Plans are being made to bring a tourist shuttle bus service to Joshua Tree National Park. Called The “RoadRunner” Shuttle service, the new public transportation system would see specially marked buses bring visitors into the park from Park & Ride locations in Joshua Tree at Coyote Corner (State Route 62 and Park Blvd.) and from Twentynine Palms at stops at the Holiday Inn, Stater Brothers, and Rite-Aid.
The shuttle bus from Joshua Tree will drop off visitors in Joshua Tree National Park at a shuttle stop at the Boy Scout Trailhead and the entrance to the Hidden Valley campground. The shuttle from Twentynine Palms would take them to the entrance to Jumbo Rocks Campground. From those locations, visitors then will board a circulator bus which will go on a route to primary park landmarks: the Hidden Valley day use area, Intersection Rock, Barker Dam, Ryan Mountain trailhead, and Jumbo Rocks. Visitors can get on and off buses at the various locations.
The RoadRunner shuttle in the park will operate seven days a week (except holidays) from 8:00 a.m. until 8:30 p.m., and will circulate among park attractions every 30 minutes. The shuttle from Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms would run every two hours, four times a day. The RoadRunner shuttle would also connect visitors to Palm Springs by way of MBTA buses.
The new service is a cooperative venture operated by the Morongo Basin Transportation Authority and the National Park Service. The shuttle service was initially set to start March 1, but has been delayed by red tape from the National Park Service. Park Superintendent David Smith is going to Washington this week to get the final agreement between local, county, state, and federal agencies worked out.
