How many people visit Joshua Tree National Park each year?

2,932,644 recreation visits in 2025, ranking #12 of the 63 national parks. The 2010s averaged 2,051,616 a year.

What was Joshua Tree's busiest year?

2023, with 3,270,404 recreation visits — +11.5% more than 2025. The single busiest month on record was March 2019 (469,183 visits).

Is Joshua Tree getting more crowded?

2025 visits were +44.8% compared with 2015 and +113.3% compared with 2005.

What counts as a recreation visit?

The NPS counts a recreation visit as one person entering the park for recreation; someone who leaves and re-enters is counted again, and commuters, through-traffic and staff are excluded. Counts come from gate and traffic counters with park-specific multipliers, so they are estimates.

Why does the record start before Joshua Tree became a national park?

The NPS counts visits by park unit, and the unit kept the same statistics code when it was redesignated a national park in 1994. Earlier years are visits to the same place under its previous designation.

Visitor statistics

How many people visit Joshua Tree?

Last verified October 5, 2026NPS Visitor Use Statistics1979–2025

2,932,644 recreation visits in 2025, #12 of 63 national parks. The record is 2023 (3,270,404). Every year since 1979, straight from the National Park Service’s own counts, including the years before it became a national park in 1994.

The sky turns hues of pink and purple over a field of Joshua trees. — Photo: NPS / Emily Hassell

2025 visits: 2,932,644; −2.0% vs 2024
Rank, 2025: #12; of 63 national parks
Record year: 2023; 3,270,404 visits
vs 2015: +44.8%; ten-year change
vs 1979: +396.6%; since the first full year
Busiest month ever: Mar 2019; 469,183 visits

1979–2025

Every year since the counts began

Recreation visits per calendar year, as reported to the NPS Visitor Use Statistics office. The 2025 bar is highlighted; a missing bar means the park did not report all twelve months that year.

Show the full table (47 years) ↓

Year	Recreation visits	Change	Rank
2025	2,932,644	−2.0%	#12
2024	2,991,874	−8.5%	#11
2023	3,270,404	+6.9%	#9
2022	3,058,294	−0.2%	#8
2021	3,064,400	+27.7%	#11
2020	2,399,542	−19.7%	#10
2019	2,988,547	+1.6%	#11
2018	2,942,382	+3.1%	#11
2017	2,853,619	+13.9%	#11
2016	2,505,286	+23.7%	#11
2015	2,025,756	+27.4%	#12
2014	1,589,904	+14.9%	#14
2013	1,383,340	−0.9%	#15
2012	1,396,117	−0.0%	#15
2011	1,396,237	−2.7%	#15
2010	1,434,976	+10.0%	#14
2009	1,304,471	−6.3%	#14
2008	1,392,446	+7.2%	#14
2007	1,298,979	+3.4%	#17
2006	1,256,421	−8.6%	#17
2005	1,375,111	+10.6%	#17
2004	1,243,659	−3.1%	#19
2003	1,283,346	+8.9%	#17
2002	1,178,376	−8.0%	#20
2001	1,280,917	+3.8%	#20
2000	1,233,935	−6.3%	#20
1999	1,316,340	−6.7%	#19
1998	1,410,312	+15.0%	#18
1997	1,226,273	+12.0%	#21
1996	1,095,046	−11.4%	#23
1995	1,235,702	+4.3%	#19
1994	1,184,871	−5.4%	#19
1993	1,252,401	+2.6%	#19
1992	1,220,539	+6.6%	#18
1991	1,145,458	+12.0%	#22
1990	1,022,396	+3.3%	#23
1989	990,214	+3.7%	#23
1988	955,246	+15.1%	#24
1987	830,085	+6.0%	#23
1986	783,224	+22.2%	#23
1985	641,172	−3.4%	#28
1984	663,798	−1.1%	#27
1983	671,426	−0.3%	#27
1982	673,201	+9.8%	#29
1981	612,966	+12.4%	#27
1980	545,357	−7.7%	#32
1979	590,543	—	#28

By decade

The long view

1970s: 590,543; avg · 1 yr
1980s: 736,669; avg · 10 yrs
1990s: 1.21 million; avg · 10 yrs
2000s: 1.28 million; avg · 10 yrs
2010s: 2.05 million; avg · 10 yrs
2020s: 2.95 million; avg · 6 yrs

Seasonality: in 1979–1983 the three busiest months carried 42% of the year’s visits; in 2021–2025 they carried 36% — visits have spread out across the year.

Average visits by month

2021–2025 · NPS IRMA

JFMAMJJASOND

Quietest: JulyBusiest: March

The weather page puts these crowd levels beside each month’s temperatures.

About these numbers

Figures are the National Park Service’s monthly recreation-visit counts, retrieved from its public statistics service and summed by calendar year. A year is shown only when all twelve months were reported. The NPS revises recent months occasionally, so small differences from a later nps.gov table are normal. Rankings compare the 63 national parks for the same year. See every park ranked for 2025.

Sources · 2

1.NPS Visitor Use Statistics — monthly recreation visits by park, 1979–2025 · National Park Service (U.S. Department of the Interior)
2.NPS Visitor Use Statistics Definitions · National Park Service

FAQ

Joshua Tree visitor questions

How many people visit Joshua Tree National Park each year?: 2,932,644 recreation visits in 2025, ranking #12 of the 63 national parks. The 2010s averaged 2,051,616 a year.
What was Joshua Tree's busiest year?: 2023, with 3,270,404 recreation visits — +11.5% more than 2025. The single busiest month on record was March 2019 (469,183 visits).
Is Joshua Tree getting more crowded?: 2025 visits were +44.8% compared with 2015 and +113.3% compared with 2005.
What counts as a recreation visit?: The NPS counts a recreation visit as one person entering the park for recreation; someone who leaves and re-enters is counted again, and commuters, through-traffic and staff are excluded. Counts come from gate and traffic counters with park-specific multipliers, so they are estimates.
Why does the record start before Joshua Tree became a national park?: The NPS counts visits by park unit, and the unit kept the same statistics code when it was redesignated a national park in 1994. Earlier years are visits to the same place under its previous designation.

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