Joshua Tree National Park Tells Visitors to Prepare for Crowds This Winter

This news story about expected huge crowds in Joshua Tree National Park is based on a November 23, 2021, National Park Service press release. You can read the original release here.

While summers are exceptional hot and relatively quiet in the Mojave and Colorado deserts, the peak season is now approaching in Joshua Tree National Park. The National Park Service says that the “winter holidays and the spring months are the busiest times of the year at Joshua Tree National Park.”

From December through spring, large crowds mean lines at entrances, congested roads, limited parking and full campgrounds.

To ensure that visitors have the best possible experience at Joshua Tree in winter and spring, the National Park Service offers several tips to prepare and plan.

Huge Crowds Expected in Joshua Tree National Park in Winter

The three best ways to prepare for your Joshua Tree National Park winter visit are:

• Buy a digital pass ahead of time by logging onto www.recreation.gov.This pass will make entry to the park quicker and easier.
• Avoid entering the park between 10 am and 2 pm and avoid exiting the park around sunset.
• The most crowded days in the park will likely be the day of and around Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, and Presidents’ Day. Every weekend in the spring is also extremely congested. Skip these days for a more relaxing visit.

Other tips to prepare for your visit to Joshua Tree National Park this winter:

• The park may become drive-through only as the parking lots reach maximum capacity during times of extreme visitation. Visitors may be turned away from popular parking areas.
• Be flexible with plans. The best hike may be the one where parking is readily available. Always be prepared with adequate food and water, and let someone from home know you will be hiking. Cell phones do not work in the park in most areas.
• Visitors can park along many, but not all, roadsides. Never drive over a curb to make a new parking space.
• Weekdays are usually less crowded than weekends—consider visiting the park Monday through Thursday.
• Make a reservation at www.recreation.gov to reserve one of the 350 reservable campsites in the park. If there are no reservation sites available, there likely will not be first-come, first-served sites available when you arrive. Look to one of the private campgrounds adjacent to the park.
• Many campgrounds intersect with hiking trails. Campers can hike trails that connect to their campground to avoid busy parking lots. You can see the best trails in Joshua Tree National Park here.
• Find a new favorite spot to explore in the park. There is no one best Joshua Tree viewpoint, campsite, trail, or sunset spot. Check out things to see and do at Joshua Tree here.