Palm Springs

Palm Springs, California, is a desert city in Riverside County with 43,893 people on 1 January 2026, by the state Department of Finance's count. The things to do in Palm Springs sit close together: an aerial tramway that climbs to 8,516 feet, two canyons owned by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, and an art museum.

Heat sets the calendar, because the airport averages 115.0 days a year at or above 100°F. We read the figures below on 3 November 2026 on the pages of the Tramway, California State Parks, the Band, the museum, the airport, SunLine and the city. NOAA, the state tax office and the National Park Service gave the rest.

We could not read the train's days, SunLine's routes to each sight or the tourism assessment on larger hotels, so this page gives none of them.

Which things to do in Palm Springs fit into three days?

Three days cover the main things to do in Palm Springs: one for the tram, one for the canyons and one for the museum. A fourth can go to Joshua Tree National Park. The distances below are from our own routing, measured from Palm Canyon Drive at Tahquitz Canyon Way, and the endpoints are approximate.

Order the days around the cut-offs. The last hiker goes onto the Tahquitz Canyon trail at 3:30 p.m. and the last car enters the Indian Canyons at 4 p.m., so both suit a morning. The tram keeps running into the evening, which leaves it for the end of a hot day.

Thursday belongs in town. The museum is free from 5 to 8 p.m. SunLine's detour notice also has Palm Canyon closed between Amado and Baristo for VillageFest, from 4:30 to 11 p.m.

Downtown is the closest base to all of this, with Tahquitz Canyon about a mile away and the airport about five.

What does the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway cost, and when does it shut?

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway costs $36.95 for an adult, including a $2 online fee, and it usually shuts from September into October. The ride takes about ten minutes each way and climbs about 6,000 feet to the Mountain Station, at 8,516 feet.

Ride 'n' Dine covers the round-trip fare and a meal at the Pines Café. Anyone under 16 needs an adult aged 21 or older. When tickets sell out online, the booth still sells them on the day. Parking at the Valley Station costs $15, in cash with no bill over $20 or by card.

The first tram up leaves at 10 a.m. from Monday to Friday and at 8 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, in the winter hours that run to 27 May 2027. The last tram goes up at 8 p.m. and the last comes down at 9:30 p.m. Summer hours from 28 May to 6 September 2027 add an hour on Fridays and Saturdays, with the last trams at 9 p.m. up and 10:30 p.m. down.

The yearly closures show when to be careful. In 2026 the Tramway shut from Tuesday 8 September to Sunday 4 October, and in 2025 from Monday 8 September to Sunday 12 October. We found no later dates, and the notices come out shortly before, so check its site before an autumn trip.

When do you need a wilderness permit above the Mountain Station?

A wilderness permit is needed above the Mountain Station only if you hike past the Long Valley ranger station. The day-use permit is free and available 24 hours. Fill it in on the ranger station's porch, or ask inside if none is out. One person may fill it in for a group of up to 15.

Mount San Jacinto State Park has over 50 miles of trails, by its own description, and its peak reaches 10,834 feet. A backcountry camping permit costs $5 per person, same-day only at Long Valley, by cash or check. Anyone under 18 needs a parent or signed consent, and only service animals are allowed.

On 3 November 2026 the park's page said it was under fire restrictions, citing a notice dated 17 June 2026. The Tramway says snow typically falls at the top from November to April, and State Parks highly recommends microspikes or crampons in winter.

What do the Agua Caliente Band's two canyons charge, and when do they close?

The Indian Canyons and Tahquitz Canyon belong to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, and each charges its own admission. The Band's two sites place both on its reservation and print no update date.

A banner on the Indian Canyons' home page read "Indian Canyons Will Be Closed Nov. 15- Nov . 22." on 3 November 2026, and it prints no year. Read this month, the banner can only mean 15 to 22 November 2026, but the site does not say so. Check on 760-323-6018 before you go. The same banner says Tahquitz Canyon keeps its regular hours.

Ranger-led hikes at Tahquitz Canyon take 2.5 hours and come free with admission. They leave at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. from October to June, and at 8 a.m. only from July to September. The Band's site describes a 60-foot waterfall in the canyon, and nobody may start the trail without water.

The Indian Canyons run ranger-led hikes from Friday to Sunday between October and June, and none from July to September. No animals are allowed there. Visitors under 18 may not enter either canyon alone.

Which days is Palm Springs Art Museum closed, and when is it free?

Palm Springs Art Museum is closed on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and free on Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m. The museum, at 101 Museum Drive, opens on Thursday from noon to 8 p.m. and from Friday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Adults pay $25, seniors aged 62 or over $23, and students and teachers $17. Children under 18 and active-duty military with their families enter free. The museum has been cashless since 15 October 2026, so bring a card.

