JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. — Joshua Tree National Park is seeing an explosion in popularity. The vast park where the Mojave and Colorado deserts meet in Southern California had more than 2.8 million visitors in 2017. Park spokesman George Land says reasons for the surge included a substantial wildflower bloom, an unusually warm period from Thanksgiving through New Year’s, and growing popularity among foreign tourists. Land says Joshua Tree used to be a fall-through-spring park, but international visitors now make it a year-round destination. Joshua Tree encompasses more than 1,230 square miles (3,185 square kilometres).

Source: National Post February 28, 2018 15:00 UTC