Joshua Tree National Park to remain open
Earlier this week, a temporary closure of Joshua Tree National Park was announced for Thursday morning, January 10, 2019. As of this afternoon, park officials have announced that by immediately utilizing revenue from recreation fees, the park will avert that closure. In addition, recently closed areas of the park will reopen to visitors, including campgrounds.
All areas that were recently closed will be accessible again to the public, beginning Thursday, January 10. These include:
All Campgrounds
Stirrup Tank Road
Lost Horse Mine Road and Trail
Key's View Road
Rattlesnake Canyon Picnic Area and Road
National Park Service officials determined that by using Federal Land and Recreation Enhancement funds to immediately bring back park maintenance crews to address sanitation issues, the park will be able to maintain some visitor services, including reopening campgrounds, which are popular this time of year. The park is also bringing on additional staff to help protect park resources and to mitigate some of the damage that has taken place during the federal government shutdown.
Outdoor areas of the park will remain accessible. Most facilities will remain closed with the exception of the Joshua Tree Visitor Center at 6554 Park Boulevard, owned and operated by the Joshua Tree National Park Association. The four National Park Service visitor centers will remain closed for the duration of the shutdown. Entrance stations will be open to provide safety and resource protection education to arriving visitors, but entrance fees and camping fees will not be collected. The National Park Service did not note how campground reservations would be handled, or if anyone would be managing reservations on site. It is likely campgrounds will operate as before, during the shutdown, with no rangers to ensure reservations are honored. Park staff noted their appreciation for the contributions of local volunteers, who provided basic sanitation at campgrounds and other closed areas during the shutdown. Their efforts have contributed significantly to the reopening of campgrounds and restoring access to other closed areas of Joshua Tree National Park. We have to add our thanks to all the volunteers from our local communities who pitched in to care for our park. They make us proud during a time when others have made us ashamed.
When visiting Joshua Tree National Park, and all of our other national parks, preserves, monuments, forests, and historical sites, please follow park rules and treat these beautiful public lands like the national treasures they are. We hold them in trust for future generations, and they are often threatened enough by things happening outside their borders that they should not be threatened within their borders.
Photo of a human turd and toilet paper in the middle of a trail in Joshua Tree National Park, just two to three minutes from restrooms at the park entrance. This happened when the park was fully staffed and the restrooms were open. Imagine what happens when you close some restrooms and have minimal staff during peak visitation times with hundreds of thousands of visitors mostly unsupervised in the park.
For those who have knocked down Joshua trees, or dug up cactii in the park, or have driven into the desert, illegally camped, dumped trash and human waste, etc., please learn from your mistakes, and find it in your hearts to donate something toward mitigating the harm you have caused this invaluable place that belongs to all of us.
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