Over the hills east of Los Angeles about two hours way by car, there lies a dessert valley that first got discovered by the stars of the golden age of movies. They built houses out there, and soon the valley became populated with tennis courts, golf courses, casinos, and polo grounds. It was a paradise surrounded by large granite mountains that protected the valley from harsh weather, and the prying eyes of the metropolis just 120 miles away. Way back in 1935 an electrical engineer named Francis Freeman Crocker proposed to build a tram up one of the mountains so people could explore the wilderness that sat on top of the rocky peak. It wasn’t until 1963 that his dream became a reality and it has since then been one of the larger tourist sights in the valley bringing thousands of people a day to ride up to the top and wander around through the beauty of nature that is possessed there.
The tram itself is the largest rotating aerial tram in the world, and the two and a half mile voyage to the top of the mountain takes about ten minutes to complete as the room they put you in rotates around so you can view all of the wonders that come with this spectacular spot. It is a crowded car where they put up to eighty people into it. Despite the numbers, it is still not as claustrophobic as you would think, and if you sit a little back away from the window, you can find a rail to lean against that will rotate with the room so you will not feel as if the room is rotating with you.
The ride is worth it because it does take you up to an amazing view of the valley below. From up there you can look out of the wilderness that sprawls out on top of the mountain or turn around the other way and see Palm Springs, La Quinta, and Indio as it spreads out on the dessert floor. Also if you look close enough, you can pick out the San Andreas fault as it threatens to split California in two. It is also a great way to escape the heat from the city as it can be over ten degrees cooler on the top even to the point of collecting snow on a few of the winter days.
As I looked over the valley, I couldn’t help but to think about how beautiful it would be looking at it when it was night and all of the city lights were on. There is an option with the tram to take it up there during the night time and have a meal at the restaurant that is on the top so you can look at the night lights. If you are thinking about doing this, keep in mind that it can be very expensive as an adult ticket costs at the time of the writing of this blog, 43 dollars per person and only offers a cafeteria style kind of meal. This does not include parking that you will need to get up to the tram, and that is an extra 15 dollars per vehicle. You can still get a reservation at the restaurant on top of the mountain but that is also expensive, and will require a ticket to go up the tram which is at 37 dollars per adult.
Just know that it does cost some money to take the tram up to the top, but once there there are many hiking opportunities. There is a three-quarter of a mile nature hike that is rather easy and takes you to some pretty spots. Or you could take the mile and a half trip out to the dessert viewing point, and for the very adventurous person, you could take the twelve hour hike that will take you past the campgrounds and deep into the wilderness. It can get cold up there which is a dramatic shift from the dessert floor where we originally started from, so if you do plan on doing some hiking, I recommend that you bring layers of clothes with you to make the adjustments needed depending on the changing weather.
It is a great day trip to take if you find yourself in the Coachella Valley. I spent a good four or five hours there, and did not really look into the museums that were at both the bottom and top levels of the tram. There is of course shopping there as well as a fifteen-minute informative movie that is shown at regular intervals. You have plenty of options of things to do, and all of them make for the perfect day up top of San Jacinto Peak.
Until next time, enjoy those little gems wherever you may find them.
John Collings 