The West Entrance to Joshua Tree National Park has begun its long-awaited upgrade. In their latest newsletter, the National Park says that the construction is expected to last until early next year. Vehicles will be able to continue to use the West Entrance and enter through the smaller gate – which will eventually be demolished once construction of its replacement is complete.
That new entrance will be about a half mile inside the park and will have four fee booths, two inbound lanes, one outbound lane and a bypass lane in both directions.
The new entrance should help alleviate the traffic backups that can cause headaches for visitors along with residents along Quail Springs Road. The West Entrance is the busiest of the three, and in 2023 over half a million vehicles passed through it.
