News Release

West entrance of Joshua Tree National Park will be temporarily closed to inbound and outbound traffic during construction

Construction at the West Entrance

NPS / Samantha Laarman

News Release Date: March 25, 2025

Contact: Sasha Travaglio, 760-362-9469

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif.– The west entrance of Joshua Tree National Park will be closed to inbound and outbound traffic beginning 6 a.m. Monday April 7 through 6 p.m. Thursday April 10. Visitors must enter or exit the park via Twentynine Palms or Cottonwood using the north entrance station in Twentynine Palms or the Cottonwood entrance at the park’s south boundary. The north entrance station is 25 miles east of the west entrance station and is the most accessible for visitors traveling on Highway 62, adding an additional 17 minutes of driving time. Visitors will not be permitted to enter the park via Park Boulevard through the town of Joshua Tree.
 
Park Boulevard will be closed to vehicle traffic for six miles from the west entrance to Quail Springs Picnic Area. This closure includes the Maze Loop and Creosote trailhead parking areas. Visitors may not drive to or park at these trailheads during the closure.
 
Park staff will place signs along Highway 62, along Park Boulevard, and within the park alerting visitors to this temporary change in traffic pattern. Exiting vehicles may turn around at Quail Springs Picnic Area and entering vehicles may turn around at the current west entrance station; however, this is not advised due to an expected backup of traffic.
 
This closure is necessary for crews to prepare the area for paving as the new entrance station is constructed. Crews will be cutting into the road to run utilities to the new entrance station location and to adjust the grade of the road. All other park roads are expected to remain open.
 
The current west entrance is the busiest of three entrances to the park. In 2023, 515,000 vehicles passed through it. The new entrance will be built approximately one-third mile south of the current one and further inside the park. The station will be significantly expanded to include two inbound lanes, one outbound lane, and one bypass lane in each direction. Visitors will benefit from the upgrade of a single entrance booth to four. This project is funded by fee revenue through the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act.
 
“We appreciate the patience of our visitors and community as we continue work on the new entrance station,” said Joshua Tree National Park Superintendent Jane Rodgers. “This temporary inconvenience will allow us to more quickly serve visitors in the future at the improved entrance station. The park recognizes this is a very busy time to close a section of road, but we must comply with the obligations set forth in our construction contract. The original closure was expected to last two weeks, and I’m glad it’s been reduced to just four days.”
 
Visitors can access construction updates at https://www.nps.gov/jotr/learn/management/2025-west-entrance-construction.htm
 
Park rangers encourage visitors to recreate responsibly in their vehicles by observing posted speed limits and driving only on designated roads. Visitors can prepare for their visit by:

• Purchasing an entrance pass ahead of time at https://www.recreation.gov/sitepass/74286 and being prepared to show their pass at the entrance station
• Downloading the NPS App for trip planning and park alerts at https://www.nps.gov/subjects/digital/nps-apps.htm
• Checking the park website for current conditions, restrictions, closures, and more at http://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/conditions.htm