JULY GRATITUDE: When summer arrives, so do the three-digit temperatures around the Coachella Valley. Wait... what? Summer-style temps actually have a way of showing up in the springtime? You're absolutely correct. It doesn't suddenly become warmish as Independence Day grows nearer; rather, toastier days can begin in April. All that said, July really has a lock on roasty Palm Springs afternoons, the kind when a mister and a hand fan and a glass of iced tea are the three things many a glistening human is searching out. That's where the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway comes in, what with its admirable ability to whisk overly hot people to a location nearly 6,000 feet above where the tram leaves the valley. And to get through July, and to honor the meaning behind Independence Day, and to say "thank you" to those who serve, the tram is hosting "Military Days" through the entire month. Yes, that does mean...
FREE ADMISSION... for military personnel over the 31 days of July, and not just around Fourth of July weekend. You'll want to have your ID to show at the ticket counter, and you'll want to let any guests joining you that they'll get 25% off (and that's up to six guests, which is pretty dang great). So what can you do at the top? Explore Mount San Jacinto State Park via the 50-plus miles of trails, or have lunch at Mountain Station, which has both a quick-grab cafe as well as a sit-down restaurant (with incredible views of the Coachella Valley). And are summer hours a bit different at the tram? They are, with slightly later cars on Fridays and Saturdays, as well as an early start on Friday mornings. It's a lovely show of gratitude for the our military members and their loved ones and friends, and an easy route to staving off some of those thermometer-testing summer days. A mountain trip, one that can happen in mere minutes, is always kind of the solution come July, and for free? Even sweeter.
