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Tramway Opens 8:00 a.m. on July 3 and 4

PALM SPRINGS, CA (June 19, 2017). In observance of the Independence Day holiday, the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway will open early on Monday, July 3 and Tuesday, July 4. The first tram car up those days will be 8:00 a.m., the last tram car up will be 8:00 p.m. and the last tram car down will be 9:45 p.m.

Also, “Early Fridays” (8:00 a.m. first tram car up) continue through Labor Day Weekend, as well as extended summer hours (9:00 p.m. last tram car up on Fridays and Saturdays with last tram car down at 10:30 p.m.)

And don’t forget to join free guided nature walks on Saturdays and Sundays featuring a choice of two easy trails–the Desert View Trail, a 1½-mile loop beginning at 11:00 a.m. or the Long Valley Nature Trail, a ¾-mile loop beginning at 1:30 p.m. Those interested should meet at the bottom of the cement walkway located just outside the Mountain Station.

Celebrate Independence Day Weekend in the cool Alpine forests at the Top of the Tram!

PALM SPRINGS, CA (May 16, 2017) May 20 kicks off the summer programs of the Mt. San Jacinto Natural History Association (NHA) in partnership with the Mt. San Jacinto State Park & Wilderness (MSJSP&W).

According to NHA President Joe Migliore, “While we live in a desert, we decided to launch a new educational program series featuring a high mountain experience.”

The first program entitled “The Ten Essentials of Wilderness Travel” is led by Senior Patroller Carl Maple and includes an undisclosed hike. Advance registration is required.

Then, on May 27 and 28, “Junior Ranger Days” returns to the Mt. San Jacinto State Park. Formerly “Family Days,” these popular events led by MSJSP&W Interpreter Allison Barnes are held at the base of the Mountain Station’s walkway from 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. and include such children’s activities as “Leave No Trace” games, “Spin the Wheel” information board and “Meet & Greet” with animal pelts. Additional dates are June 24, July 29, August 12, and September 2 and 3. No advance registration is required.

Also, free Guided Nature Walks by State Park volunteers resume May 27 and continue Saturdays and Sundays through late summer. These walks feature a choice of two easy trails–the Desert View Trail, a 1½-mile beginning at 11:00 a.m. and the Long Valley Nature Trail, a ¾-mile loop beginning at 1:30 p.m. No advance registration is required.

There is no charge for any of these programs, except for regular Tramway admission.

For more information about the NHA summer programs or to register, please visit www.msjnha.org/events.

State Park Programs

State Park NHA Poster

Diners Enjoy Peaks Restaurant At 8,516 Feet

PALM SPRINGS, CA (May 08, 2017) Fine dining in an Alpine forest with panoramic views of the entire Coachella Valley can be found in only one location—Peaks Restaurant at the top of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. And there’s no better time to experience Peaks than during Palm Springs Restaurant Week June 2-11, 2017.       

The three-course $49 prix fixe menu (exclusive of tax, gratuity and tram fare) includes:

• Starter—Beef Tartar, Arugula Salad or Corn Chowder.
• Entree—Chimichurri Steak, Lemon Pepper Chicken or Potato Gnocchi.
• Dessert—Orange Bread Pudding or Godiva Chocolate Cheese Cake.

Reduced tram fares after 4:00 p.m. are $18 for adults and seniors, and $12 for children (ages 3-12) with confirmed Peaks Restaurant reservations during Restaurant Week. The last tram car up Sunday through Thursday is 8:00 p.m. and the last car down is at 9:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday, the last tram car up is 9:00 p.m. and last tram car down is at 10:30 p.m.

For menu details and more information on Palm Springs Restaurant Week, please visit https://pstramway.com/dining/.

Summer Schedule Begins May 26

Memorial Day Weekend marks the official start of the summer season at the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. Extended holiday hours, late-evening weekend trams and early-morning Friday trams are just a few of the ways the Tramway is helping to extend your mountain adventure.

