Palm Springs Tram Popular Place To Escape The Heat

Barbara and Chuck Kaye make at least 2 trips a week up the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway during the summer. They play scrabble and enjoy lunch during the time they’d normally be sweating it out in the desert heat.

“We’ve been doing that all summer. And last summer too, we did it. Last summer we didn’t even go anywhere on vacation, we just came here,” said Barbara Kaye.

Southern California is still cooling off after a heat-wave blasted the Southland. The Coachella Valley saw nearly record high temperatures.

But the weather at the top of the tram is usually 30 to 40 degrees below what you’d find in the valley. And few people would think to go to the desert to stay cool. Barry Bloch did.

“All week long it’s like, ‘you’re going to the desert to cool off,'” said Bloch, visiting the area from Irvine.

The cooler temperatures also make this area an ideal place for hikers because some the valley trails are just too hot.

After all, outdoor exercise is ill-advised in 110 degree weather.

“You just get lost in the environment and it feels great. Real spiritual and it’s silent,” said avid hiker, Paul Weisberg.

So if people couldn’t stand the summer heat, they didn’t get out of the valley, they got to higher ground.