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When Joshua Tree is busiest and quietest
Joshua Tree draws about 2.8 million recreation visits in a typical year. March is the peak, with 13.8% of the year's visits. July is the quietest month that still draws a normal share, at 4.7%.
MarchBusiest month
JulyQuietest open month
2.9xPeak month visits vs the quietest open month
393,540Visits in a typical March
Share of the year's visits, by month
BusiestQuietest open monthOther months
No month falls under 4% of the yearly total, so crowds here are spread fairly evenly. The quietest month overall is July. Quiet does not mean pleasant: check weather and heat for that month before you book.
Typical visits per month
| Month | Typical visits | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 243,223 | 8.5% |
| February | 270,684 | 9.5% |
| March | 393,540 | 13.8% |
| April | 328,496 | 11.5% |
| May | 233,459 | 8.2% |
| June | 154,059 | 5.4% |
| July | 133,639 | 4.7% |
| August | 137,598 | 4.9% |
| September | 154,743 | 5.5% |
| October | 210,434 | 7.5% |
| November | 286,203 | 10.1% |
| December | 294,899 | 10.3% |
How this was worked out
We averaged 9 years of National Park Service recreation visitor counts (2015 to 2025, leaving out 2020 and 2021). Each month is shown as its share of that year's total, then averaged. The counts are monthly, so this cannot tell you about holiday weekends or a specific week. It is history, not a forecast. Full details are on the methodology page.