On Monday, October 5, the first car of the season climbed out of Valley Station. NBC Palm Springs was there and spoke with a regular rider who hikes about four miles a day at the top and has fed the same two ravens there for nine years.
"I hate it when it closes. It's like missing my family."
His quote explains why the reopening matters to people who live here. The more useful detail is on the calendar. The stretch that started this week is the mountain's best for anyone who lives below it, and it has no set end date. It ends with the first measurable snow at Mountain Station. The Tramway is already running a contest to guess when that will be.
What the month away changed
The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway closed from Tuesday, September 8, through Sunday, October 4, for its yearly preventive maintenance. Crews repainted the cabin interiors, rebuilt the carriage on cabin two, ran the annual testing that the state permit requires, and serviced the control system.
The cars came back on schedule. The ride still takes about ten minutes in the world's largest rotating tram cars, and it climbs through five climate zones, from Sonoran Desert to alpine forest, before reaching 8,516 feet.
The winter schedule began on reopening day and runs through May 27, 2027. Weekday service starts at 10 a.m. Weekends and holidays start at 8 a.m. The last car goes up at 8 p.m. and the last car comes down at 9:30 p.m. The Tramway notes that hours may change without notice.
Two temperatures, one ride apart
According to NBC's reopening report, the top runs 30 to 40 degrees cooler than the valley floor. This October, that gap is especially wide.
The San Jacinto Trail Report is an independent volunteer report that surveys these routes several times a week. It says early October temperatures at mid elevations have been "far above seasonal," closer to midsummer, and should stay that way until Friday, October 9. In the same report, the highest elevations "now feel distinctly autumnal."
Its recent readings from San Jacinto Peak show what that means:
- Monday, September 28, 8:10 a.m.: 38.8°F, with a windchill of 24.1°F
- Wednesday, September 30, 6:40 a.m.: 38.8°F, with a windchill of 27.9°F
- Friday, October 2, 8:45 a.m.: 48.9°F, with gusts to 25.3 mph
- Monday, October 5, 8:10 a.m.: 46.7°F, with a windchill of 35.6°F
The peak sits at 10,809 feet, well above Mountain Station. Still, the trend is clear. While it still feels like summer on Palm Canyon Drive, it already feels like fall at the top of the tram. For a few weeks you can reach that change in ten minutes, the trails are clear, and the dining rooms are open into the evening.
How the window closes
On October 1 the Tramway opened its yearly snow-guessing contest. Entries close with the first measurable inch of snow at Mountain Station. The first ten correct guesses each win four regular admission tickets and a gift. KESQ described the contest as open to people across the Coachella Valley. In practice, the contest date marks the end of the easy-access season.
This year that inch could come early. The Trail Report says forecasts are "increasingly confident" that the remains of Hurricane Rachel will bring a sharp cool-down from October 10 to 13, over the holiday weekend. Rain at mid elevations could top an inch, mostly on the 11th. A tentative forecast also calls for windchills well below freezing and a dusting of 1 to 3 inches above 9,000 feet. The report compares the setup to conditions last winter that led to several serious hypothermia cases in the high country. It singles out hikers starting from the Tramway, where such weather is "rarely anticipated." At a minimum, it recommends fully wind- and waterproof clothing and dry layers carried in a waterproof pack, and it says turning around may be the safest option.
A dusting above 9,000 feet would not reach Mountain Station at 8,516 feet. It would still change the summit route. California State Parks recommends microspikes or crampons for winter hiking in the wilderness. For current conditions, call Long Valley Ranger Station at (760) 327-0222.
Snow also brings the snow-play season. The Winter Adventure Center page, last updated in April, still shows the center as closed and does not give a reopening date. When it is open, it runs Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and weekends and holidays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with cross-country ski packages at $21 and snowshoes at $18.
The trails while they are clear
Mount San Jacinto State Park offers two short hikes from Mountain Station that need no wilderness permit. State Parks rates the Desert View Trail as moderate, a 1.5-mile loop with about 50 feet of elevation gain. The Discovery Nature Trail in Long Valley is an easy, flat 0.6-mile loop, and the park currently lists it as partly under construction.
The route to San Jacinto Peak is a bigger commitment. State Parks lists it as very strenuous, 11.6 miles round trip with 2,400 feet of gain, and it requires a wilderness permit. Day-use permits are free. They are available around the clock, including on the porch of Long Valley Ranger Station, and one permit covers a group of up to 15 hikers who stay together. The Forest Service says State Park and Forest Service day permits are honored in both wilderness areas.
This fall the peak route itself has improved. The Trail Report says this year's trimming of the upper Peak Trail is the first comprehensive work there in decades. By early October, about 90 percent of the half-mile stretch between 10,000 feet and the Miller Peak switchback had been widened to 2 to 4 feet. In many places, chinquapin overgrowth had narrowed it to 10 to 15 inches. The narrow sections were hardest to manage in winter, so the wider trail is also part of the case for going before the snow.
Building a day around the schedule
The winter timetable allows two very different days on the mountain.
- The early weekend car. The first car up leaves at 8 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. That is enough time to finish Desert View or reach the peak and return before lunch. On weekdays the first car leaves at 10 a.m. Pines Café opens at 8 a.m. on weekends and holidays and sells grab-and-go sandwiches, salads, and drinks.
- Lunch at Peaks. Peaks serves lunch daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lookout Lounge is open daily from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- The late ride up. Ride 'n' Dine at Pines Café is offered daily from 4 p.m., with meal service from 4:30 p.m., and takes no reservations. Online tickets cost $45 for adults and $31.50 for children ages 3 to 10. That price includes a $2 processing fee, which is why the dining page lists $43 and $29.50.
- Dinner at elevation. Peaks serves dinner from 5 p.m., and the last seating is 7:45 p.m. Reservations are recommended, by phone or through OpenTable. The last car down leaves at 9:30 p.m., so there is time to finish dinner.
The 8 a.m. weekend start comes back for two holiday periods: Thanksgiving weekend, November 26 to 29, and December 19, 2026, through January 3, 2027.
The one set date before winter
The AutumnFest lunch at Pines Café, on Saturday, November 7, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., is the only scheduled event this fall. It includes a three-course German meal and live polka. Tickets include tram fare and cost $46 for adults and $32.50 for children ages 3 to 10. Whether the mountain still looks like autumn that day depends on when the snow arrives.
When the ride becomes a habit
Round-trip admission is $36.95 for adults and $33.95 for seniors 65 and older. The Annual Pass costs $167 for adults and seniors and $97 for children. For an adult, the pass covers its cost on the fifth trip. Five single tickets would cost $184.75.
Parking adds to that math. The Tramway's parking page lists parking at $15 and says it is included with Annual Pass. It also posts free parking for residents of Palm Springs and nearby desert communities, including Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Palm Desert, and Rancho Mirage. You need a valid photo ID showing your address when you park. That page was last updated in November 2025, so it is worth confirming at the gate before you count on it. The current ticket page lists no resident discount on admission.
The forecast still has the first snow tentatively possible this coming weekend. The first car up on Saturday leaves Valley Station at 8 a.m.
If the mountain is a big part of why you live here, location on the hillside matters, and so does how quickly you can get to 1 Tram Way. At Montecito Luxury Group, we know the Palm Springs neighborhoods closest to the Tramway and can walk you through them. Request a Private Consultation, and we will plan it around your next trip up the mountain.