Driving east on I-10 take Route 111 to enter the Coachella Valley and you are greeted with a beautiful vista and a grand entrance to Palm Springs. As you approach the city limits the first thing you are introduced to is the Palm Springs welcome sign, the Visitor Center and the road to the Palm Springs Tramway. IMHO the best thing to do in the area. Here is their website.
It’s about 3 miles up to the gate to pay and enter the parking lot. 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. There are annual and summer passes available and these passes include parking.
Inside the lobby there is a queue to purchase your ticket. If you have a pass go to the waiting area to line up for the next tram. The welcoming Big Horn Sheep stares you down as you enter the tram entry walkway.
Once at the top you are now in Mt. San Jacinto State Park and over 8000 feet high. There may be some snow. It usually remains through June. Creeks are running and the trees are full and lush with greenery. The lodge at the top has a newly remodeled bar and two restaurants on the top level. Lower levels have park information and gift shop. There is excellent WiFi in the lodge. Many times in the Summer I pack my computer and use my annual pass for a quick trip to work at the lodge. The view is excellent, the temperature is much cooler and it gives a break from the low desert heat. After working I’ll grab a bite to eat and then take a hike.
Exit the lodge and continue down the ramp to the park. There’s a loop trail that is approximately 1 mile with five scenic lookouts offering spectacular views of Palm Springs, the Coachella Valley, the San Bernadino Mountains, the windmills and on a real clear day you can see the Salton Sea. For more experienced hikers there are trails that lead up the mountain and over to the town of Idyllwild. That’s a long trek and way up in altitude.
ENJOY!! And let me know what you discovered and cherished the most in the comment section on the home page.
