last Tram down at 9:30 pm
Summer Hours
May 23, 2025 – September 1, 2025
Monday – Friday
First Tram up at 10:00 am
Saturday, Sunday and Holidays
First Tram up at 8:00 am
Sunday – Thursday
Last Tram up at 8:00 pm, Last Tram down at 9:30 pm
Friday & Saturday
Last Tram up at 9:00 pm, Last Tram down at 10:30 pm
Tram departs at least every half hour.
THINGS TO DO AT PALM SPRINGS AERIAL TRAMWAY
When riding the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, you will be transported from the Valley Station to the Mountain Station. It carries visitors from an elevation of 2,643 feet to the Mountain Station located at the 8,516-foot level of Mt San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness. It has the steepest vertical cable rise in the U.S. and the second steepest in the world.
During the approximately ten-minute journey, tram cars rotate slowly, offering spectacular vistas of the valley floor below and cliffs up above.
At the Mountain Station, you can walk from the tram into the large, 3-story facility which has a cocktail lounge, dining facilities, gift shop, and observation decks.
The station theater features “Building on a Dream”, an 18-minute film on the history of the history and construction of the Tramway.
At the top, you can also explore the 14,000-acre Mt. San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness Area, which has 54 miles of hiking trails, rustic campgrounds, and granite outcroppings providing clear views of the cities below.
Riding the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is quite an experience. I couldn’t help but admire the snowy rocky cliffs of the Chino Canyon as we ascended to 8516 feet and how the Palm Springs Tram was able to transport towers into those cliffs to support the cables of the tram. It’s quite an engineering feat.
If you’re looking for fun things to do in Southern California this Holiday, I would suggest visiting the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. The Palm Springs Tram travels over two-and-one-half miles along cliffs of the Chino Canyon, transporting riders to the wilderness of the Mt. San Jacinto State Park.
Palm Springs Tramway opened in 1963 but the rotating tramcars only began in September 2000 after going through modernization programs. The original tram cars are now on static display at the grounds of Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.
PALM SPRINGS TRAM RESTAURANT
There are two dining options at the top of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. Peaks – a fine dining experience with a breathtaking view of the Coachella Valley and Pines Café – a cafeteria-style restaurant. Both restaurants are open for lunch and dinner.
The Lookout Lounge – A full cocktail bar offering a variety of alcoholic beverages and appetizers is also located on the same level as the restaurants. Open 11:00 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.
We always grab hot chocolate before heading down.
5 TIPS FOR VISITING PALM SPRING AERIAL TRAMWAY
Tip #1: Purchase Palm Springs Tramway Tickets in Advance
When you purchase tickets on-site, you will be issued tickets for the next available set time to ride the Tramcar. If you are visiting during the holidays, tickets may have already sold out.
I recommend purchasing your tickets in advance through their website. During one of our visits (around Christmas time), we couldn’t buy tickets on-site because there were 15 of us, and they were all sold out. The place gets really busy in the winter. We ended up going to the Living Desert Zoo in Palm Desert, which was also great, but the kids were particularly excited about the snow on top of the tramway.
If you’re visiting outside of the holiday season, you save money by buying Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Discount Tickets in advance for a $2 to $5 savings per person and presenting them on-site to ride the next available Tramcar:
- Discounted Adult Ticket – Save $5 – $29.95 (reg. $34.95)
- Discounted Child Ticket – Save $2 – $18.95 (reg. $20.95)
Tip #2: Check the Palm Springs Tram Weather before Going – Bundle Up
Winter for me is the best time to visit Palm Springs Aerial Tramway because the snow is just beautiful against the rocky cliffs and the pine trees and the kids can play in the snow but it is freezing even just at the parking area on the bottom of the Valley Station.
Biggest Tip: Bundle up. We didn’t prepare during our 1st visit and got really cold. It’s already cold at the Valley Station (parking area, ticketing, riding the tram area) below and all the more at the snowy Mountain Station above.
Also, be careful when walking on the terrace just outside the cafeteria, it’s icy and slippery.
Palm Springs Tram Weather:
The weather at the Mountain Station is typically 30-40 degrees cooler than on the desert floor. To make sure you get to enjoy the snow when visiting the Palm Springs Tram, be sure to check the weather beforehand.
You can shop at the outlet mall near Palm Springs for your winter clothes before your visit if time permits.
Palm Springs Tram Must-Bring during the Winter:
Tip #3: Bring a Gum
Ascending to 8516 feet can put pressure on your ear, It’s especially uncomfortable for kids. The trick is to bring a pack of gum and chew it as the tram climbs to the Mountain Station. Get this non-mint gum for the kids.
The Palm Springs Tram Elevation is 2,643 feet at Valley Station where parking, ticketing, and tram station is located and 8,516-foot level at Mountain Station where the tram lands at Mt San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness.
Tip #4: Arrive Early for Better Palm Springs Tram Parking
There are tons of parking at Palm Springs Aerial Tramway but the closest parking lot to the Valley Station where you will be riding the tram is parking “A”.
If you wish to avoid walking the steep path or waiting for a shuttle to bring you to the Valley Station, park at parking lot A.
There is parking in 13 paved lots near Valley Station. There is a free shuttle service from parking lots to Valley Station entrance available on weekends and holiday periods.
Tip #5: Free Parking at Palm Springs Tram for Coachella Valley Residents: Bring I.D.
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Parking is $15 per car. Free parking is offered for residents of the Coachella Valley from the following cities: Mecca, Thermal, Coachella, Indio, La Quinta, Indian Wells, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Cathedral City, Palm Springs, Thousand Palms and Desert Hot Springs. If you’re a Coachella Valley resident, make sure to bring an ID indicating so.
Know before you go:
- Wheelchair Accessible – The Valley Station, the tramcar and the Mountain Station are all fully wheelchair accessible and A.D.A. compliant.
- Tramway cars hold 80 people each and there are no seats. Passengers remain standing throughout the journey up the mountain with about 15 minutes of travel time one way. The tramway is known as a double-reversible type of aerial tramway. Each car remains on one pair of track cables moving up and down without turning around. Each car serves as a counterbalance to the other, the descending car helps pull the ascending car up the mountain
- Strollers are allowed.
- Pets are not allowed.
- Palm Springs Aerial Tramway address: 1 Tram Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Things to do in Palm Springs:
- Greater Palm Springs Weekend Getaway Guide
- Fun Things to Do in Palm Springs with Kids
- Restaurants to try in Indio during the Coachella Festival
- Pie for the People: Famous Pizza Joint in Joshua Tree
- Shield Date Garden and Cafe Indio
- Coachella Camping Packing List
- Desert Hills Premium Outlets & Cabazon Outlets
- Borrego Springs Sculpture Guide
- Desert Oasis Welk Resorts
Would love to go here.
This looks like a great outing!
We did this in December. It was absolutely gorgeous up there. It was so peaceful and the views!!!