How Crowded Is Joshua Tree National Park in March?

March runs about 1.6× Joshua Tree National Park's average month, which makes it a very busy month here — roughly 14% of the park's yearly visitors come in March.

In a typical March the park sees about 392,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

It is the single busiest month of the year at Joshua Tree; July, the quietest, runs only about 0.6× the average — a 3-to-1 swing between high and low season.

On our Best Time to Visit score March rates 44/100 ("Poor"), versus the top-rated September at 72/100 — pleasant weather with noticeably thinner crowds (shoulder season).

Typical March weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 74°F and an overnight low around 49°F, with about 0.4" of precipitation.

That average of about 62°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 March instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 11.7 hours of daylight in March to explore — between the 9.8-hour midwinter low and the 14.2-hour summer high.

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 March visit is likely to feel busier than it did a few years ago.