Palm Springs Aerial Tramway - A Wheelchair Accessible Guide with Pictures

 Palm Springs, CA

April 2023

I made reservations for dinner near the top of a mountain buried in six feet of snow. For those not familiar with the Palm Springs region, San Jacinto Peak rises to almost 11,000ft. above sea level and over 8,000ft from the surrounding desert, making it the sixth most prominent peak in the lower forty-eight states. While you can reach the lofty summit by trail, I decided to take the easy path and booked a ride on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.

The tram takes riders from the valley to near the top in just 12 1/2 minutes. The station was completely accessible with an elevator to bypass the entrance stairs and the tram attendant had Kellisa board first which always makes it easier for everyone involved. The tram is 1 of only 3 in the world that rotates while ascending and descending the cables giving riders 360-degree views. Kellisa's favorite parts were when the tram passed over the support towers because the tram rocked and bounced more than usual. Everyone enjoyed her infectious giggles.

Once on top, we enjoyed the vast views, and Kellisa loved throwing snowballs at me. It didn't take long to get a little chilled and we went inside the mountain station. Kellisa warmed by the fire while I got our dinner. Our meal was hearty, and the atmosphere of the Pines Café was second to none. 

Before catching the second to last tram down for the night, we took one more look at the now fully lit valley far below. The tram attendant filled our ride back down the mountain with classic rock songs blasting from the speakers. Kellisa and most of the riders enjoyed singing "Sweet Home Alabama" in the darkness. 

Gondolas, Lifts, & Trams

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Bajada Trail

 Joshua Tree National Park

April 2023

Our third trail in the southern section of Joshua Tree National Park was the Bajada Trail. 

We found the natural surface trail to be fully accessible just as the park's website claimed. The trail was wide and barrier free with minimal slope. This is the type of trail we love, especially when Kellisa is touring in her wheelchair instead of her specialized trail chairs. If we had one complaint, it would be that the loop trail was only a 1/3 of a mile long. We did spend 20 minutes on the trail as we stopped at bench for a few minutes, read the interpretive signs, and took many pictures as we took in our beautiful desert surroundings.

This is an example of a perfect ADA accessible natural surface trail...we just wish it was longer! 

TRAILS

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Cholla Cactus Garden Nature Trail

Joshua Tree National Park

April 2023

The Cholla Cactus Garden Nature Trail is not considered "Accessible" but we decided to check it out anyway even though we only had Kellisa's travel wheelchair with us. We left her off-road specialty chairs at home for this trip. We were filled with immediate optimism when we saw a couple disabled parking spots near the start of the trail. We knew we would at least try this trail when we saw the beginning section was wide and despite being natural, the surface appeared to be solid. 

After unloading Kellisa and her chair, we read the trail signs, including a warning not to touch to Cholla Cactus due to stinging barbs that can easily detach and embed in your skin. We had no reason to doubt the park's signs describing the removal of these barbs as extremely painful. 

The trail is a short 1/4 mile loop and we weren't sure if it would be accessible the entire route, but we were eager to find out. The trail passed through 10 acres of Cholla Cactus and they were quite close to the trail, but it was always easy to avoid touching them. The trail had a couple of short boardwalks over what I assume to be occasional washes. These were easily navigated with Kellisa's chair because they had very minor height differences from the trail.

We traveled in a counterclockwise direction around the loop and found the only real obstacle for a wheelchair towards the end when there were a few decent sized rocks scattered along the path. It looked like these rocks were kicked or placed on the trail, maybe by children? They definitely looked out of place. There weren't many and they could easily be kicked to the side of the trail. Since I could wheel Kellisa around these rocks without disturbing them, I decided to leave them how we found them since I couldn't be absolutely sure they didn't belong in the middle of the trail.

With the exception of the above mentioned rocks, we found the trail accessible. I'm not sure what is keeping the trail from being designated as accessible, but we would love to see the minor improvements take place so more disabled visitors could enjoy this beautiful trail through one of the few Cholla Cactus gardens in Joshua Tree National Park. 

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Cottonwood Visitor Center Trail

 Joshua Tree National Park

April 2023

Kellisa and I enjoyed the wildflowers on display along the main park road on our way to the Cottonwood Visitor Center in the southern section of the Joshua Tree National Park. We needed to fill up on water, which included buying a new water bottle because I forgot mine in the hotel room. We were directed to the water fountain which doubles as the sinks in the bathrooms. Very weird and I question the water quality, but it was our only option and since it's been two months, I'm confident we didn't get any stomach ailments. We also enjoyed looking around the small gift store and collecting our Passport Stamp.

We found a small, unnamed trail starting between the visitor center and bathroom building. The surface was heavily compacted gravel that we found sturdy enough to for Kellisa's wheels. The trail had small descriptions of some of the local flora. The total length was just over .1 of a mile, so you were in constant sight of the visitor center and sound of the main park road. Not exactly peaceful or quiet, but it was a nice introduction to the park. 

Longer trails were calling our names.  

TRAILS

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