• In observance of the Memorial Day holiday, weekend hours will be extended through Monday, May 29 with the first car up at 8:00 a.m. each day.
• Beginning Friday, May 26 and continuing through Saturday, September 2, evening hours will be extended on Fridays and Saturdays with the last car up at 9:00 p.m. and the last car down at 10:30 p.m. Enjoy over an extra hour in the Mount San Jacinto State Park and the sparkling nighttime views of the entire Coachella Valley. Also, Peaks Restaurant will remain open until 8:30 p.m. and Pines Café until 9:30 p.m. on those days.
• Beginning May 26 and running through September 1 is “Early Fridays.” For those fifteen Fridays, the tram will open two hours early at 8:00 a.m.

According to Tramway Vice President of Sales & Marketing Nancy Nichols, “We are happy to once again offer our summer visitors an extended-hours program. Everyone seems to appreciate additional time to both escape the desert heat and enjoy our pristine Alpine forests.”

Start the summer above it all at the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway!

Popular Program Runs May 1 through August 31, 2017

PALM SPRINGS, CA (April 26, 2017) A secret Southern California residents have long known is that the coolest spot during the hot summer months is just a 10-minute tram ride away—to the alpine forest atop the majestic San Jacinto Mountains. Beginning May 1, the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway’s Summer Pass makes “beating the heat” easy—and affordable—for everyone when passes again go on sale.

Valid through August 31, the Summer Pass includes unlimited Tram admissions for the pass-holder, 10% discount on additional Tram admissions, 10% discount at Peaks Restaurant or Pines Café, and unlimited free parking. Cost of the Summer Pass is $80 for adults and seniors (65+), and $40 for children, and may be purchased at the Tram’s Valley Station or online beginning May 1.

Summer Pass holders also enjoy over 50 miles of hiking trails, picnic areas and multiple campgrounds all within the 14,000-acre pristine forest of the Mount San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness Area.

The Tram’s Mountain Station offers spectacular view points, two restaurants, cocktail lounge, gift shop, natural history museum and two documentary-style movies about the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway and the Mount San Jacinto State Park.

The first Tram up Monday through Friday is 10:00 a.m. and the first Tram up Saturday and Sunday is 8:00 a.m. The last Tram up daily is 8:00 p.m. and the last Tram down, 9:45 p.m.

Just a short drive from many Southern California cities, the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway’s Summer Pass is the perfect summer escape!

Celebrate Easter Sunday at 8,516 Feet

PALM SPRINGS, CA (March 13, 2017) One of the most breathtaking places to watch the sunrise on Easter is at the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway’s Mountain Station, elevation 8,516 feet. On Sunday, April 16, beginning at 5:30 a.m., celebrate Easter Sunrise Service with songs of faith, hope and joy by the Abie & Bert Duo…along with a special inspirational Easter message by Pastor Robert Sneed.

The first tram car up that morning is 5:00 a.m. Reduced Tram fares will be in effect until 7:30 a.m. with round-trip $15.50 for adults and seniors, and $12.25 for children ages 3-12.

Immediately following the program, breakfast will be served in Pines Café until 10:00 a.m. If purchased by 7:30 a.m., the cost for the Ride ‘N’ Breakfast combination, which includes round-trip Tram fare, is $25.95 for adults and seniors, and $16.95 for children ages 3-12. The breakfast menu is also available separately until 10:00 a.m. for $12.95+tax.

Normal Tram fares will be in effect after 7:30 a.m. with admission $25.95 for adults, $23.95 seniors 65+ and $16.95 for children ages 3-12.

Easter dinner will be available from 11:00 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. in Pines Café, a cafeteria-style restaurant. Cost for the Ride ‘N’ Dine combination is $36.00 for adults and seniors, and $23.50 for children ages 3-12. Reservations are not taken and tickets go on sale at 8:00 a.m.

Peaks Restaurant will serve regular lunch and dinner menus during normal operating hours.

 PALM SPRINGS, CA (February 13, 2017) Jerry Ogburn, retired urban planner and designer, has been elected chairman of the Mount San Jacinto Winter Park Authority (MSJWPA), governing body of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. Ogburn was appointed to the Authority by the Palm Springs City Council in 2006 and previously served as chair in 2009.

