Visitors flock to Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, which received more than two feet of snowfall
Visitors made sure to make the recent snowfall, after the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway resumed services one day ahead of schedule. It was temporarily shutdown on Monday because of storm-related road closures, and wasn't scheduled to re-open until Thursday.
"He'd had the news on all day," said Kathy Bishop, telling News Channel Three she learned about the early opening by watching TV. "But we heard you announce there that the tram was opening Wednesday instead of Thursday. So we raced into the other room got our tickets.”
One woman from Indiana says had no idea about the recent closure, but she was happy to have spent a day in the snow before her flight on Thursday.
"This was the last day that you know, we could get like a fun day and with the sunshine, because it's been raining so much like our whole time here," said Natalie Palmer. "So whoever made that decision, thank you for opening it up so we could come and have a good time!"
One man came all the way from Germany to check out the tramway.
"I always wanted to go on a trail here so we're kind of prepared with a fleece jacket or other jackets available and some food and you know, we're prepared as Germans always are,” said Oliver Jost.
Some visitors hiked, while others played in the snow and built snowmen.
"We thought we would hike a little bit on the trails, but they're a little bit deep in snow," said Kathy Bishop. "So we're gonna we're not gonna do that. We'll have some lunch and then we'll head down and enjoy the views. The rotating thing on the tram was very interesting. There's nothing like it."
Others say they came to enjoy the food, and the restaurants were busier than normal. News Channel Three's Tori King spoke with the Owner and Executive Chef of "Peaks Restaurant', who said they were fully booked.
“Everybody seems to be coming up for the snow. It says such a beautiful view outside with the couple of feet of snow," said John Fritch. "A lot of people planned on coming up yesterday or the day before and since we just opened. It seems like everyone from the other couple days that we were closed are all coming up today. So it's even busier than normal.”
Officials with the tramway tell us the area saw between 12 and 14 inches over snow from this week's storms. It's also not over yet, in fact, there is a chance for more snowfall over the next few days.
If you plan on coming up to see the know, your best bet is to book your ticket online ahead of time.