General admission also covers the museum's Architecture and Design Center at 300 S Palm Canyon Drive, which keeps the same hours. Frey House II was listed as temporarily closed to regular visiting on 3 November 2026, with access through the museum's tour operator, The Modern Tour.

When do Modernism Week's two 2027 editions fall?

Modernism Week's main festival runs from 11 to 21 February 2027, and its smaller edition from 14 to 17 October 2027. Tickets for February went on sale on 1 November 2026, and those for October go on sale on 1 August 2027. The festival's architecture tours run from 15 October 2026 to 29 May 2027.

The Coachella festival gives its 2027 dates as 9 to 11 and 16 to 18 April, but only in its home page's metadata. The visible text still showed the 2026 festival on 3 November 2026, so confirm the dates first.

Can you fly to Palm Springs International Airport from overseas?

Palm Springs International Airport lists nonstop flights only within the US and Canada, so a visitor from overseas connects or drives. Eight airlines serve it: Air Canada, Alaska, American, Delta, Southwest, Sun Country, United and WestJet. The Canadian routes go to Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg, and several routes are seasonal. United's nonstop from Los Angeles runs all year.

The airport is about 5 miles from downtown on our own routing. Uber and Lyft pick up at the south end of the terminal. Taxis may offer a $25 flat fare on eligible trips, so confirm it with the driver. SunLine's stops are a short walk away, at El Cielo and Kirk Douglas Way and at Tahquitz Canyon Way and Civic Drive.

How do you get around on SunLine buses without a car?

Getting around Palm Springs without a car means SunLine's buses, its SunRide on-demand service or a ride-hailing app. A single adult SunBus fare costs $1.00 and a day pass $3.00, with transfers included.

SunRide costs $3 and is booked in an app or on 760-539-9705. Its Palm Springs zone runs only from Monday to Friday, from 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., so it does not help at weekends.

Amtrak's Palm Springs station is an unstaffed shelter with no ticket office, waiting room or restrooms. The Sunset Limited calls there three days a week, between New Orleans and Los Angeles, and we could not read which days. The shelter is about 5.4 miles from downtown on our own routing.

Two other services leave from the north end of the airport terminal. An Amtrak Thruway bus runs to Fullerton, connecting to Pacific Surfliner trains. Basin Transit runs to Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms, though we could not read its fares or times.

A car makes the tram, the canyons and Joshua Tree simpler to combine. Our guide to renting a car in the USA covers the paperwork.

How much do the 11.5% room tax and 9.25% sales tax add?

Palm Springs charges an 11.5% city room tax at most hotels, 13.5% at group meeting hotels, and 9.25% sales tax on goods. The city's page says those room rates have applied since 1 January 2002. The municipal code, read on a third-party host, sets a group meeting hotel at 125 rooms or more, with meeting space and group-sales staff.

A separate 1% tourism assessment on room revenue applies to hotels of 49 rooms or fewer, and we could not read the rate for larger hotels. No page we read settles how the room charges and sales tax combine, so we print no total for a room.

Sales tax changes across the valley. The state's rates from 1 October 2026 put Palm Desert, Indio and La Quinta at 8.75%, and Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells at 7.75%. Our guide to sales tax in the USA explains how it appears on a bill.

How many days reach 100°F on the valley floor, and how much cooler is the tram?

Palm Springs Regional Airport averages 115.0 days a year at or above 100°F and 176.6 days at or above 90°F, on NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals. July averages 31.0 days at or above 90°F, and August 30.9, so nearly every summer day qualifies.

The Mountain Station is typically 30 to 40 degrees cooler than the desert floor, by the Tramway's own statement. NOAA publishes no normals for the station itself.

From November to March the airport averages fewer than five days a month at or above 90°F, so those are the easier months for the canyon trails. Rain is scarce, at 4.61 inches a year. The city's heat guide says to plan outdoor activities for the coolest times of the day.

How far is Palm Springs from Joshua Tree, Los Angeles and San Diego?

Palm Springs is about 34 miles from the Joshua Tree Visitor Center, about 107 miles from Los Angeles and about 124 miles from San Diego. Only the Los Angeles mileage is the city's own figure. The rest, and every drive time, come from our own routing, which assumes free-flowing traffic.

Joshua Tree National Park charges $30 a vehicle for seven days, and it is not on the 2026 list of parks with the $100 non-resident surcharge. Our guide to national park fees for international visitors explains that list. On 3 November 2026 the park's alerts showed Geology Tour Road closed after flooding. One field gave an end date of 30 November and another 26 October.

Salton Sea State Recreation Area charges $7 a vehicle for day use. State Parks lists its Mecca Beach and Bombay Beach campgrounds as closed.

Palm Springs keeps Pacific Time. Clocks went back on 1 November 2026 and go forward on 14 March 2027. Arizona does not change its clocks, so until then it is an hour ahead.