Thursday, Jun 1, 2006
The new Joshua Tree Visitor Center opened for business on Friday, May 26th. The visitor center is located at 6554 Park Boulevard in the community of Joshua Tree, five miles from the park’s west entrance
The Joshua Tree National Park Association purchased the property, the former Park Center, to operate the building as the newest and fourth Joshua Tree National Park visitor center.
Park rangers and association specialists will answer questions about what to do and see in the national park. Books, videos, maps and related items will be available for sale. The National Park Service will install a series of interpretive exhibits in June.
Because of its proximity to the park’s busiest entrance, it is anticipated the new visitor center will be a key location in helping visitors with information on hiking, wilderness exploration, rock climbing, and camping.
The National Park Service and the association have long desired to find the right location and facility from which to provide visitor information and orientation services to visitors who enter the park through the west entrance.
“The National Park Service and Joshua Tree National Park Association have enjoyed over 43 years of affiliation through a close working partnership,” said superintendent Curt Sauer. “Millions of visitors to Joshua Tree National Park and the communities that surround it have benefited from the information services, book sales and educational classes and lectures that the association provides. The purchase of Joshua Tree Visitor Center fills a need identified in the park’s general management plan to establish a visitor information facility within or near to the park’s west entrance. As such, this acquisition fulfills an important park goal.”
According to the National Park Service public use statistics, the average annual number of visitors to Joshua Tree National Park is 1,325,630. Nearly half of these park visitors first enter the park through the west entrance.
The association recently purchased the property from former owners James and Deborah La Monica, who originally developed the land and building in 1996.
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