Just days before the end of the year, Joshua Tree National Park welcomed its 2 millionth visitor yesterday (December 28). Park superintendent David Smith said the record number of visitors this year “blew away” the previous record, 1.6 million, set in 2014. Earlier this year, Smith said the park was an “economic engine” for the Morongo Basin, and that two years ago, 1.3 million visitors spent $70 million dollars in nearby communities. Smith said of the record number of visitors to Joshua Tree National Park, “We are no longer a fall through spring park. The park is attracting new visitors from around the world and many of them come in the summer which has traditionally been the slow season for Joshua Tree. That’s no longer the case.”
