After going back and forth about whether Joshua Tree National Park will be open or closed, the National Park service now says the Park expects to stay open and all previously closed areas and campgrounds will also be re-opened. Park officials had said Tuesday that as of 8 a.m. today, the Park would close to visitors for the duration of the partial government shutdown. Then, later Tuesday, the National Park Service and Department of the Interior issued instructions that the park could use previously collected entrance and campground fees to conduct major cleanup, repair and maintenance of overflowing toilets and trash barrels, fouled campgrounds, and damaged roads.
Park Superintendent David Smith told Z107.7 News Wednesday that park staff came in Wednesday and were able to complete the repairs to the extent that the planned park closure will not take effect. Areas that had been closed, and are now re-opened, include all campgrounds, Stirrup Tank Road, Lost Horse Mine Road and trail, Key’s View Road, and Rattlesnake Canyon picnic area and road. However, the park’s visitor centers at Cottonwood and Twentynine Palms, and the Black Rock education center will remain closed, and entrance and campground fees will not be collected. The Joshua Tree Visitors Center, operated by a private non-profit, will be open.
