Palm Springs Airport is 111 miles East of Orange County just below the San Gorgonio Pass on the North edge of the San Jacinto Mountains. The Pass is 8500 feet above the runway, which forces planes to climb at a faster pace on departure from the valley floor where Palm Springs is nestled.
Palm Springs Airport is served by 10 major airlines, more than 30 commuter companies and two cargo carriers. The Airport is conveniently located right in this resort city that is a popular vacation spot of the stars. Two major bus lines serve the terminal, and there is even a shuttle service to LAX. Anyone wishing to travel by train can take the bus to the nearest Amtrak station. Sunline offers area tours and sightseeing excursions. Anyone wanting to travel to Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree or Twentynine Palms is serviced by a Morongo Basin transportation company.
Palms Springs offers another unusual means of air transportation. It is the Tramway, a series of cable cars which carry passengers up the side of the mountain to San Jacinto State Park. It is refreshing to take this ride in the summer, as it can be 136 degrees on the desert floor, but a refreshing 60 degrees when one reaches the 8500 foot summit.
The winter weather in Palm Springs made it an early favorite for the Hollywood crowd. Winter daytime temperatures are in the 70’s and nights are usually jacket weather. Even though the area only averages 6 inches of annual rainfall, the vegetation and scenery here is spectacular. One of the prettiest nature displays is Matthew Place with flowering shrubs and magnificent date palm trees.
The area offers over 130 hotels and resort spas. Many tourists come here to play golf. In fact, from Palm Springs Airport, you’re within a short Par 2 from Tahquitz Creek Golf Resort. Golf Digest touts this course to be one of the best places to play in the country. The Bob Hope Chrysler Classic tournament was started here 50 years ago. It has been played at Bermuda Dunes golf course for 49 of those years, and the 2010 Classic will be played here again in January. The Kraft Nabisco golf tournament is also held each year here in the Coachella Valley. The Dinah Shore Tournament on the ladies’ tour also comes to the desert each year.
Since Sony Bono started the event 21-years-ago, when he was Mayor of Palm Springs, the City has been host to the Palm Springs International Film Festival. From January 7th to the 18th, the Festival will feature 200 films from 60 countries. The event is a black tie awards show held at the Palms Springs Convention Center and presents most of the films to be honored in the Academy Awards.
Since gasoline hit $4.00 per gallon a year ago, there have been numerous discussions on U.S. energy independence from foreign interests and green energy. One of the largest green energy production farms in the world is located within a short taxi ride from the Airport at Desert Hot Springs. Here, wind turbine farms are producing masses of wind energy. It is a spectacular site, and was started years before the energy hoopla.