For over four decades, Ogburn worked as an urban planner and designer in both the public and private sectors leading interdisciplinary teams of specialized consultants. Most recently, he served for five years as a senior designer for The Planning Center in Rancho Mirage, and then another five years for MSA Consulting, Inc., also in Rancho Mirage, as a senior planner. In January of 2017, he formally retired from the latter. Currently, he is secretary of the Board of Elders for Our Savior’s Community Church in Palm Springs, is a member of the Palm Springs Rotary Club and a member of Desert Roundtable.

According to Tramway General Manager Rob Parkins, “With the upcoming refurbishment of our Mountain Station and other Tramway improvement projects, Mr. Ogburn’s expertise in planning and design will be especially important.”

Ogburn succeeds 2016 Chairperson Bary Freet, a 2012 Riverside County Board of Supervisors MSJWPA appointee and retired Palm Springs fire chief.

The seven-member Authority, a public agency and public corporation of the State of California, was created by the Mount San Jacinto Winter Park Authority Act Ch.1040 of the Statutes of 1945, as amended by Ch.70 of the Statutes of 1947 and Ch.1004 of the Statutes of 1951, of the State of California.

The current Authority members (with one vacancy) are: Jerry Ogburn and Nancy Stuart appointed by the Palm Springs City Council; Bary Freet and Brian Nestande appointed by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors; and Janice Oliphant and Jon Sheinberg appointed by the Governor.

Show Features Former Cast Members of the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies

PALM SPRINGS, CA (February 1, 2017) The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is proud to present the debut performance of “The Ladies Who Sang with the Follies” on March 9 beginning at 7:00 p.m. on the Pines Café Stage. Headlining the show is 20-season Palm Springs Follies vocalist Judy Bell and two-season Follies vocalist Terri Olsen. The show’s music director is Wayne Abravanel, who was an integral member of the Follies orchestral team for nine seasons.

While not widely known, Tramway General Manager Rob Parkins actually played a pivotal role in the original founding of the Fabulous Follies. “I was Palm Springs’ city manager when then-Mayor Pro Tem Tuck Broich took Follies Co-Founders Riff Markowitz and Mary Jardin to see our vacant Plaza Theatre,” remembers Parkins. “When they explained the type of show they were thinking about, many thought they were crazy. I didn’t and—along with other members of the city council—pushed to grant them the lease. The rest, as they say, is history. What a treat it is to have this reunion occur at the Tramway.”

According to Tramway Vice President of Marketing Nancy Nichols, “Since opening the Pines Café Stage with our recent holiday choir series, we’ve been trying to decide what we should present as our first headline act? We worked so closely with the Follies for over two decades in promoting our wonderful destination that this seemed like the logical choice…and we still hear how much folks miss the Follies.”

General admission show ticket is $39 (including tram fare) and seating is extremely limited. Phone orders only by calling 760-325-1449. Cocktail and appetizer menu will be available. Pre-show dining in Peak’s Restaurant is also available that night beginning at 4:00 p.m. For additional information, please visit www.pstramway.com/folliesladies.

PALM SPRINGS, CA (January 27, 2017) The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway will observe holiday hours during Presidents Weekend February 18-20, 2017 with the first Tram car up each day at 8:00 a.m., the last Tram car up at 8:00 p.m. and the last Tram car down at 9:45 p.m. Tram cars depart at least every 30 minutes.

Enjoy a day or evening above the desert floor exploring the snow fields of the 14,000 acre Mt. San Jacinto State Park, be awed by spectacular Coachella Valley vistas from the Mountain Station, or dine in Peaks Restaurant, Pines Café or the Lookout Lounge.

Tram admission is $25.95 for adults and $16.95 for children ages 3-12 years. Special discounts and packages are available after 4:00 p.m. — Twilight Tickets are $22.95 for adults and seniors, and $13.95 for children ages 3-12. Ride ‘n’ Dine tickets are $36 for adults and seniors, and $23.50 for children ages 3-12. This combination ticket includes Tram admission and dinner at Pines Café.