Joshua Tree National Park Alerts and Current Conditions

Cover of Brian Russ's guide to Joshua Tree National Park

Last checked: October 25, 2026. This page tracks what's closed, what's changed, and what's coming up at Joshua Tree National Park, California, from the park's alerts, conditions, and hours pages. I check it daily and rewrite it when the park posts something new, so bookmark it rather than an old news story. Desert rain can flood roads and washes, and flooding has one road closed right now, so check the park's own alerts the morning you go.

Current alerts

  • Geology Tour Road is temporarily closed by flooding. The park received a significant amount of rain and asks drivers to use caution on all other park roads. (NPS)
  • Part of the West Side Loop near Black Rock is closed for trail repairs. Sections are closed to all traffic, and hikers and riders have to use one of the connector trails along Black Rock Canyon to get around the work. The park estimates it will reopen in November. (NPS)
  • Oasis of Mara Trail is closed past the oasis after a heavy flooding event. (NPS)
  • Don't trust every hiking app. The park says some third-party apps give inaccurate trail and safety information and recommends the official NPS app. (NPS)

Open and closed right now

  • The park is open 24 hours a day, every day, though some areas are day-use only. Entrance is $30 per private vehicle, good for seven days, or $15 per person on foot or bike. (NPS)
  • Joshua Tree Visitor Center (in the town of Joshua Tree): open daily, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center (in Twentynine Palms): open daily, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Cottonwood Visitor Center (south entrance): open daily, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Black Rock Nature Center: open Saturdays and Sundays only. The park lists 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., notes a midday break, and says hours depend on staffing.
  • Campgrounds: none of the nine is listed as closed. Jumbo Rocks, Ryan, Indian Cove, Black Rock, Cottonwood, and the Sheep Pass group sites take reservations only, up to six months ahead. Hidden Valley, White Tank, and Belle are first-come, first-served. (Recreation.gov)

Coming up in the next few weeks

  • November (estimated): the West Side Loop repairs near Black Rock are expected to wrap up and the trail to reopen.
  • No other dated changes. The park hasn't posted holiday hours or scheduled closures for the next few weeks. Its own description of the season: visitation rises as temperatures moderate in fall, spring and fall highs average around 85°F with lows around 50°F, and winter brings days around 60°F, freezing nights, and occasional snow at higher elevations.

What this means for your trip

Geology Tour Road is a dirt road, so its closure mostly affects people who planned the self-guided drive through the boulder country south of Park Boulevard. The paved roads to Keys View, Hidden Valley, Jumbo Rocks, and Cholla Cactus Garden aren't on the closure list. After this much rain, though, use caution on every road, as the park asks, especially where it dips through washes.

The Oasis of Mara closure is small: the trail by the Twentynine Palms visitor center is closed only past the oasis, so you can still walk out to it. Hikers starting from Black Rock should plan on the canyon connector trails until the West Side Loop work is done.

Visitation climbs in fall, so book the reservation campgrounds ahead. If you're counting on a first-come site at Hidden Valley, White Tank, or Belle, arrive early in the day and have a backup. Days are short by late October, so plan to be back at the car by sunset if you're hiking without a headlamp, and with fall lows averaging around 50°F, bring a warm layer for the evening.

Before you go

  • Check the park's alerts and conditions the morning of your visit. It links a map of current closures and a live webcam from Belle Mountain.
  • Remember that one forecast covers a park running from 536 feet to 5,814 feet. Conditions can vary a lot from one end to the other.
  • Reserve campsites at Recreation.gov or by calling 877-444-6777.

If a closure knocks out part of your plan, my guide to Joshua Tree National Park has nine one- to three-day itineraries at easy, moderate, and strenuous effort, each with a backup plan for weather or closures. You can also check alerts and conditions for every national park.

This page is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Always check the park's current alerts before you go.