113. California - Palm Springs - Mount San Jacinto State Park - Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

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Calarogus Shark Media. Today, we're
headed to the desert oasis of Palm Springs

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for a day trip that's sure to
leave you feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and

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ready to take on the world.
And the best part, it's just a

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short drive from the hustle and bustle
of Los Angeles. I'm Journey Joe Mitchell,

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and travel is back. Our journey
begins bright and early as we hit

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the road and head east on Interstate
ten. As we leave the sprawling metropolis

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behind, the landscape begins to change, transforming from the urban jungle to the

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rugged, rocky terrain of the San
Jacinto Mountains. After about an hour and

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a half of driving, we'll arrive
in the heart of Palm Springs, or

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about an hour if you were on
our last trip to Joshua Tree National Park.

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And let me tell you, this
city is like nowhere else on Earth.

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Place where mid century modern architecture meets
stunning natural beauty, where palm trees

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sway in the warm desert breeze,
and where relaxation is the name of the

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game. Our first stop of the
day is the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway,

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a must see attraction that will take
us from the desert floor to the top

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of the San Jacinto Mountains in just
a matter of minutes. As we soar

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over the cliffs and canyons, we'll
be treated to breathtaking views of the Coachella

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Valley below. Johnny Mack was there
and brought along his portable recorder. Only

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rot here in the Western Hemisphere.
It's only twenty four years old. Cool

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here, it is breathtaking, it's
got a little chili and there's actually been

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a few little snow flurries in the
last couple hours, kind of a lot.

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So anyways, it's a little chilly
up there. But we're gonna be

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going up over five towers, and
every tower has a little bit of this

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to it, so I you have
the men that you just hold on something

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for your balance. We're gonna go
over each tower. What we're gonna do

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different it is normally this tram has
sixty five people in it. You rotate

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the floor so everyone can get a
view. I am not gonna rotate the

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floor. I would rather just let
you walk around and see what you want

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to see when you want to see
it. On the way down, still

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rotate the floor, but the tram
will be passed, so you won't get

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such the great So please walk around, get your views in all of that,

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and I'm just gonna play some music
on the way up and they have

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a great time, is it.
Don't look up or don't look down.

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Look at the speed of that cloud. Oh go ahead, last tower,

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tower five. So we're coming up
to that mountain station. Like I said,

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elevation eight thousand, father, last
tram down nine to thirty. So

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you see me, want to hold
on. We made up those sides just

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as little as we're coming into.
So our top level upstairs has our flying

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dining restaurant, cafe, coptail lounge, observation decks, bottom level the doors

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that take you out to that beautiful
state work and all that snows and our

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natural The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is
a fascinating feet of engineering and I must

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see attraction for anyone visiting the area. Let me give you a closer look

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at what makes this tramway so special. Opened in nineteen sixty three, the

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Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is the largest
rotating aerial tramway in the world. It

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stretches from the desert of the Coachella
Valley to the top of the Sanjacino Mountains,

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covering a distance of two point five
miles and climbing over six thousand feet

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in elevation. The journey begins at
the Valley Station, located at the base

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of the mountains. Here you'll board
one of the tramways, two eighty passenger

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cars, each of which is equipped
with a unique rotating floor that ensures passengers

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always have a stunning view of the
desert landscape below. As the tramway begins

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its ascent, you'll be treated to
breath taking views of the Coachella Valley,

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including the city of Palm Springs and
the surrounding desert. On a clear day,

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you can even see as far as
the salt and Sea and the peaks

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of the San Bernardino Mountains in the
distance. The ride to the top of

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the mountain takes about ten minutes,
and along the way you'll pass through several

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distinct ecological zones. You'll start in
the Sonoran Desert, known for its iconic

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saguaro cactus and hardy desert plants,
before climbing into the alpine wilderness of the

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San Jacinto Mountains. Once you reach
the top, you'll arrive at the Mountain

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Station, located at an elevation of
eighty five hundred and sixteen feet. Here

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you'll find a variety of activities and
amenities to enjoy, including two restaurants,

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a gift shop, and an observation
deck with panoramic views of the desert below.

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But the real highlight of the Mountain
Station is the Mount San Jacinto State

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Park, a pristine wilderness area that
offers over fifty miles of hiking trails,

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campgrounds, and other outdoor activities.
In the winter, the park is even

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home to a small ski resort where
you can hit the slopes and enjoy some

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fresh powder. One of the most
popular hikes in the park is the Desert

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View Trail, a one point five
mile loop that offers stunning views of the

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Coachella Valley and the surrounding mountains.
Along the way, you'll pass through a

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variety of landscapes, from rocky cliffs
to lush pine forests, and you may

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even spot some of the park's resident
wildlife, including mule deer and bighorn sheep.

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The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is open
year round, and it's a popular

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attraction for both locals and tourists alike. In the summer, it offers a

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welcome escape from the heat of the
desert, with temperatures at the top of

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the mountain often forty degrees cooler than
the valley below or on the trail.

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If you can even hear me above
this one, it is gusting, snowing.

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It is glorious. This is Sana
sinto trail kind of terrain. It's

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foresty trees. I'll call it again. Not from New York City. I

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don't know anything. It's gonna be
rough going up, sweatshired, priceless.

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The Ranger Station point seventy five Nature
Trail Loop A little less windy down here.

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I love that there's snow. So
we are walking around a trail zero

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point seventy five miles or a snow
runoff. Meet Jeff. What's Jeff?

