If you PLAN AHEAD this is amazing. Leaving this review to pay it forward as other reviews helped me a ton! I took four girls ages 9-11 and since we didn’t book ahead, it was either a 4pm slot two days from now or take our chances walking up. I read previous reviews about the latter experiences and decided to chance it with an early Wednesday visit. We got to the parking gate at 9:10 (no line), and got a spot in the very top lot. Short walk to the ticket station inside, waited in that line 20 minutes, and got tickets for the first tram, at 10am. We walked around for a bit so we got to the loading zone too late to get a window spot, so the ride up was just okay. Walking out at the mountaintop into a pine forest was like another world, though! Views everywhere, too. We only did the short loop (0.75 miles), because the girls just had so much fun exploring and climbing. After a decent bite to eat, we got to the front of the boarding area for the ride down, which…. was…. SPECTACULAR. The music, the singing, the views, the swaying over the 5 columns, all of it even contributed to a tram car camaraderie that was totally unexpected. One of the girls said it was her favorite thing she’s ever done (OK she says that at some point on almost every trip, but still!) I feel bad for another recent reviewer who clearly had a miserable experience without reservations but this isn’t any different than any other activity/venue that heavily suggests making sure to buy tickets in advance! Hoping this review will give others tips on how to plan ahead and have a great day without advance tickets! Oh and YES it’s expensive but come on. You’re riding a dream that was privately financed and a colossal achievement in design and engineering. Tallest example in the entire world. Don’t want to pay for the privilege? Feel free to hike up!