Planning a Hike at Joshua Tree National Park? This New Announcement Could Affect Your Visit
The new Joshua Tree National Park announcement might wreck your trekking plans, in case you were planning. Despite winter and spring being the busiest times of the year, the park has decided to close two of its most crowded trails. Reason? Damage control and maintenance check. The park's Fortynine Palms trail, which leads to the popular destination Fortynine Palms Oasis, will remain closed during the weekdays but will be functional on weekends. The tough call was made, looking at the damage caused by rain earlier this season. "Park staff are repairing sections of the trail damaged by rain," the park announced in a Facebook post. The Fortynine Palms trail is a three-mile out-and-back hike with 300 feet of elevation that leads to an oasis located among the desert mountains, as per the NPS.
Another popular trail, the Cholla Cactus Garden, will be entirely shut till late spring. This closure wasn't decided over a crisis caused by climate change but out of responsibility for improving the experience for the visitors. "Park staff are working to improve conditions and accessibility for visitors," the announcement read. Although the closure is necessary for the park authorities, some visitors to the park might be bummed out by the decision. That's because the popular 0.25-mile trail leads to a stunning site of nature rich in flora and fauna. The Cholla Cactus Garden is a massive landscape housing an array of cactus species, from the teddybear cholla to the burrobush.
Social media users had mixed reactions to the closure announcement. "I was thinking of making a trip there on Friday or Saturday. Good to know. Still have to look up other trails," one user commented. Another person was glad that the closure didn't happen due to "human destruction." A third reminisced about the time they spent at the national park, writing, "Wow that brought back memories from several decades ago of working with the ycc in working on the fortynine palms trail." On the contrary, a few others expressed their disappointment with the closure. "Every time I'm there it's closed because damaged from weather lol," one Facebook user pointed out. "Typical government--close during the peak season," another complained. One person expressed annoyance with the occasional closure, writing, "Wasn’t the Cactus Garden closed this time last year? Is this a new closing or is the work still going on?"
Hedgehog Cactus is one of the most populous species at the park that produces the vibrant and eye-catching magenta flowers, making it hard to miss during the springtime. The Brittlebush with a cluster of yellow flowers, and the vibrant Desert Lavender decked in stunning purple flowers, are also found at the popular Cholla Cactus Garden of the national park. The Joshua Tree National Park is federally protected under the Wilderness Act of 1964, and as a result, the place has a thriving ecosystem. Although humans are allowed to visit the park, they must not interfere with or cause trouble to the wildlife that call the park their home.
The federal protection also prevents the lands of the park from being exploited by human activities like constructions of roads and buildings. The wildlife can roam free, but the humans must tread cautiously and keep checking signboards. The national park has managed to maintain its cultural, historical, recreational, and ecological legacy, allowing them to co-exist without compromise on any aspect.
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