• Sunrise at the Cholla Cactus Garden

    Joshua Tree

    National Park California

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  • Pinto Basin Road Renovation

    Pinto Basin Road is being renovated. On weekdays you may encounter travel delays of up to 30 minutes. Cholla Cactus Garden is closed on weekdays. Cottonwood Visitor Center hours are 9 to 4 on weekdays, 8 to 4 weekends. More »

  • Rattlesnake Canyon Will Remain Closed Through May

    To provide additional time to mitigate the vandalism, Rattlesnake Canyon will remain completely closed to the public for another 30 days. More »

Park Regulations Updated

Joshua Tree National Park has revised the Superintendent's Compendium, a list of park-specific regulations National Park Service superintendents are authorized to issue under the Code of Federal Regulations (36CFR sec.1.5).

The Compendium codifies park regulations "necessary for the maintenance of public health and safety, protection of environmental or scenic values, protection of natural or cultural resources, aid to scientific research, implementation of management responsibilities, equitable allocation and use of facilities, or the avoidance of conflict among visitor use activities."

The 2012 Joshua Tree National Park Superintendent's Compendium includes the following revisions:

  • Closes five new and one expanded climbing/bouldering routes to protect sensitive cultural resources.
  • Adds to the justification prohibiting public entry to mine adits and shafts to reflect negative impacts associated with white-nosed syndrome on bat populations.
  • Modifies the weapons possession section to conform to the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009.
  • Authorizes caching or storage of food supplies by backcountry and wilderness hikers for up to 14 days if properly tagged without being considered abandoned property.

A PDF file of the Superintendent's Compendium can be downloaded here. The 2012 revisions are adopted with the issuance of this press release. Warnings will be issued for the first 30 days.

Questions about the Compendium and the current revisions should be directed to Acting Chief Ranger Jeff Ohlfs at 760-367-5548.

Did You Know?

Desert Queen Ranch branding iron

In the high desert country that was to become Joshua Tree National Park, rugged individuals tried their luck at cattle ranching, mining, and homesteading. William Keys and his family are particularly representative of the hard work and ingenuity it took to settle and prosper in the Mojave Desert. More...