Saturday afternoon around 2, I took the tram to San Jacinto Peak. Strongly recommend buying tickets in advance — if not, you risk being turned away at the bottom of the peak. Especially in the 10-2 window, I think, they’re likely to be too full, at least this time of year. And even if you can buy a ticket day-of, you may have a long wait (an hour or more) before boarding.
I was lucky, and only had thirty minutes to wait, and credit to their planning — there’s a nice outdoor patio and a cafe, which even serves cocktails, at the bottom of the tram.
Photo of me mostly because the 20-something tram ticket taker bounded over to tell me that she LOVED my hair and mask combo — “they match!” Yes, that was the idea. 
