Palm Springs Tramway - Long Valley and Desert View Trails

Here are the event details:

Meeting time and Place: July 15, 2023 at 7:15am at Abundant Living Church. North Parking Lot closest to Youth Facility where Blue Whale is hidden behind the light brown portable buildings off Spruce Street.  If you live closer to the site meet us at the Palm Springs Tramway Valley station ticketing area waiting room (see directions). We will check for any ALFC hikers there. 

Fee: Tramway roundtrip ride: $29.95 for adults (pay on your own). Seniors 62+ 27.95 (pay on your own). Parking is free $15 (pay when you purchase your tram tickets online). Lockers if needed $1.50 (quarters) at the mountain station. You may purchase tickets online at http://www.pstramway.com. Check the website for price updates. Purchase the 9am time slot. This is a popular time slot for a Saturday morning. Please purchase tickets as soon as possible. They are available to purchase now.

Cell phone service is sporadic so make sure you call with questions the day before.

Trail Difficulty Rating :MODERATE TO CHALLENGING. We will take the Tram up to the Mountain Station. Starting at the Mountain Tram Station we will go down to Long Valley . We are stopping at the Ranger Station and will all fill out Wilderness Permits. The Ranger keeps one half. The other half  goes into a box so the Ranger knows we all made it back safely.

This is a well traveled trail.  We will be taking the Trail up toward Willow Creek which is moderate to challenging and 1 mile long-uphill. Then we will travel on an easy/moderate trail for 1 mile over to Round Valley and then descend 1.8 miles back down to Long Valley. When we get to Long Valley remember we still have to take the  paved trail leading back and forth to the Tram Station which  is moderately difficult on the uphill walk and is .6mi round trip. The total will be a little over 4  miles. Take your time and walk slow. I have personally completed  this trail 3 times.

A NOTE ON ALTITUDE SICKNESS: To avoid altitude sickness or accommodate those that might experience it after the tram ride, we'll be resting at the top of the mountain for 20-minutes after deboarding the tram. Plan to hydrate during this time. Bringing something salty, like salted nuts, or something with electrolytes like tangerines, may help to aleviate symptoms if they develop.

Amount of Vertical elevation (in feet) As we hike we will gradually increase our vertical elevation approx. 500-600 ft.  At the parking lot the elevation is  2, 643ft. The tram will take us to an elevation of 8,516 during a 10 minute ride. At our highest point during our hike we will be a little more than 9, 000 feet.

Weather: Check the weather (weather.com) and dress accordingly. Dress in layers as you may be cool or cold at the start and warm up as the hike progesses. In previous years this hike is known to be 20-30 degrees cooler when you get to the mountain station. 

Required Footwear: hiking shoes or boots with support and good tread

Required Gear: Hat for sun, sunglasses, good shoes, hiking stick is a must, water and bring your camera!

Minimum Amount of Water to Bring 2-3 bottles of water is enough. There is plenty of water at the facilities on this hike for you to fill your bottle or purchase.

Minimum Amount of Food to Bring : sack lunch, fruit  or energy snacks. There is a restaurant and gift store with snacks at the valley and mountain stations. The food at the restaurant can be purchased ala cart, but is a bit on the high side.

Hike Description (include terrain, destination, challenges, flora, fauna, history) Please visit   http://www.pstramway.com if you would like to see the area.

Amenities: 2 restaurants, Bathrooms are very clean, developed roads & parking lots, conference center, camping , picnic area, nature/education center, viewing areas. We will acclimate ourselves to the altitude for about 15-20 minutes at the restaurant (3rd floor), then walk down to Long Valley via the paved walkway  and pick up the Desert View trail from there.

For those of you who find the altitude a challenge feel free to stay at the mountain station and cheer us on as we trek down to the hike area.

Driving Direction (include mileage, landmarks, turns)Driving time: 1 hour from Rancho Cucamonga. Go east on 10fwy toward Palm Springs. About 10 minutes after you pass the Cabazon outlets (don’t stop there!) take Hwy 111 for about 10 min. toward Palm Springs. Hwy 111 turns into Palm Canyon Drive. Take a right on Tramway Road (landmark: Palm Springs Visitors center on the corner) and travel 3 miles uphill  to the Tram pkg. lots. Plan to park in LOT A. If lots are full please follow the lot attendee’s instructions and park in a lot serviced by a free bus that will take you to the front door instead of walking up the incline (whew! tough walk). We'll wait to board the tram in the sitting area.

Six questions each participant must answer “yes” to before being allowed

on hike

1. Are you medically fit to participate in this hike?

2. Are you bringing adequate food and water?

3. Do you have the required footwear for this hike?

4. Do you have the proper clothing for this hike?

5. Do you have the proper gear for this hike?

6. Did you prepare physically for this hike?

7. Are you free of Covid-19 symptoms?

In case of emergency

Nearest medical facility : Desert Regional Medical center, 1150 N. Indian Canyon Dr. Palm Springs, California 92262  Phone number: 760-323-6511

Nearest law enforcement (name, phone number, directions, and time to reach):

Palm Springs Police: 760 327-1441 or 911 emergency

Ranger station: San Jacinto Ranger Station: 951.659.2607

Fire Emergency: Palm Springs Fire dept: 760-323-8181

Appropriate State Park, Forest Service, National Park jurisdiction :

Ranger station: San Jacinto  951.659.2607

Leaving early: If you must leave the hike early please tell me. If I think your lost, I’m going to call heaven, my prayer partners, Pastor Eddie, all emergency services will be notified, your family will be called, most likely the hiking group will be calling their families telling them they are waiting for you and every angel in heaven will be on alert. We can avoid unnecessary stress, use of emergency personal and heavenly time if you communicate. Emergency services are charged to people who unwisely use them.

Special Conditions :As always beautiful scenery.  Snow can be fun, but causes slippery conditions so be careful!!!!

Other Notes. If you are new to or group you will need to fill out an information sheet.  If you feel up to it after the hike, please feel free to visit the city or Palm Springs or the Cabazon Outlet shops.

What happens when the weather does not co-operate: We will never go hiking in inclement weather (storms, lightning thunder possible flash floods, icy roads etc).  Only God knows all things, my job is to do the best at planning a great trip. I will make all efforts to call and email you if we must postpone a date or change sites.