Most Visited NPS Units in the Southwest: 11, Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree is the most visited of southern California's desert preserves, within reach of day trips from most of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The large park lies on the border between the Mojave and Sonoran deserts, and so is home to a great variety of vegetation, including over 20 types of cactus, but the most famous plant is of course is the strange, spiky Joshua tree, a type of yucca. The backcountry is explorable by many roads and trails, and the campgrounds are amongst the most scenic in any national park.

2014 Visitation: 1,589,904
Joshua Tree National Park - full description