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It's at Jeffrey Pine And they want
us to smell the trail, smell the

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tree. I smell nothing. It's
like thing banilla. That smelled like Okay,

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desert few trail. Why is no
one else back here? Well,

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I feel like the trail is covered
by snow. We don't want to walk

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on snow, but let's see one
way to find out. Well, which

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one of you has the whistle?
I didn't expect to walk on ice today.

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This is awesome. That was bad. It is pretty with the water.

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They do it great, that'd be
great, much appreciated, Thank you,

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sir. Yeah, that's so cool. That's funny. That's funny.

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But I'm glad we have a picture
of that guy. That's great. That's

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hilarious. The man took a selfie. Wait is this tree leaning against the

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other tree? Oh wow? Oh
wow, it's like it's hooking it.

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It's pretty amazing. How you see
the river start right, because we saw

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the beginning of it. It was
just a snowpack running off in a little

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trick hole and it obviously always comes
here with the bridge. Yeah, that's

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pretty neat to see the start of
one. It's a really great There is

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a favor mat of snow on the
ground. It it's cover point tepped on

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the trail itself, particularly packed frozen
two inches an inch pine cone on a

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pine and tree. I've never actually
seen that. Did I bring a sled?

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Where'd the sled come from? Oh? I got a sled. We

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have discovered the sleds got a sled
artist. Part's gonna be getting on,

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it's gonna take off. What you
gotta do it here? Oh my hands

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are so cold from that crash.
A new uh, crashing in some wood

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that's what I did. Yeah,
yeah, ready, we're right, you're

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not gonna crash. No way,
you're fine. Watch out for the sled

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h one more person that was cold, bring me that in California, random

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day. I agree, that's awesome. They leave sleds. Yeah, this

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trail, oh yeah, we lost
the trail. All right, it's a

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blow your whistle and jump up and
down stairs we are, Well, there's

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something there. Yeah, I've left
the sleds here A nice drap that was

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nice and silly fun. Yeah,
I see an arrow. You probably don't

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want to be up here when the
sun sets. Yeah, well maybe in

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the restaurant back here not so much
nod and all all kinds of dark.

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But like it's daylight now and I
don't even know where to go. Here's

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a wooden bridge. Yeah, they
probably have something we can hang out for

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this that cafe thing not the restaurant
is like a cafe. Yeah, yeah,

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this is what this is. Yeah, the dashboard on the recorder,

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I'm using and the screen is actually
getting kind of roze and it's not that

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cold, but I see the numbers
getting a little like, h, do

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you really want us to display a
little challenging to follow the trail because it's

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ice covered and by ice again,
I mean thickly packs now, not like

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slippery kind of ice. Today is
April nineteen, so i'll give you a

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sense of you know, how late
ish we are into the season that it's

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still this cult piece of the sleds
souvenir. It's amazing, right because we

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can't even see where we're supposed to
be going. Oh, here's a bridge,

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bridge implies trail tree is cute.
This is a different bridge. Yeah,

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it has to be, because we
wouldn't have come across the sleds this

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way. Yeah. Yeah, the
paths right here. I think the other

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side of this sign will tell us
that there are two trails and the paved

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path should be right here. Yeah, now, I love all the warning,

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straight lads, I did not collect
any pine cones. I did not

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collect any Yeah, isn't that wonderful? Random? You guys? Ready,

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what comes down must go up before
we take the tram back down. Let

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me tell you more about the stunning
natural wonder that is Mount San Jacinto State

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Park. Spanning over fourteen thousand acres
of pristine wilderness, Mount San Jacinto State

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Park is a true gem of the
California State park system. The park is

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named after its centerpiece, Mount San
Jacinto, which rises to an impressive elevation

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of ten thousand, eight hundred thirty
four feet, making it the second highest

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peak in southern California. One of
the most popular hikes in the park is

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the Round Valley Loop, a moderate
four point five mile trail that takes you

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through a variety of landscapes, from
dense forests to open meadows. Along the

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way, you'll be treated to stunning
views of the surrounding mountains and valleys,

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and you may even spot some of
the park's resident wildlife, including mule deer

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and black bears. For those looking
for a more challenging hike, the San

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Jacinto Peak Trail is a strenuous eleven
mile round trip that takes you to the

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summit of Mount San Jacinto. The
trail climbs over four thousand, five hundred

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feet in elevation, but the views
from the top are well worth the effort.

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On a clear day, you can
see as far as the Pacific Ocean

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and the Arizona Border. But hiking
isn't the only activity to enjoy in Mount

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San Jacinto State Park. The park
is also home to several campground including the

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Idle Wild Campground and the Stone Creek
Campground, which offer a peaceful and scenic

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place to spend the night under the
stars. In the winter, the park

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is transformed into a snowy wonderland with
opportunities for cross country skiing, snowshoeing,

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and even sledding. The Palm Springs
Aerial Tramway operates year round, so you

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can access the park's winter activities even
if you don't have your own gear.

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No matter what time of year you
visit, Mount San Jacindo State Park is

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a true natural wonder that offers endless
opportunities for outdoor adventure and exploration. Whether

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you're a seasoned hiker or simply looking
for a peaceful place to unwind and take

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in the beauty of the California wilderness, this park has something to offer everyone,

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so if you find yourself in the
Palm Springs area, be sure to

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make time for a visit to Mount
San Jacino State Park. Trust me you

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won't regret it. The fresh mountain
air, stunning scenery, and endless opportunities

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for adventure will leave you feeling rejuvenated
and inspired, and you'll come away with

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memories that will last a lifetime.
Next episode, we'll take the tram back

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down and see what else Palm Springs
has to offer. I'm journey Joe Mitchell,

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and Travel is Back. If you'd
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