Thousands of visitors have descended on Joshua Tree National Park this holiday season, breaking daily visitation records. On Thursday, cars were backed up for over a mile waiting to get in at the west entrance to the park in Joshua Tree, and some drivers were going off road to find another way in to the park. Park officials urge visitors to use the entrance in Twentynine Palms, or the south entrance at Cottonwood, or, to skip Joshua Tree National Park altogether and visit Death Valley or Mojave National Preserve instead.
But for those who are determined to visit Joshua Tree National Park, park officials encourage visitors to meet outside the park and to carpool in to the park, to visit mid-week instead of during the weekend, and to plan to arrive before 8 a.m. to avoid congestion.
Don’t plan on camping in the park; rangers say that all campgrounds are full. Instead, look for campsites at private campgrounds outside the park or on Bureau of Land Management land to the north and south of the park.
Do not rely on GPS when visiting Joshua Tree National Park, as some systems will direct travelers to unpaved 4-wheel-drive roads.
