Mountains & architecture · California

Palm Springs Tramway & Desert Modernism day trip

Palm Springs Tramway & Desert Modernism

A Palm Springs day from Los Angeles: Albert Frey's swooping Tramway Gas Station, the rotating tram to 8,516 feet in Mount San Jacinto State Park, a drive past Neutra's Kaufmann House and Wexler's steel houses, lunch and a short modernism walk on Palm Canyon Drive, then palm oases in the Agua Caliente Band's Indian Canyons. It's planned for the cool season, because desert summer heat is the day's main hazard.

Time
12–13 hour day from Los Angeles
Driving
About 4½–5½ hours of driving in total, most of it on I-10
Best time
October–May; best November–April
Updated
$4 USD

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A round red-and-silver tram car hanging from cables in front of jagged granite cliffs under a deep blue sky, with a steel tower behind
Don Graham · CC BY-SA 2.0. February 2015 photograph; resized and displayed with crop.
Suggested times, not bookings

Your day at a glance

  • 7:30 amLeave Los Angeles
  • 9:45 amPalm Springs Visitor Center (Tramway Gas Station)
  • 10:30 amPalm Springs Aerial Tramway and Mount San Jacinto State Park
  • 12:45 pmRacquet Club Estates and the Kaufmann House
  • 1:30 pmLunch on Palm Canyon Drive
  • 2:30 pmDowntown modernism walk
  • 3:30 pmIndian Canyons (Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians)
  • 4:45 pmReturn to Los Angeles
Highlights

Worth the trip

  • A ten-minute rotating tram ride up the cliffs of Chino Canyon
  • Albert Frey's Tramway Gas Station and Neutra's Kaufmann House
  • Fan palm oases in the Agua Caliente Band's Indian Canyons

What’s in the guide

Matching HTML and PDF guides, detailed stop guidance, rules, practical pitfalls, a route map, Google Maps, Waze and Apple Maps links, weather alternatives and phone instructions. See an example guide →

Plan for the conditions

Expected seasonal weather

From October to May, Palm Springs usually has dry, sunny days: average highs are about 91°F in October, 79°F in November, 69–74°F from December to February, 81–87°F in March and April, and 95°F in May, with cool evenings and big swings between day and night. The Mountain Station is about 5,900 feet higher and much colder; in winter it often has snow and freezing temperatures while the valley is mild. Strong winds through the San Gorgonio Pass can bring blowing dust on I-10 and pause the tram. Winter storms bring occasional rain below and snow above. From June to September, highs average 102–109°F. These are seasonal expectations, not a forecast for your travel date; check the NWS forecast for both the valley and the mountain.

Admission and parking are separate. Check current conditions before departure.

A good day, in the bag.

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