Palm Springs Aerial Tramway May Reopen By Labor Day

PALM SPRINGS (CNS) – The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway may reopen in time for Labor Day, the operators said Monday, in announcing annual maintenance that requires the tramway to fully shut down was moved up to next month.

“With our current extended closure, we decided that if we moved our maintenance period up by a month, we could perhaps reopen to the public by Labor Day rather than early October, as currently scheduled,” tramway General Manager Nancy Nichols said.

This year’s maintenance shutdown was originally planned for September.

Labor Day is Sept. 7.

The world’s largest rotating car was closed in mid-March due to the coronavirus  pandemic, days before stay-at-home orders from Palm Springs and Gov. Gavin Newsom placed restrictions on non-essential workplaces.

Tram officials previously announced that all annual pass holders will see their passes be extended to mirror the amount of days the tram was shut down due to COVID-19.

New safety protocols aimed at curbing the spread of the virus will accompany the tramway’s future reopening, although specifics have not yet been made public.

Since 1963, the tram has carried visitors 2 1/2 miles to the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, a trip that takes about 10 minutes.

At an elevation of 8,516 feet, Mountain Station offers visitors two restaurants, observation decks, a natural history museum, two documentary theaters and an entry point to more than 50 miles of hiking trails.