The two and a half mile (four kilometer) long Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is an astonishing feat of engineering, rising almost a mile (one and a half kilometers) up into the foothills of the San Jacinto range in just under 15 minutes. The tramcar ascent offers superb panoramic views of Chino Canyon, the Sonoran Desert and the San Jacinto Mountains as it rises through five different ecosystems, from the creosote scrub of the lower desert through the Sonoran and Transition zones to the Alpine zone at the top.

The Mountain Station at the top of the tramway is on the edge of the 1300-acre (525-hectare) Mount Jacinto Wilderness State Park with miles of hiking trails and a range of winter sports facilities. As well as an awe-inspiring five and a half mile (nine kilometer) trek to the 10,804-foot (3293-meter) peak of Mount San Jacinto there is also a gentle mile-long (one and a half kilometer) nature walk through the arctic-alpine zone of firs and oaks of picturesque Long Valley, just behind the Mountain Station.