Joshua Tree Visitors Brought $209M To The Local Economy Last Year: NPS

JOSHUA TREE, CA — An estimated 3.1 million visitors to the Joshua Tree National Park spent tens of millions in communities near the park last year. It supported more than 2,000 jobs, according to the National Park Service.

NPS economists completed the economic analysis for national parks across the U.S., finding Joshua Tree generated $171 million in local spending and supported 2,040 jobs for a total economic benefit of $209 million to communities within 60 miles.

The majority of visitor spending in areas surrounding Joshua Tree was for hotels ($62.2 million) and restaurants ($32 million), followed by gas ($29 million), groceries ($12 million), transportation ($11 million), recreation ($11 million), and retail shopping ($10 million), according to the survey. Camping in Joshua Tree amounted to $2 million in visitor spending in 2022.

A park spokesperson said that what we now know as Joshua Tree National Park was first recognized for its national significance 87 years ago.

"On Aug. 10, 1936, Minerva Hoyt, a conservationist with a passion for protecting desert landscapes, worked with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to sign the proclamation to conserve Joshua Tree for future generations," they reported over Facebook. "Our park was first established as a National Monument, then changed to a National Park in 1994."

The park features two distinct desert ecosystems, the Mojave and the Colorado.

"Joshua Tree National Park has a wide variety of plants and animals that thrive in a landscape sculpted by harsh weather conditions," they said. "Today, we carry on this mission to conserve the park and its ecological, cultural, historical, scientific, and recreational values."

In 2023, the park saw one of its busiest nights during the Perseid meteor shower when there was "bumper-to-bumper traffic," vehicles stuck in the sand, illegal camping and campfires, and trash. "Lines to enter went back for miles," they reported. Even still, the ripple effect from that many visitors will translate to future economic impacts.

Nationally, NPS economists found 312 million national park visitors spent nearly $24 billion in neighboring communities, supporting more than 378,000 jobs for a total impact of $50.3 billion. The lodging sector reaped the most benefits, accounting for $9 billion, followed by restaurants at $4.6 billion.

In the Golden State, national parks generated $2.7 billion in visitor spending across California. Golden Gate alone was responsible for $1.1 billion, economists found.

A detailed breakdown is available on the National Park Service website.