A record 2.83 million visitors explored Joshua Tree National Park last year/David and Kay Scott photo of the park's Cholla Cactus Garden

It's a good thing Joshua Tree National Park in California has a brand new shuttle system: visitation is rocking!

According to park tallies, more than 2.8 million visitors explored Joshua Tree last year, an increase of 338,000 from the National Park Service Centennial year of 2016.

“We are pleased to see the number of visitors taking our suggestions by visiting during off-peak times, coming during the week and using the entrance at Cottonwood to avoid big weekend crowds," said Superintendent David Smith. "The new park shuttle is also helping to ensure a great park experience to visitors even with our record numbers.” 

In order to reduce traffic congestion, the park has just launched a shuttle-bus service that will allow visitors to leave their vehicles outside the park and let someone else do the driving. The shuttle has scheduled stops at Joshua Tree Visitor Center and Oasis Visitor Center as well as a number of stops both inside the park and in the surrounding community.