News Release

Joshua Tree National Park Proves Popular Holiday Destination

Date: December 28, 2017
Contact: George Land, 760-367-5507

Thousands of visitors have descended on Joshua Tree National Park this holiday season breaking daily visitation records. Park officials are asking visitors to plan ahead, consider arriving earlier and to carpool to alleviate entry backups and parking shortages.

Tips for holiday travelers

• Meet friends and family outside the park and carpool in one vehicle. This saves time and money, since park entry fees cover everyone in the vehicle.
• Get an early start. Plan to arrive at the park before 8 a.m. to avoid congestion in the middle of the day.
• Use an alternative entrance. GPS devices will often direct visitors to the park’s west entrance. The park has three entrances that include the north entrance in Twentynine Palms and the Cottonwood entrance off of Interstate 10.
• Have a backup plan. Consider visiting public lands surrounding Joshua Tree National Park, including those operated by the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and the state. For a national park experience, Death Valley National Park and Mojave National Preserve are just as beautiful.
• All campgrounds within the park are currently full. There are a number of private campgrounds located outside of the park and the Bureau of Land Management offers free dispersed camping to the north and south.
• As always, when visiting the desert make sure you have plenty of drinking water. Do not rely on GPS while navigating in the park, as some devices will direct travelers to unpaved 4x4 only routes.

For those visiting, it is recommended that you come early in the day and consider mid-week when possible. Campers are encouraged to consider reserving a private site out of the park or even camp on surrounding BLM lands.