Palm Springs Aerial Tramway facts for kids
The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway in Palm Springs, California, is a super cool way to ride up a mountain! It's the biggest rotating aerial tramway (like a cable car) in the whole world. It opened in September 1963. Before that, getting to the top of San Jacinto Peak was a long hike! The tramway was built in the tough Chino Canyon. The awesome rotating cars, which let you see everything, were added in 2000.
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The Amazing Ride
The ride takes about 12 minutes. It starts at the Valley Station (which is about 2,643 ft (806 m) high). The tram then climbs a steep mountain face. On the way up, you pass through five different life zones, like going from a desert to a forest! You end up at the Mountain Station, which is about 8,516 ft (2,596 m) above sea level. You start in the warm Sonoran Desert and arrive in a cool alpine forest.
The floor of the tram cars slowly spins around. It makes two full turns during the ride. This means everyone gets a great view in all directions without having to move! Each car can hold up to 80 people. It's the biggest rotating tram in the world. There are only two other "Rotair" trams like it. One is in Cape Town, South Africa, and the other is in Titlis, Switzerland.
When you get off at the Mountain Station, you are in the wild Long Valley. This area is part of Mount San Jacinto State Park. The air up here can be much cooler than in the desert below. Sometimes it's 40 °F (22 °C) colder! You can walk on nature trails or even play in the snow during winter. If you want to hike further into the wilderness, you need a special permit from the U.S. Forest Service.
There are two restaurants at the top, plus gift shops. The gift shops sell fun tramway items and educational toys. You can also watch a video about the tramway's history at the Mountain Station.
On a clear day, you can see for more than 200 mi (320 km) to the north. You might even spot Mount Charleston near Las Vegas, Nevada! To the east and west, you can see up to 75 mi (121 km). California's Salton Sea is easy to see to the southeast.
Even today, the only way to get supplies and water up the mountain is by using the tram cars themselves. Supplies are loaded into the passenger area before the tram opens for the day. Fresh water is pumped into tanks under the car.
How the Tramway Began
The idea for the tramway came from an electrical engineer named Francis F. Crocker. This was back in 1935. He was on a trip near Banning, California. It was a hot day, and he looked up at the snow-capped Mount San Jacinto. It's 10,804-foot-high (3,293 m)! Crocker thought, "Wouldn't it be great to build a tram up Chino Canyon?" Some people thought it was a crazy idea and called it "Crocker's Folly."
Later, Crocker asked O. Earl Coffman to lead the building committee. Coffman was a manager at the Palm Springs Desert Inn.
Building the tramway was put on hold because of World War II and the Korean War. But construction finally started in 1960. Helicopters were used in a big way to build four of the five towers. This was very unusual at the time! It made the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway famous as an amazing engineering project. It opened in September 1963.
Over the years, there have been a few unusual events. In 1963, a tram car got stuck for over 13 hours because of an electrical problem. In 1984, a small piece of metal broke off and went through a window. In 2003, a cable issue caused a delay, leaving passengers waiting. These events led to improvements to make the tram even safer.
In 2000, the old tram cars were replaced. The new cars are the ones that slowly rotate. They give riders a full 360-degree view of Chino Canyon and the desert below.
The Old Animal Park
In the late 1960s, there was an animal park near the Tramway. It was called the Tramway Animal Park. It had animals like tame deer, cockatoos, and even two dolphins named Buttons and Beau! There were also macaques and other monkeys, including a chimpanzee named Suzie. The animals would perform in shows. Part of the park even had a fenced area where reindeer could roam in Chino Canyon. The park is not there anymore.
Cool Station Buildings
Both the Valley Station and the Mountain Station were designed by famous architects. These architects were known for a style called mid-century modern. The Valley Station, built in 1963, was designed by Albert Frey and Robson C. Chambers. The Mountain Station, built in 1961, was designed by E. Stewart Williams. Even the unique Tramway Gas Station at the start of Tramway Road was designed by Frey and Chambers!
Images for kids
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One of the original aerial tram cars on display in 2007.
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The inside of one of the tram cars used today. The floor spins as it moves up or down the mountain.
