San Jacinto Peak via Tram

<p>The route begins at the Mountain Station of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway and turns around at the summit of San Jacinto Peak.<p> <p>From the station, the trail drops briefly into Long Valley and passes the wilderness permit station at around 0.25 miles. The terrain is flat through Long Valley before the trail begins a gradual climb through open pine forest. Bear left at the junction roughly 2 miles from the tram toward Round Valley, a broad subalpine meadow. Around 3 miles, bear right at the junction on the far side of Round Valley toward San Jacinto Peak. The grade steepens significantly from here, and the trail transitions from packed dirt to open granite and talus as it gains the ridge. Turning right at 4.7 miles, the final stretch to the summit crosses exposed terrain with no shade. The summit sits at the edge of one of the steepest escarpments in the country — the terrain drops nearly two vertical miles to the desert floor, with the Salton Sea and Coachella Valley spread below.<p> <Descend on the same trail back to the tram.>