Joshua Tree National Park News Release
For Immediate Release: June 26, 2024
Contact: Meg Rockwell 442-214-4581, jotr_public_affairs@nps.gov
Temporary Closure of Covington Flats
TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA—Public access to the Covington Flats area is closed from Wednesday, July 3, 2024, through Sunday, July 7, 2024. The area will reopen the morning of July 8, 2024.
The spring rains cause an abundance of grass to grow, which has now dried, making a continuous bed of flashy fuels. In response the National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC) has issued a fuels and fire behavior advisory for the area. The national weather service has issued high heat warnings for the area and fire meteorologists at Southern California Geographic Coordination Center has stated that expected fire indicators will be high this season. Expected conditions present an extreme fire danger.
The Geology Fire burned 1,033 acres in Joshua Tree National Park June 2023, impacting Joshua trees and desert tortoise habitat. The Covington Flats area contains most of the important Joshua tree populations within the park.
Joshua Tree National Park is currently under fire restrictions until October 1, 2024.
As the 4th of July holiday weekend approaches, human activity may increase fire risk. All visitors should practice fire safety:
- Keep campfires small and only within a metal campsite fire ring outside of the park,
- Do not smoke within 10 feet of vegetation, dispose of extinguished cigarette butts properly, and
- Enjoy safe and legal fireworks outside of the park, fireworks are not allowed in the park.
About Joshua Tree National Park: Two distinct desert ecosystems, the Mojave and the Colorado, come together in Joshua Tree National Park. Dark night skies, a rich cultural history, and surreal geologic features add to the wonder of this vast wilderness in southern California. Learn more at nps.gov/jotr and on Facebook, Instagram, X, and Youtube
