Infrastructure Changes Underway: West Entrance Station Relocation and ExpansionContractors began work at the new West Entrance location on January 29, 2025. Construction is ongoing and current progress includes the construction of four fee booths, one administrative office building, and a shade structure that will support a solar power system. Once operational, the entire West Entrance will be fully solar powered and should significantly reduce traffic congestion and visitor wait times. From August 25th through 29th, West Entrance will be temporarily closed to allow for final paving; check the park website and NPS App for more information. The project is expected to be complete in January of 2026. Stay tuned for plans to celebrate! Important LinksVisitors can access construction updates on the park's webpage for West Entrance Construction. Park rangers encourage visitors to recreate responsibly in their vehicles by observing posted speed limits and driving only on designated roads. Visitors can prepare for their visit by:
NPS / Carmen Aurrecoechea Cottonwood Visitor CenterOver the last few years, Joshua Tree NP has been actively working on designs for a new Cottonwood Visitor Center. The design plans are now complete and construction is planned for 2028. 
NPS / Ka'eo Luke Gateway Community EngagementPark Superintendent Jane Rodgers continues her commitment to community engagement thanks in large part to decades of relationship building between the park and local agencies and governments. Since 1936, park superintendents have sat down for coffee with local first responders, marched in parades, hosted open house meetings, spoken on local radio programs, and attended city council meetings. Engagement is absolutely critical to the successful management of the park—hearing all the voices, listening to stakeholders, and sharing park happenings and priorities. Stay tuned for new ways to engage. It’s awesome to be neighbors with so many who care! 
NPS Photo Meeting for Joshua Tree NP InholdersDo you own property within the boundaries of Joshua Tree NP? We invite you to join us for a discussion on fire safety, communication, and any other topics of interest. An in-person meeting is tentatively scheduled to be held in the local Joshua Tree area at 6:00 pm on November 3, 2025. The park will reach out with additional information leading up to the meeting. Please email Kendall Neisess at e-mail us to ensure we have up-to-date contact information for you. A virtual attendance option will also be made available. 
NPS / Marielle Scott Visitor ImprovementsPark staff continue planning, designing, and implementing projects to improve the visitor experience. Examples of our priorities include adding toilets to the Twin Tanks Parking Lot, expanding parking at the Creosote Trailhead, sealing and striping paved roads, improving the Cholla Cactus Garden Trail, replacing and reconditioning informational signage, replacing and upgrading emergency phones at Cottonwood and Hidden Valley, and providing a variety of ranger-led programs. This is all possible thanks to the fees collected at our entrance stations. Let us know what improvements you’d like to see! 
NPS / Donovan Smith Protecting the Park from FireFire is a concern in the desert. Vegetation can burn quickly, and fires spread fast when the space between native plants is filled with dense, dried-out nonnative annual grasses. Most desert plants and animals are vulnerable to fire; habitat is lost, wildlife pushed out, and recovery is very slow. In 2022 the Elk Fire burned a few hundred acres along the northwest boundary, and then in 2023 the Geology Fire burned 1,033 acres adjacent to Geology Tour Road. Most recently, the Eureka Fire burned over 200 acres in June 2025 near Covington Flats. Each fire took off quickly, rapidly burning acres of Joshua trees and shrubs before being extinguished. The National Park Service partners with the Bureau of Land Management and conservation organizations to reduce fuels in high-risk areas, improve access for firefighters, provide fire education to local communities, and suspend open fires during the fire season. Learn more about fire in Joshua Tree. 
NPS / Donovan Smith Trip Planning with Weather in MindVisiting the desert in summer months can be a wonderful experience but requires additional preparation to ensure safety! Weather events such as extreme heat warnings and monsoonal thunderstorms can pose additional hazards. Always check the weather and look for park alerts on the park website and the app. Some of the best tips to have an enjoyable experience while visiting in the summer include:
The summer is also the best time to enjoy the Milky Way. During these months, Earth’s nighttime view faces the vibrant galactic core, which stretches across the desert sky and draws visitors from around the world. Now is the best time to experience why half the park is after dark! Submit your Vandalism Reports!Did you know that you can submit a Vandalism Report online with your email? The team receives reports, logs the information and data including the GPS coordinates if given, catalogs the images, and then plan for removal. Email jotr_graffiti@nps.gov to report. Remember to include location, a photo if possible, and as much detail as you can. GPS coordinates are ideal! The NPS AppOne app, every park at your fingertips. The NPS App is the new official app for the National Park Service with tools to explore more than 400 national parks nationwide. Find interactive maps, tours of park places, on-the-ground accessibility information, and much more to plan your national park adventures before and during your trip. The free app is currently available for iOS and Android devices. The first step to begin your national park app adventure is to download the NPS App onto your mobile devices, such as phones or tablets. The NPS App is currently available for iOS and Android-powered devices. It can be downloaded for free through the App Store and Google Play. 
|
Last updated: September 25, 2025