Coachella Valley Riding

[Eric Norris]

David:

I've done some riding in the Coachella Valley when I stayed in Palm Springs for work. My favorite ride was to climb to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway and then ride the tram to the top. The climb from the highway to the tram station is challenging--it's a steady grind that climbs some 1,500 feet as I recall.

At the tram station, get the "Ride and Dine" pass ($36, and available at http://pstramway.com/tickets.html), which gets you a round trip ticket to the top and a meal in the cafeteria in the station on the mountain.

If you time your ride correctly, you can be at the top as the sun is setting and the lights are coming on in the valley below. It's quite beautiful (but be prepared for cold at the top).

Once you get back down on the tram, you can coast almost all the way back to Palm Springs or Palm Desert.

--Eric N
Sent from my iPad2 

[numbnuts]

Hey Eric,

That is a ride I have contemplated many times. Another is to find a way (offroad, of course) from the top to the bottom. And you are right, the view is spectacular. I found a bunch of other (offroad) rides down that way, but none that were particularly inspiring.

Thanks for putting that back on my radar.

All the best,

Chris

Redding, Ca.

[David Yu Greenblatt]

That sounds great, Eric, thanks.

David G, Madison WI

[David Yu Greenblatt]

Thanks for the tip, Jim.
We will bring our Wisconsin garments with us.

David G, Madison WI

On Wed, Dec 14, 2011 at 11:22 PM, Jim Mather <math...@gmail.com> wrote:

Just so you know, Joshua Tree is high desert, and it can be covered in snow in January. Average temps in January are hi 60 / low 30, but it can be much colder. If you do the Palm Springs tram up the mountain, be aware that it will be snowy at the top, it's 8500' up a 10,000' mountain. You can x-c ski or snowshoe from the tram stop. The town of Idylwild is a quaint stop; it's a good ride from the valley in the summer but not really possible in the winter.

jim m
wc ca

On Wed, Dec 14, 2011 at 3:54 PM, David Yu Greenblatt <david.yu....@gmail.com> wrote:

I am also going to California for the first week of January, to Palm Desert, and plan to either bring a bike or rent one there. Have any of you cycled in the Coachella Valley? I'd appreciate any recommendations for biking routes or other things to do. I will be there with family including 4 and 7 year old children. I do plan to make a trip to Joshua Tree National Park.

Thanks,

David G, Madison WI

[dougP]

When planning a ride up the tramway, take a look at the times of
moonrise / moonset also. We had the good fortune to come down the
tram a couple of hours after moonrise, on a full moon. During the
winter, the air is cold & clear and the moon can light up the valley
in spectacular fashion.

dougP

On Dec 15, 8:19 am, David Yu Greenblatt

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