Mt. San Jacinto via the Palm Springs Tramway
11.5 MRT – Strenuous (2,600′ elevation gain/loss)
Meet at 6:30 AM at the 118 & Stearns St. Park & Ride. Bring your camera, water and lunch. Wear boots.
Click here to see a video about the hike.
This outing involves driving to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway (near Palm Springs), taking the scenic 15-minute vertical lift on the tram (with its rotating cabin providing a 360-degree view) from the Valley Station (2,643’) to the Mountain Station (8,516’). We’ll exit the upper tram station and enter the San Jacinto Wilderness and State Park where the temperature will be much cooler than the desert floor. We’ll hike through a lovely forest of conifers to Round Valley and then climb more steeply to Wellman’s Divide (9,700′) with its fine views of the desert and the Santa Rosa Mountains to the east. After a lunch/rest break we’ll continue hiking until we reach the summit of Mt. San Jacinto (10,834’) where we’ll enjoy spectacular views. We’ll return the way we came.
NOTE: This outing will take all day; we’ll arrive back in Simi Valley in the late afternoon/early evening.
NOTE: The cost of a round-trip ticket on the Aerial Tramway is $23.95 for adults ($21.95 for seniors 62+).