As spring break inches closer and closer, it is important to take advantage of the beautiful weather that can only be fully appreciated around this time of year which includes snow. One of the best places to enjoy this chilly treat is to take the Palms Springs Arial Tram up to the scenic Cliffs of Chino Canyon.

At the bottom of the hill are, gift shops, the tram ascending station, a café, and lower mountain trails where if you don’t want to go all the way to the top, will lead you into the mountain.

As the world’s largest rotary tramcar, this vessel will transport you to an elevation of 8,516, where you can enjoy world class dining, an atmospheric lounge, a quaint museum and gift shop, and 65,000 acres of pristine nature. I visited this national monument on the Feb. 6, and had a really great experience there.

This is a great place for those who have never experienced the snow before. The weather has switched from cold to hot in the last couple of weeks but the snow is perfect and light enough so that it’s easy to navigate. It can still be formed and made dense. It was not even as cold as we thought it was going to be. In fact half way through our excursion we removed about a layer of clothing.

The first thing my group did when we arrived was have a half an hour long snowball fight. Then after resting and a quick snack break, we built a snow man and tried our best not quote the movie “Frozen.” Then once our masterpiece was completed the we took on the mountain trails and traversed the beautiful terrain. Although there were signs warning about local animals such as bears and bobcats, at most all we saw were some birds and maybe a squirrel or two.

After enjoying the mountains for about four hours, we relaxed in the main lodge building and explored the museum and theatre, which plays programs informing people about the mountains history.

We then had nice hot drinks in the café area and discussed the rest of our plans for the day. After a heated debate, and going through about a dozen coffees and hot chocolates, we decided to explore the main building and site see and then from there go home.

I am really glad we explored the building terraces because the view was simply breathtaking. After taking the obligatory group pictures, we took the tram down the mountain side and discussed the great experience we just went through. Then we ate at the café at the bottom of the hill and took a quick detour by exploring the easier hiking trails that surround the bottom of the mountain.

Before this trip I hadn’t been to the snowy areas in about 12 years and this experience has made me regret all of them. Make Sure that the next time you have a break in your schedule, or a day off, that you make the choice to be happy, by visiting Palms Springs and it’s amazing mountain.

To have an experience like mine be sure to visit the scenic Cliffs of Chino Canyon on your next day off with some friends or family.