If you would rather not wait in a long line to enter the Joshua Tree National Park, take this advice from Park Ranger Pam Tripp… Joshua Tree National Park is seeing more and more visitors, adding up to 2 million visitors yearly. As the park gets busier every year, so do the entrance stations and visitor centers. These busier times create long lines of cars waiting to enter the park, especially at the West Entrance outside the town of Joshua Tree. To help alleviate your wait to enter the park at the West entrance, we recommend entering the park from either the South side, at the Cottonwood Visitor Center entrance, or from the North Entrance station three miles south of the town of Twentynine Palms. Park passes can be purchased at Visitor Centers, and this also helps to move the lines faster through entrances. Having your ID ready to show if you hold annual, senior, or access passes, provides faster service through stations as well. For more information about our busiest times and how to make your visit to your national park more enjoyable, call us at 760-367-5522. This is Park Ranger Pam Tripp, encouraging you to enjoy the solace, wonder, and wild of your national park.