How Crowded Is Joshua Tree National Park in January?

January runs about 1× Joshua Tree National Park's average month, which makes it an average month here — roughly 8% of the park's yearly visitors come in January.

In a typical January the park sees about 242,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes January the 6th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the March peak (1.6×) and the July low (0.6×).

On our Best Time to Visit score January rates 54/100 ("Fair"), versus the top-rated September at 72/100 — pleasant weather with noticeably thinner crowds (shoulder season).

Typical January weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 63°F and an overnight low around 42°F, with about 0.5" of precipitation.

That average of about 53°F is a comfortable range for hiking and being outdoors all day.

Because June, July and August together draw about 15% of annual visitors, choosing January instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 10 hours of daylight in January to explore — near the year-round minimum.

Park-wide, 2025 drew 2,932,644 recreation visits, down 2% from 2,991,874 in 2024.

Across the past decade overall visitation has risen about 15%, so a January visit is likely to feel busier than it did a few years ago.