When you enter Mount San Jacinto State Park, you come into the heart of the wilderness, high in the San Jacinto Mountains. This 14,000-acre park can be reached by the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. 
From the desert valley floor below, you ride ten minutes to Mountain Station @ elevation 8,516 feet! We went from over 110 to 70 degrees! The perfect place to hike the round valley loop in the summer. 
Mount San Jacinto State Park Link: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=636 
The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Link : https://www.pstramway.com