NPS Banner and Picture of Queen Valley overlooking Ryan Mountain
We would like your feedback!
Greetings to our Visitors, Friends, and Neighbors
The proposed projects discussed in this newsletter are moving forward in order to improve visitor satisfaction and address congestion at two of the parks most frequented areas. If you have ever come to the park during peak visitor season you likely encountered lines of car traffic waiting to get into the park through the West Entrance Station; Likewise, if you visited Barker Dam you likely encountered full parking lots. Read below on actions the park is proposing to improve conditions at these two locations.
Construct New West Entrance Station
West Entrance Station Rendering
Image: Architectural Rendering of the Proposed West Entrance Station
Proposed Project
The project would demolish the existing West Entrance fee booth located just inside the park boundary on Park Boulevard and construct a new fee station
approximately 0.5 miles further into the park. The new fee station would include:
  • Construction of 2 inbound travel lanes through the fee station, and a bypass lane;
  • Construction of four new tandem (two per island) fee collection kiosks with curbed islands and connecting walkways and shade structures to cover the fee kiosks;
  • Staff comfort station/breakroom,
  • 9-space staff parking lot.
The proposed new entrance fee station is located in an undeveloped desert setting. For setting compatibility, two key design concepts will be part of the planning of the building and structures. First, the complex will be off-grid for electricity and data. The complex will be powered by a solar PV array with battery storage and data communication will be via satellite. Second, the building architecture is uniquely compatible with desert dwellings built mid-century. The complex will be compatible, yet unique, to other mid-century modern buildings associated with the park’s historical landscapes and buildings.
Planning Process
The park is preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) to determine the impacts of the project. To kick-off the EA process we want to understand any public concerns about the environmental impact of this project and whether the public suggests a different alternative that would address the problems NPS is trying to resolve in proposing this project. Following scoping, the park will consider substantive comment and address them in the Draft EA. When completed, the Draft EA will be released for public review and comment. The release of the Draft EA will be another opportunity to for the public to comment on the parks proposed action and alternatives. Following public review and comment of the Draft EA, the NPS will issue a Final EA. The park anticipates releasing the Draft EA in early November 2021.
West Entrance Traffic
Image: Traffic Entering West Entrance Station

The local community has supported the project as a way to resolve the traffic issues that occur outside the park boundary.
Why is a new Fee Station Needed
This new location would resolve longstanding issues including long traffic back-up outside the park boundary causing blocking of private driveways and neighborhood streets adjacent to the West Entrance boundary, excessive wait times for entrance, inefficient fee collection, and unsafe working conditions for park staff.

More information about the project is on the park's website. Please submit comments on the proposed project here.

*Comments due by midnight pst on September 17, 2021.
Barker Dam Parking Lot Expansion

Proposed Project
Expanding the Barker Dam Parking Lot involves converting the two undeveloped disturbed islands in the interior of the lots into parking spaces. The total areas of the islands is approximately 11,000 square feet (see image below). The project would be phased, with the first phase converting the islands into a dirt surface by saw cutting and removing the curb line, clearing vegetation and organic material, and then capping the area with 3” of road base. As funding becomes available, the parking area would receive additional base preparation and would be eventually be paved with asphalt. When completed, an additional 40 parking spaces would be available. The vegetation clearing would require the relocation of 13 Joshua trees to an area adjacent to the parking area.

The protection of affected Joshua trees ((Yucca brevifolia) is an important component of this project. Joshua trees recently (9/22/20) received candidate status under the California Endangered Species Act. Under the federal Endangered Species Act, they do not have special status, but for JTNP, their survival and conservation is paramount to the park's mission.

Why is the project necessary?
JTNP can have over 4,000 vehicles entering the park per day during peak season, vying for only ~1,500 parking spots. The formal parking spots in use today at JTNP were developed in the 1990s and are undersized for the number of vehicles entering the times of high visitation. Recent management guidance documents (Foundation Document Jan. 2015) recommend the park expand parking to address aging and inadequate infrastructure and reduce resource conflicts.
 
Visitors are vying for limited parking spaces, and when parking lots fill, vehicles spill over into illegal, off-road parking areas where there is little or no shoulder to accommodate parking. Parking off-road or on inadequate shoulders causes an ever-expanding disturbance footprint on fragile native desert habitat. Off-road parking results in social trailing and resource damage, and pedestrians on unsafe roadways as visitors walk from their vehicles to their destinations. In addition, park staff are routinely dispatched to high congested parking areas to manage the gridlock and maintain safe conditions and emergency access. Park staff can get diverted for hours a day, taking away from their ability to perform other job functions.

To provide comment on this proposal please visit: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/barker_dam_parking_expansion

*Comments due by midnight pst on September 17, 2021.
Barker Dam Parking Lot Expansion
Image: Rendering of Proposed Project. Parking lots fill by 10 am in the peak season. Hundreds of cars are turned away due to limited parking. Resource damage occurs when vehicles park on road shoulder or off-road.
Picture of Joshua Tree Superintendent David Smith
Image: David Smith, Superintendent
If you have questions please call us or send us an email at the address below.

Sincerely,
David A. Smith, Superintendent

(760) 367-5522