Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center — Attraction in Twentynine Palms

I haven't been to Joshua Tree in about 10 years, and I'm glad I went back. The main difference is now there are large crowds and all of the campgrounds are full. We camped at Cottonwood, which I love because it is near the Oasis and Mastadon Peak. There are fewer crowds out here because it is about an hour from Jumbo rocks and the big touristy attractions. I have backpacked and camped in Joshua Tree and enjoyed both experiences. I think I prefer car camping because of the access to water. I visited all three of the visitor centers to see the displays they have - all are worth visiting. The rangers and staff in all of the centers are friendly and helpful. I remember why I loved Joshua Tree. The vast differences in landscape in the different parts of the park are fascinating. I saw a lot of climbers, which was really interesting. I was fortunate the weather was cool. You never know in early May. If you are going to go, make sure you check the weather and bring water, even if you think it is just an easy hike on a well marked trail. OH, and people leaving orange peels on the trails..... ORANGE PEELS ARE NOT "PART OF NATURE" AND DO NOT BELONG ON THE TRAIL. ORANGE PEELS ARE TRASH! CARRY YOUR TRASH WITH YOU. DISPOSE OF...

For me it was a jaw-dropping witness to the strangest and most powerful geology I've ever seen. I was kind of hoping I had a geologist in the car who could sit next to me and explain how this ever happened . How could this possibly be? What is going on here? You start to get the sense of how it must have been millions and millions of years to take the form that it did. Slow slow processes over an immense timeframe.I'm so happy to be able to see this and to be able to drive through very easily and to stop where I wanted to. Mid-September weekday is a great time to go. There were no crowds. There was big heatwave. So you go in the early morning and you come back after the sun goes down so you can view dark night sky, when there's no moon. I also was mesmerized by the quiet that you can experience in certain places, especially during the dark night sky viewing. just complete quiet. What a relief. For night time,, dress in long sleeves and long pants. Maybe even a bug face screen over your hat. The bugs at night weren't too bad but they find...

I'm a huge fan of National Parks and their rangers! The gift shop is front and center with no shortage of stuff to buy and there's a connected exhibit that gives a thorough look at the indigenous peoples and histories near Joshua Tree. The facility is wonderful.

The customer service leaves a lot to be desired. The staff at the map service desk, Christian, seemed more interested in showing us how to use an app (and doing it for us) rather than connecting on a human level. If he's having a bad day, I hope things get better. It happens, and especially nowadays there's a lot to be distracted about. Even so, I would have liked to have had the unique and expert opinion of someone who lives and works in the area rather than another app for my phone. I travelled a very long way to get here and support our National Parks, but this experience makes me feel they don't really...