LOS ANGELES _ The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, famed for carrying guests in a steel-and-glass bubble from a desert canyon to a mountaintop, will reopen Friday morning after a long COVID-19 closure. It will be operating at less than 25% capacity with many new restrictions.
As before, the journey will take about 10 minutes. In the Valley Station and Mountain Station and in transit, masks are required (not neck gaiters or masks with vents), distancing is mandatory and temperatures will be taken before boarding.
Management has promised touchless ticketing, increased cleaning and electrostatic sanitization, with antimicrobial tape on handrails and open windows.
The rotating tram cars, billed as the largest of their kind, date to 1963. Their pre-pandemic capacity was 80 passengers per car.
Visitors (even those who are annual passholders) will need to book their trips in advance, the tram's management said in a release. Adult fare: $26.95. Parking: $10 for most vehicles.
At the top of the tram route, about 8,500 feet above sea level, Long Valley remains open for visitors seeking a short hike. But the rest of the surrounding Mount San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness is closed to hiking and camping because of fire threat. The nearby San Bernardino National Forest will partially reopen Friday.
At the Valley Station, management said, the Tramway History Museum, Cascade Patio and the Tram View patio will be open but the Valley Station Gift Shop and Cascade Cafe will remain closed for now.
At the top, the Mountain Station Gift Shop, Desert View Terrace, Santa Rosa Theater and the Natural History Museum will be open. Peaks Restaurant, Lookout Lounge and San Jacinto Theater will remain closed until further notice. (The Pines Cafe will be selling sandwiches, salads and drinks.)
The tram closed on March 13. It is set to resume at 8 a.m. Friday. The last car of the day goes up at 4:20 p.m. and comes down at 6 p.m.
