Listen here:
For the 3rd year in a row, visitation to Joshua Tree National Park has topped 3 million, a number felt by anyone trying to enter the Joshua Tree entrance – colloquially known as the West gate – on a busy spring weekend. Joshua Tree National Park Superintendent Jane Rodgers reported the figure in her latest newsletter, where she also says relief is coming for those affected by those busy times.
The West gate entrance to the National Park is by far the most popular of the three. The North gate in Twentynine Palms can sometimes be comparatively empty to the West gate in Joshua Tree, despite signs on Highway 62 urging visitors to drive just a little further to avoid the massive backups that can occur on any sunny and warm weekend.
It’s not just the visitors that can feel the pain of a slow moving line of cars. Quail Springs Road residents have to contend with traffic backups that not only impede their travel, but also becomes a major safety issue if emergency services are needed at any address on the two lane road.
Joshua Tree National Park Superintendent Jane Rodgers says that a contract has been awarded for a redesigned West gate, which could take 9 months to a year to complete once construction starts.
Rodgers previously spoke about the West gate entrance last year at a Mojave Desert Land Trust panel on tourism and its effects on the Morongo Basin. At that panel, she said the new West gate location would be pushed 1/3rd to a 1/2 mile inside the park, and double the inbound and outbound lanes to two each.
The current West gate will remain open during construction of the new one – a construction date and project details will be announced in an upcoming Press Release, we’ll update you when they do.
Previously Reported:
